Introduction.
The American Psychologist Association (APA) defines psychology as ‘the study of the mind and behaviour . The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. ‘(Association, 2014). With such an extensive definition, it is not overly surprising that its scientific kudos has been used to propagate political dogma, including abominable beliefs such as the innate inferiority of black people (Howitt and Owusu-Bempah, 1994) and to facilitate the legalislation of racist laws such as the American Jim Crow laws that placed severe restrictions on the rights and privileges of African Americans in 1877 (Brown and Stentiford, 2008). Furthermore, Howitt and Owusu-Bempah emphasise how even psychologists who have claimed to abhor racism (for example, Hans Eysenck) have used so called scientific evidence to support claims about black people being intellectually inferior. As stated by Jones psychology is a socially embedded activity that uses a number of methods to produce knowledge about human nature and behaviour and that is is conducted by psychologists with many purposes behind what they do.
Certainly, psychology has tremendous power to indoctrinate government policies. These policies may include policies on welfare, education, health and economics. As such, can one universal psychology really be expected to cover the complexities of all the different cultures and societies throughout the world with their differing needs and histories? Psychology has historically been dominated by American psychology (Lunt and Poortinga, 1996) Though Americans only form less than 5 percent of the world’s population, 70 percent of...
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The field of psychology is a discipline, originated from many branches of science. It has applications from within a complete scope of avenues, from psychotherapy to professional decision-making. The flexibility and versatility of this field reflects its importance and demands in-depth analysis. Psychology was a division of philosophy until it developed independent scientific disciplines. The history of psychology was a scholarly study of the mind and behavior that dates back to the beginning of civilization. There are important details from previous theory psychologist, research have contributed to behaviorism approaches and have contributed towards specific current behavioral practices. Contemporary behavior therapy began to emerge into distinct practical and core learning theories concerning the needs and knowledge engaging cultural and professional differences.
Presently, because of the hybrid heritage, psychology is not thought over as one of the social sciences such as sociology, economic science, government science, and cultural anthropology. Psychology is viewed as an ally to the natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, laws of nature, and mathematics (Thornton, 2009). Psychology is also seen as humanities, which are philosophy, human speeches, music and art. Most psychologists join forces on research and other conceptions with intellectuals and scientists in distinctive fields. This adds to the diversity of interests, which can be seen in the modern psychology department.
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There is great reward in the study of psychology; the study of the Homo sapiens species. Their minds that include intellect, intelligence, habits and behavior rationalizing just as the quote at the beginning advocates—the entire world, history and future, revolves around them. Psychology, not limited to contemporary, “is a rich and varied subject that can simulate theoretical questions while at the same time offering practical application in almost all areas of everyday life” (Cherry). This is the gift that Leon Festinger was born with in New York City on May 8th, 1919. From there, he would go on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from City College of New York in 1939 (Cherry). Psychology is a science. It has its methodology and asks for phenom...
Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980), was a Swiss psychologist who was the first to make a systematic study of cognitive development. Before Piaget’s work, the common assumption in psychology was that children were merely less capable thinkers than adults. After Piaget’s work it was realized that fact of the matter was that young children think extraordinarily different than adults (McLeod, S. A). According to Piaget’s study, we are born with a very basic mental structure (genetically inherited and evolved) on which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based. The theory explains the methods and procedures by which the infant, and then the child, develops into an individual (Boeree, G.). Piaget’s theory focuses more on development than learning, it doesn’t seem to address learning of information or specific behaviors. The theory seems suggest distinct stages of development, marked by qualitative variances, rather than a regular increase in number and complexity of behaviors, concepts, and ideas (Atherton J S).
Before discussing the American functionalist school of psychology it is important to analyse the early roots of psychology . From approximately 600 to 300 BC in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece there has been philosophical interest in the mind and behaviour. The Egyptians, despite their experience believed that the heart was the seat of consciousness however Greek philosophers such as Aristotle believed that the heart was the seat of the mind and that the brain did not have a role in sensation and movement, he argued that “the brain is not responsible for any of the sensations at all. The correct view is that the seat and sources of sensation is the region of the heart” (Gross, C. G., 1995). Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato speculated on issues seen in modern psychology such as pleasure, pain, knowledge and mental illness.