Discuss the Development of Psychology with Reference to a Variety of Topics Covered in Semester Two.

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Discuss the Development of Psychology with Reference to a Variety of Topics Covered in Semester Two.

     The study of psychology has many different areas of interest brought about by the curiosity of pioneers and their fascination with the human psyche. The intellectual, social and political spirit of the times played a major role in shaping psychology into the scientific discipline it is today creating theories and models which can be built upon and enrich the lives of individuals. Most psychologists seem to agree that the only way these subjects can be explored is by the scientific method. This involves using existing knowledge to pose a question, designing an appropriate study, collecting the data and then presenting the findings; although some areas of psychology use other methods which people argue are not scientific. At certain times in history people are willing to either reject or accept theories offered by great thinkers but each idea lays the foundation for continued investigation and understanding. Many subfields have developed over time including cognitive psychology which uses objective methods and the humanistic approach which generally focuses on subjective experience. Cognitive psychology concerns itself with the mental processes of the brain such as memory and problem solving. The development of cognitive psychology has been as a result of the works of philosophers and pioneers, such as Jean Piaget (1896-1980), and as a backlash to behaviourism. Gestalt theory laid the foundations with the brain and its functions.  In contrast humanistic psychology has developed mainly as a reaction against psychoanalytic theory and behaviourism. It concerns itself with subjective meaning as opposed to more scientific methods.  Psychology is a relatively new science but this essay aims to show that the journey has been long and has come from many different areas of interest to make it what it is today.

     

     Philosophy has played a major role in the development of psychology as the questions posed then are reflected in the questions raised today. The body mind problem and the nature versus nurture debate are issues which throughout history have exasperated scientists. Examining the mind was the focus of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) who was an empiricist. His philosophy of knowledge implied that the mind was a mechanism that reacted as a direct result of information from the senses. Hobbes theory was that all matter was in motion in the body and that prior causes triggered observable events. He rejected the idea that behaviour and thought are innate capabilities and suggested that consciousness was simply a reaction to the mechanism of the brain after it had been activated by the senses.

     The senses have always been an area studied in psychology, John Locke (1632-1704) philosophised that sensation and reflection were the two aspects that enable a person to have simple ideas and through these ideas a person could gain experience on which they can reflect. For example, the colour, texture and smell of a rose are the sensations and the perception, thought and reasoning of whether or not it is a flower are the reflections of the sensory input. The importance of Locke in the development of psychology is that The Essay Concerning Human Understanding (Locke, 1690 as cited in Hergenhahn, 2005) was published. This piece of work offered an explanation of the mind as an organised system and further suggested that the mind was passive.

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      The human mind and its associative mechanisms was also of interest to David Hume (1711-1776). His principles of association were  firstly resemblance, which means the original sense or perception, the second principle was contiguity which suggests a person cannot have an idea without it coming from an idea before and the third is cause and effect which infers that A causes B. Cause means that when two events are caused one after the other the mind immediately connects the two together and develops what Hume called a ‘habit’, which he saw as the principle element from ...

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