Understanding Psychology

Dr. Angel Thomas

Clinical Psychologist
Mar Sleeva Medicity, Palai
 Psychology- Greek Origin

• “The word ‘psychology’ is derived

from the Greek psyche (mind, soul or

spirit) and logos (knowledge,

discourse or study). Literally, then,

psychology is the ‘study of the mind’.

 Historical Origin
• Greek Origin
• Eastern Philosophy
 A New Science Is Born

• Psychology’s intellectual parents were the disciplines of philosophy

and physiology.

• 1879- first Psychology Laboratory was established at Leipzig University-

Germany
Wilhelm Wundt

• Father of Modern
Psychology
• Established first Psychology
Laboratory at Leipzig
University-Germany
 Establishment of first Psychology Lab-1879

• Historians have christened

1879 as psychology’s “date

of birth.”
 Definition
• Scientific study of behavior and mental Processes
Structuralism: Focuses on analyzing the basic elements of consciousness and their organization.

Functionalism: Emphasizes the purpose and adaptive functions of mental processes in shaping behavior.

Behaviorism: Studies observable behaviors and emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping and
controlling behavior.

Psychoanalysis: Explores the influence of unconscious thoughts and desires on behavior and personality.

Gestaltism: Examines how individuals perceive and experience the world as unified wholes, rather than
isolated elements.
Battle of Schools
Over view of six contemporary theoretical perspectives
 Pavlov's dog experiment was about teaching a dog to associate the sound of a bell with getting food. Ivan Pavlov,
a Russian scientist, rang a bell every time he fed a dog. After a while, the dog started to salivate just by hearing
the bell, even if there was no food present. This showed that the dog had learned to connect the bell sound with
the expectation of food, demonstrating a form of learned behavior known as classical conditioning.
Thorndike's puzzle box was an experiment with a cat and a box. Thorndike put a hungry cat in a box with a latch
that could be opened by a simple action, like pulling a loop of string. The cat had to figure out how to escape and
get to the food outside the box.

At first, the cat would try different things randomly. However, with each trial, the cat learned that a specific action
(like pulling the string) led to the door opening, allowing it to get the food. This experiment demonstrated the
concept of "trial and error" learning, where animals learn through repeated attempts to achieve a goal by
discovering the correct actions that lead to a positive outcome.
Mary Ellen Wilson