Chapter 1 : Introduction

The Nature of Psychology

Ailene C. Ygot
Instructor

Psychology as a Science
psyche (mind)

logos (study)

actions, responses, behavior

How? objective and systematic study

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior

and mental processes.

Psychology as a Science
Goals:
describe, explain, predict and control
behavior and mental processes
How can I control my fears?
How can I learn to study?

History of Psychology
Nativist View some ideas
are innate
17th century
Rene Descartes

Empiricist View knowledge

is acquired through
experiences and interaction
with the world

NATURE

NURTURE

History of Psychology
1879 first psychological laboratory
University of Leipzig, Germany
Wilhelm Wundt Father of Psychology
study on senses vision
attention, emotions and memory

History of Psychology

1883 first psychology lab in the US

John Hopkins University
Granville Stanley Hall
founded the first American Journal of
Psychology

History of Psychology
19th century
Titchener / Wundt
Structuralism
mental structures perception, consciousness,
thinking and emotions
Introspection method of data collection

History of Psychology
1900s
William James
Functionalism
functions of the mind and behavior to adapt to
the environment

History of Psychology
1900s (US)
John B. Watson
Behaviorism
challenged Functionalism
observable behavior

History of Psychology
1912 (Germany)
Max Wertheimer
Gestalt Psychology
gestalt form , configuration
the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
experiences cannot be broken down into smaller
units

History of Psychology in the

Philippines
17th century Psychology was taught in the
Phils. (UST & USC)
1926 first Department of Psychology (UP)
UST first university to offer undergraduate,
masters and doctoral degrees in Psychology

Pioneers in Psychology in the

Philippines
Sinforoso Padilla established the first
psychological clinic in the Philippines in UP in
1932
Jesus Perpina set up the FEU psychological
clinic in 1933
Estefania Aldaba-Lim first Filipino to
receive a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. In
1962, she set up the Philippine Psychological
Corporation.

Perspectives in Psychology

Psychodynamic Approach
Behavioral Approach
Cognitive Approach
Biological Approach
Phenomenological or Humanistic Approach
Sociocultural Approach

Psychodynamic Approach
Sigmund Freud
behavior stems from the unconscious mind
manifestations dreams, slips of speech
(Freudian slip) , or mannerism
Psychoanalysis therapeutic approach of Freud
Carl Jung and Alfred Adler

Behavioral Approach
John B. Watson father of Behaviorism
only by studying behavior could psychology be
considered a science
mind cannot be observed directly
Stimulus-Response (S-R) psychology offshoot
of behaviorism

Stimulus (environment) Response (responses to

stimulus) - Rewards and Punishments following
these responses

Cognitive Approach
mental processes
perceiving
remembering
reasoning
deciding
problem solving
how?
Focus on specific behaviors and then interpreting them in
terms of underlying mental processes

Biological Approach
how the brain underlie behavior and mental
processes
physiological processes
neurotransmitters chemicals produced in the
brain that are believed to have an effect on the
persons moods
serotonin
norepinephrine

Phenomenological or Humanistic
Approach
subjective and personal experience of events
(phenomenology) and the need for personal
growth
the belief that an individuals principal
motivational force is a tendency toward growth
and self actualization
Abraham Maslow
Carl Rogers

Sociocultural Approach
the ways by which social and cultural
environments influence behavior
cultural context should be considered
comparing behavior across countries;
or within a country

Depression
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive

Biological
Humanistic
Sociocultural

Anger turned inward

Lack of positive reinforcers
Interpretation of their
ability to control events
Genetic susceptibility to
depression
Self-esteem
Culturally acceptable?

Group Activity
Brainstorm on how the emotion
ANGER can be understood using the
different approaches.