The Question in the Origins of Psychology is What Drives...

The understanding of ourselves and the humans around us has been studied by many great historical scholars such as Aristotle and Descartes. Scholars like these would ask psychological questions about what drives us and why. It was not until the late nineteenth century that psychological research was considered as its own scientific discipline. Psychology began in 1879 when a man named Wilhelm Wundt set up a psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. This laboratory would be considered the birth place of experimental psychology. Within the laboratory, Wundt independently trained over 180 students. Over 100 of these students came from other countries, and then returned to their native countries with the knowledge of experimental†¦show more content†¦Freud believed that the unconscious mind contained thoughts and memories that were outside of personal awareness. (Feist and Rosenberg) According to Freud, childhood events shape the way we behave as adults and because of this much of human behavior is an effect of our unconscious thoughts and past experiences. Psychoanalysis was developed as both a theory and a therapy that inspired psychologists to come to develop other psychodynamic theories. (Mcleod) There are seven major perspectives of modern psychology; psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, biological, evolutionary, and sociocultural. (Feist and Rosenberg) Behavioral psychology was founded by John B. Watson who believed that conditioning explains how behaviors are a result of observable stimuli. Much of the research done in this field consisted of experiments that studied animal behaviors. Modern behaviorists believe that human behavior can be shaped and these approaches have been used to treat people with observable problems, such as phobias and alcoholism. (Feist and Rosenberg) The humanistic perspective of psychology stresses free will, self-actualization, and human nature as forces that shape the way we grow, learn and behave. The personal belief systems that humans develop help us to gain fulfillment in the quest to realize our highest potential. (Feist and Rosenberg) The humanistic approach looks at behavior as unique to each individual and suggestsShow MoreRelatedPsychology in Greek Philosophy, Paragraphs1403 Words   |  6 Pagesto the filed of psychology. Three whom I believe made significant impacts are Socrates, Aristotle and Rene Descartes. In the following section, I will briefly discuss a bit about each individual, and then talk about which of the four archetypes they each fall under based on the information presented. Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher who devoted his life and work to searching for moral good, virtue, and justice. 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