The History of Psychology

History of Psychology The history of modern psychology can be traced back to times of early influential philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Hume, and Mill, whose main focus was on British Empiricism and Associationism. Each of these philosophers contributed significant theories and ideas that had a considerable impact on the development of modern psychology. Leibniz and Kant were two German philosophers who also had a noteworthy influence on modern psychology although their ideas contrasted those of the Empiricists and Associationists. Throughout the 19th century there were many scientific innovations that led to the development of the science of psychology, which allowed psychologists and scientists to study the physical aspects behind psychological theories. The Beginnings of Modern Psychology Descartes Descartes was one of the most influential philosophers in regards to the field of psychology. Descartes introduced the theory of dualism (the mind-body problem). According to this theory the mind and the body are two completely separate entities that work together to make up human experiences (Goodwin, 2008). Descartes played an important role in the mind-body problem which has been a persistent issue in the history of psychology. Locke Locke was the referred to as the founder of British Empiricism. He believed that personal experiences have a large impact on the inner workings of the mind and the development of personality and behaviors. Locke stated that, “the mind at birth, then, is an empty sheet of white paper, ready to be written upon by the experiences of one’s lifetime” (Goodwin, 2008, p.40). Hume Hume authored the idea that impressions originate from senses and concepts that are encountered in day-to-day life. Hume also established three laws of association, which encompassed: resemblance, contiguity, and cause/effect (Goodwin, 2008). Resemblance concentrated on the idea that objects that may be familiar to an individual can trigger particular memories. The law of contiguity addresses experiencing things at the same time, which creates an association between these two things. Cause and effect was based upon the idea that if two things are regularly associated with one another an individual might come to associate these two events. These laws of association aided in the generation of future ideas and theories within the discipline of psychology. Mill In 1843 Mill published System of Logic which had a colossal impact on the techniques used to study psychology by means of applying inductive logic. Inside this publication he discussed the approaches that could be used in the study of psychology, which included the method of Agreement, Difference, and Concomitant (Goodwin, 2008). The method of Agreement was founded upon the idea of studying specific commonalities within a sample group in an endeavor to conclude what risk factors might come into play (if X, then Y). The Difference method is fundamentally the opposite of the Agreement

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