Introduction to
Psychology
Instructor: Sardar Danyal Ahmad Jamal
Class: BBA III
You will be able to understand:
Definition of Psychology
History of Psychology
Branches of Psychology
School of thoughts of Psychology
Mental health & Psychosocial health
Psychology
‘’ Scientific Study of Mind (mental processes) and behaviour”.
Psychology comes from Greek work Psyche means soul/mind and logos means
course of study.
Psychology tries to understand and predict human behabviours along with the
mental processes behind those behaviours.
History of Psychology
While psychology did not emerge as a separate discipline until the late 1800s, its
earliest history can be traced back to the time of the early Greeks. During the 17th-
century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes introduced the idea of dualism, which
asserted that the mind and body were two entities that interact to form the human
experience.
During the mid-1800s, a German physiologist named Wilhelm Wundt (also know as
Father of Psychology) was using scientific research methods to investigate reaction
times. His book published in 1873, "Principles of Physiological Psychology," outlined
many of the major connections between the science of physiology and the study of
human thought and behavior.
He later opened the world’s first psychology lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig,
Germany. This event is generally considered the official start of psychology as a
separate and distinct scientific discipline.
Wundt also introduced concept of introspection, a procedure used to study
the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail
what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus.
History
Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939) was the founding father of modern psychology
and psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was a therapeutic technique and brought revolution
in the field of psychology.
School of Thoughts of Psychology
In psychology, a school of thought is a group that has similar opinions on philosophy,
movements and intellect. It unifies and identifies those with common beliefs, traditions, or
practices concerning a field of study or subject.
Some common school of thoughts are:
1. Structuralism School of Thought
2. Functionalism School of Though
3. Psychoanalytical School of Thought
4. Behavioristic School of Though
5. Cognitive School of thought
6. Humanistic School of thought
Structuralism School of Thought
Structuralism was the first school of thought in psychology. It was founded
by Wilhelm Wundt.
Structuralism gets its name from its objective, which is to explore the structure of the mind.
Wundt sought to understand the structure of the mind by using introspection as his primary
tool. Events or experiences were broken down into the smallest possible elements to be
assessed, so the researcher could better understand the contents of consciousness.
Functionalism School of Thought
The American psychologist, historian, and philosopher William James developed
the school of functionalism in the late 19th/early 20th century, after strong criticism of the
structuralist approach.
Unlike structuralism, which broke experiences down into small elements, the functionalist
approach focused on the whole of an experience. Functionalists define a mental state not by
what it is made of, but by what it does. A particular mental state depends on its function to be
understood.
Psychoanalytic school of Though
Psychoanalysis was founded by the Austrian scholar Sigmund Freud. It focused on the
workings of the unconscious mind to explain human behavior. This school of thought holds that all
people have unconscious desires, memories, Childhood & interpersonal experiences, resulting in
repressed emotions. Psychoanalysis aims to make these unconscious elements conscious to find
catharsis.
Behavioural School of Thought
Behaviorism was founded by John B. Watson in 1924. It emphasizes experience and one's
environment over internal or subconscious forces. Behaviorism believes that human psychology is better
understood through a subject's behavior, rather than their personal beliefs or thoughts.
According to this school of thought, behavior is learned through two types of conditioning, classical and
operant. In classical conditioning, an association is forged between two stimuli; a conditioned stimulus,
and an unrelated unconditioned stimulus, to create a behavior
Humanistic School of Thought
Carl Rogers is often considered the pioneer of the humanistic perspective. Humanists believe
that human beings are born with a natural tendency to be friendly, cooperative, and constructive.
Rather than concentrating on dysfunction, humanistic psychology strives to help people fulfill their
potential and maximize their well-being. (Abraham Maslow Theory of Hierarchy of Needs).
Cognitive School of Thought
Introduced by Dr. Aaron Beck, Focus was on mental process and cognitions as memory,
thinking, problem solving, language and decision making. According to cognitive theorists, abnormal
functioning and cognitive distortions can result from several kinds of cognitive problems. Some people
Branches of Psychology
Experimental Psychology
Biopsychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Educational Psychology
Clinical Psychology/Counseling Psychology
Cross Cultural Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Sports Psychology
Sports Psychology
Environmental Psychology
Abnormal Psychology
Parapsychology
Developmental Psychology
Military Psychology
Mental and Psychosocial Health
Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the
stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their
community. Issue in mental health can lead to mental illness or psychopathology
( World Health Organization).
Psychosocial health is comprised of of four major components, which include:
1. Mental
2. Emotional
3. Social
4. Spiritual health.
Any QUESTIONS???
