Structuralism and Functionalism: Early Schools of ThoughtStructuralismis widely regarded as the first school of thought in psychology. This outlook focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major thinkers associated with structuralism include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes down into their most basic elements. The structuralists used techniques such as introspectionto analyze the inner processesof the human mind.Functionalismformed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. Unlike some of the other well-known schools of thought in psychology, functionalism is not associated with a single dominant theorist. Instead, there are some different functionalist thinkers associated with this outlook including John Dewey, James Rowland Angell, and Harvey Carr.Author David Hothersall notes, however, that some historians even question whether functionalism should be considered a formal school of psychology at all given its lack of a central leader or formalized set of ideas.Instead of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers were instead interested in the rolethat these processes play.Gestalt PsychologyGestalt psychologyis a school of psychology based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of structuralism. Instead of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest elements,the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According to the Gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.The Behaviorist School of Thought in PsychologyBehaviorismbecame a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. It was based upon the work of thinkers such as:John B. WatsonIvan PavlovB. F. SkinnerBehaviorism suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioningand operant conditioningwere the focus of a great deal of research.The behavioral school of psychology had a significant influence on the course of psychology, and many of the ideas and techniques that emerged from this school of thought are still widely used today. Behavioral training, token economies, aversion therapy, and other techniques are frequently used in psychotherapy and behavior modification programs. Show
The Psychoanalytic School of ThoughtPsychoanalysisis a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This school of thought emphasized the influence of the unconscious mindon behavior. The word Gestalt is used in modern German to mean the way a thing has been “placed” or “put together”. The Gestalt school of psychology was founded in Germany by Max Wertheimer and his colleagues. These psychologists felt that the theory of structuralists that the mind is made up of elements was not right. The central principle of gestalt psychology is that the mind forms a global whole with self-organizing tendencies. This principle maintains that the human mind considers objects in their entirety before, or in parallel with, perception of their individual parts; suggesting the whole is other than the sum of its parts. Gestalt psychology tries to understand the laws of our ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions in an apparently chaotic world. The gestalt effect is the capability of our brain to generate whole forms, particularly with respect to the visual recognition of global figures instead of just collections of simpler and unrelated elements (points, lines, curves…). In psychology, gestaltism is often opposed to structuralism. The theoretical principles are the following:Principle of Totality: The conscious experience must be considered globally (by taking into account all the physical and mental aspects of the individual simultaneously) because the nature of the mind demands that each component be considered as part of a system of dynamic relationships. Principle of psycho-physical isomorphism: A correlation exists between conscious experience and cerebral activity. The Phrase: The whole is other than the sum of the parts is often used when explaining Gestalt theory, though there is a common mis translation of Kurt Koffka’s original phrase to “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. Which school of psychology says the whole is greater than the sum of parts?A core belief in Gestalt psychology is holism, or that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 1 This school of psychology has played a major role in the modern development of the study of human sensation and perception.
Which approach to psychology would be apt to say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?Gestalt Psychology: Closure in the '20s
The origin of the word Gestalt is German/Austrian, and it simply means: Shape, Form, or the Whole. It is often stated in this theory that, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.
Which type of psychology asserts the whole is greater than the sum of its parts as its primary philosophy?Gestalt theory was developed starting in 1912. The word Gestalt means a unified and meaningful whole. The main tenet of Gestalt is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
What psychology is based on the idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts?This belief led to a new movement within the field of psychology known as Gestalt psychology. The word gestalt literally means form or pattern, but its use reflects the idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts.
|
