How Structuralism and Functionalism Influenced Contemporary Psychology

    Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. It has a long and rich history, with many different schools of thought and perspectives that have shaped its development. Two of the earliest and most influential schools of thought in psychology were structuralism and functionalism. In this article, we will explore what these schools were, how they differed, and how they influenced contemporary psychology.

    What Was Structuralism?

    Structuralism was the first school of thought to emerge in psychology. It was founded by Wilhelm Wundt, who is often considered to be the father of psychology. Wundt established the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. He believed that the mind could be broken down into its basic elements, such as sensations, feelings, and images, and that these elements could be studied scientifically using a method called introspection. Introspection involved asking trained observers to report their conscious experiences as objectively as possible. One of Wundt's students, Edward Titchener, later introduced structuralism to the United States and gave it its name. Titchener focused on identifying the structure of the mind by analyzing the elements of consciousness. He also developed a system of psychology called structural psychology, which aimed to classify and organize the elements of the mind according to their similarities and differences.




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