Verified Document

History Of Psychology Although The Term Paper

An early influence on Gestalt psychology was the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who stressed that humans do not perceive the world as it is. Rather, they impose cause and effect relationships on it and therefore our perceptions are influenced by their experiences. Max Wertheimer was the strongest proponent of this approach. Gestalt psychology greatly declined when Nazis came to power in Germany and many scholars were forced to flee. In the United States, behaviorism was too strong to overcome, and many of its ideas were in opposition to Gestalt beliefs. Humanistic therapy overlaps with CBT and both are very common in today's society. It emphasizes the growth and fulfillment of the self or self-actualization through self-mastery, self-examination and creative expression. Although the influences of the unconscious and society are taken into account, freedom of choice in creating one's experience is essential and is often referred to as self-determination. A humanistic therapist is nonjudgmental and empathic, and uses open-ended responses, reflective listening and understanding interpretations to promote client self-understanding, acceptance and actualization.

One of the main schools of psychology that most people have heard of is psychoanalysis, which was developed by Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s. It was based...

From early childhood, people repress any desires or needs that are unacceptable to themselves or to society. These repressed feelings can cause personality disturbances, self-destructive behavior, and even physical symptoms. In a method called free association, the patient talks about anything that comes to mind, and therapist listens for clues to the person's inner feelings. Psychoanalysts also try to interpret dreams. The goal is to help the patient understand and accept repressed feelings and find ways to deal with them.
Although many psychologists still adhere to many of Freud's teachings, they also incorporate other forms of psychology that deal more with the present day than the past; more with present actions than repressed earlier thoughts. For instance, though many psychologists disagree with some of Freud's ideas, most accept his ideas that the unconscious plays a major role in shaping behavior. Similarly, most psychologists agree with the behaviorists that environment influences behavior and that they should study chiefly observable actions. However, many psychologists object to pure behaviorism, since they believe that it pays too little attention to such processes as reasoning and personality development.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Psychology Throughout Its History, Psychology Has Undergone
Words: 946 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Psychology Throughout its history, psychology has undergone a number of evolutions. As the study of mind, the discipline has necessarily been subject to change as new research revealed information about the functions of the mind and its effect upon behavior. Relatively simple conclusions drawn by those who are currently considered the founding fathers of psychology have been challenged and modified to become the various subdisciplines in psychology that we know

History of Psychology Applied to Employee Selection
Words: 1202 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

History of Psychology Applied to Employee Selection" appears in Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Although it is a chapter in the book, it provides detailed information and can be used as a stand-alone text in an analysis of the subject. Vinchur (2007) divides the subject into chronological time periods, which is unusual for most essays in the field of organizational psychology. The first section is on the

History of Psychology Is a
Words: 992 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

The concepts of short- and long-term memory, as well as input and output all fit well within the language of computer science and psychologists quickly determined that they could use computers to study human thought and behavior (Wallace et al., 2007). Not only did the computer provide a way of looking at human thought, the use of the computer within the science of psychology also helped to add legitimacy

History of Social Psychology: Past and Future
Words: 2484 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

History Of Social Psychology: Past and Future Directions The fields of psychology and social psychology owe their existence to the earlier philosophical thinkers including Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant. However, the recognized founder of the field (by most historians) is the German scientist Wilhelm Wundt (Farr, 2003). In 1862 Wundt proposed that there psychology should consist of two branches: a social branch and a physiological branch of psychology (Farr,

Psychology Chapter 5 Of the Abnormal Child
Words: 562 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Psychology Chapter 5 of the Abnormal Child Psychology textbook is about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD). The chapter provides a brief description and history of the disorder. Then, core characteristics of ADHD are listed, such as inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. This information is helpful for understanding how ADHD is diagnosed. The authors also give information on the DSM criteria, which are critical for an actual diagnosis of the disorder. A section on associated

Psychology Definitions Abnormal Psychology - The Study
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Psychology Definitions Abnormal Psychology - the study of mental and emotional disorders or maladaptive behaviors, or of mental phenomena such as dreams, hypnosis, and altered states or levels of consciousness. Social norms - Group-held beliefs about how members should behave in a given context. Sociologists describe norms as informal understandings that govern society's behaviors,]while psychologists have adopted a more general definition, recognizing smaller group units, like a team or an office, may

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now