History of Psychology
Academics have always been curious about how the mind works and clearly, psychology has occurred in one form or another for various years, but further subjects, particularly philosophy, have often overbalance it. Often it was recognized as not scientific and philosophical in the sense that there appeared to be no concrete answers within the subject. Now it is one of the considerably popular subjects to study and has a rigorous place within the sciences. It is interesting to examine how this formulation of psychology as a science arose and how this recent psychology and old psychology have been merged concurrently. This essay aims to speculate about Wundt and James's involvement in this transitional strategy between philosophy and psychology.
The testimony presented should show that Wundt and James were extremely instructive and influential figures in the history of psychology Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt, the son of an evangelical pastor was born near Manheim, Germany, on 16 August 1832. He was from an educational family with members who were scientists, professors, government officeholders, and physicians.
He was often unaware of his own schooling and was a habitual daydreamer. He failed his first year of high school and was sent to Heidelberg to stay with an aunt. Here he developed academically and graduated at age 19. He decided to try on a career in medicine and indisputably excelled in this area. His successes lead him into the field of physiology and he decided to continue into the academic side of this subject by becoming a lecturer.
As a lecturer at Heidelberg Wundt collected a very low salary so he began to teach courses personally. His first course in experimental physiology taught in his own home and attracted only four students. Wundt wished to improve his career by both personal teaching and private studies. His studies at this time were correlated with earlier work in the fields of physiology and astronomy nevertheless these studies also carried significance for a future science of psychology. It was in these scientific experiments that Wundt expanded his ideas for a hybrid of philosophy and physiology, which would finally become psychology.
He described two branches of psychology. The branch he is most remarkable for is experimental psychology. In this, he took his affairs as a philosopher studying the mind and experiences in physiology studying the body and created a new sector of science. He concluded the mind could be studied concerning the body and by handled experimental conditions, new hypotheses could be acquired and either supported or not in this new career. He did not believe regardless, that the experimental scenario would prove enough to give an equal view of the science of psychology.
He also composed what he termed Volkerpsychologie (ethnic or folk psychology). This embraced especially the study of language, belief, and custom.
Once he had devised these two new branches he started to actively pursue them. In the summer of 1862, Wundt offered a new course of lectures on the experimental viewpoint entitled "Psychology from the standpoint of Natural Science". He also wrote, "Lectures on the Human and Animal Mind" (published in1863 and 1864) which was the start of Wundt's investigation into Volkerpsychology. Wundt quit from his post and became even more dependent on and involved in his private studies.
In 1867 Wundt was invited to write for a journal entitled "Recent Advances in the field of Physiological Psychology" His article elicited more attention than anything else he had written and confirmed many that new scientific psychology was clearly on the horizon (Fancher, 1996, page155). In this way, Wundt proceeded to become an extremely influential man. He had defined this new science and succeeded in making it an autonomous subject. He had written the first widely read articles on this new sector and he had begun to invent explicit rules for his experimental method in psychology.
As his opinions grew so did his influence and this was noticeable in 1874 when he produced his book Principles of Physiological Psychology. As well as interpreting his ideas and this new area it was also proclaimed as the first genuine textbook for Psychology.
In 1875 he received a full professorship at Leipzig and it is here that Wundt cemented his place as one of the huge innovators of psychology. He launched the first fully-fledged program in experimental psychology and as he became more time-honored his area grew dramatically. By 1879 he had the first working research laboratory explicitly dedicated to experimental psychology and students gathered to study this new science with him. In his new official "institute" of psychology graduate students could studly for PhDs in experimental psychology. He was incredibly important as he educated the first generation of psychologists. In 1881 he founded the journal Philosophische Studien (Philosophical Studies) this meant that his research laboratories could broadcast their findings it also meant that word of this new profession of science could be more widely circulated.
By the 1900s there were more than 100 psychology laboratories world-wideand psychology was recognized as an important and academic subject. Wundt proceeded to publish right up to his death in 1920. It is mostly his institutional developments that have to govern Wundt often being considered as the father of psychology.
If Wundt was the founder of psychology then William James was the man who got the science to life in the United States. He has been clarified as the first of the 'new' psychologists in the U.S. William James was born on 11 January 1842 in New York City. He was the eldest child of a wealthy, unique family. His father moved the family around America and Europe and was plagued by panic attacks and worrying problems. All the children were educated confidentially and in this unusual household, they were motivated to formulate and review their own personal opinions from an early age. James as a child was attracted to and showed great mastery at art but this career was quickly terminated by his father. James was inspired to go into science so in 1861 James went to Harvard, where he first studied chemistry and then shifted to physiology.
In 1864 he enrolled at Harvard's Medical School. Subsequently suffering from health problems James's future was uncertain and after suffering episodes identical to his fathers he was suffering. However, he completed his medical degree but his attractions were beginning to emerge in another field-philosophy.
His career still unusual and the fact that he had no real experience in any area troubled James, but at last in 1872 he got the chance he had been waiting for. He was asked to teach on a newly instituted physiology course at Harvard. James excelled as a teacher provoking courage and interest from his students. He was influencing and vivacious and very much involved personally with many of his students.
He expressed his own love of a subject to his students beautifully and with peace. James had no proper training in this area and often was learning the material himself days or hours before his lectures. He soon renamed the course " The Connections between Physiology and Psychology" and while he was working on his book The Principles of Psychology, between 1878 and 1890, he concentrated exclusively on psychology.
As James's interest in psychology grew so he was restricted to spread its message. He was incredibly influential in this area as he brought the new science to life and taught in a way that all could recognize. He had himself succeeded from his readings about his audacity problems and was determined that his students would observe psychology's worth and importance in everyday life. In 1890 James's book The Principles of Psychology was published and even when not original, an old theme was given new life by its brilliance of formulation (Watson, 1963, page 325). James testified himself to be an accomplished writer and his exciting way of expressing psychology lead to it quickly becoming the leading psychology text in English.
In later years James's interest in psychology decreased and he worked more in philosophy. However, James can be seen as the man that not only circulates the new science academically but who procured it to the people. As well as instilling considerable interest in his students he also wrote another book Briefer Course in 1892 which was read by people from all walks of life. He assisted bring psychology into the classroom by applying its theories to everyday life. He was extremely important in the extent of psychology around the United States. James was important in a way that previously academics had been doubtful of. Wundt loved to control all his research but James totally forced his students to think for themselves and to take psychology onward as a science.
James had no extraordinarily new psychological beliefs for his students to adhere to and he urged and inspired them to develop their own individual strategies. Three of James's students G. Stanley Hall, Mary Whiton Calkins, and Edward Lee Thorndike went on to participate significantly in the development of American psychology. Wundt honestly had no starting new theories with relation to psychology but he succeeded in integrating physiology and philosophy and making psychology a supreme subject in its own privilege.
He formed his innovations on the advancements he saw in the other sciences. Although not an inspiring man he was the first man who could be called a psychologist without modifying the statement by reference to another, stronger interest (Leahey, 1980, page 241). He also wrote the first texts on psychology and this accomplished in highlighting this new profession of science. Wundt's experimental psychology has influenced the psychology seen today and has helped to bind psychology's place within the other sciences.
James had no fresh understandings about psychology; absolutely his own interests appeared to lie with philosophy. However, bringing on his own experiences of psychology's real-life uses he gave the subject meaning for all. He enabled this new psychology to be read and understood by the masses. He inspired and encouraged his students and was clearly influential in the future of psychology due to the high caliber of students he gave to the field of psychology. if Wundt founded psychology then James could be said to have brought it active and to the society.
REFERENCES
Watson, R, I. 1963. The Great Psychologists.J.B. Lippincott
Company, Philadelphia & New York.
Fancher, R, E. 1996. Pioneers of Psychology.w.w.Norton
&Company Ltd, London.
Leahey, T, H. 1980. A History of Psychology.Prentice-Hall, Inc, United States of America.
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