"Psychology has a long past but a short history." This brief statement by one of the pioneers of psychological research, Herman Ebbinghaus, captures the history of psychology as a discipline. Though it is relatively new as a formal academic subject, the questions it seeks to answer have been around since the beginning of man. In this unit, we will review the history of psychology as a discipline, by learning about both its ancient philosophical roots and its more recent reincarnation as a "scientific" field of study.
Psychology is the scientific discipline that studies mental states, processes, and behavior in humans and other animals. This discipline is broadly divisible into two parts. Firstly, there’s a large profession of practitioners. Secondly, there’s a smaller but growing science of mind, brain, and social behavior. Though both have distinctive goals and practices, some psychologists integrate the two.
In other words, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. According to the American Psychological Association, it’s the study of the mind, how it works, and how it affects behavior. The APA also states that it “embraces all aspects of the human experience – from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged”.
This discipline includes many sub-fields of study such as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior, and cognitive processes. Psychology is actually a very new science, with most advances happening over the past 150 years or so. However, its origins date back to Ancient Greece 400-500 years BC.
The science of psychology benefits society and enhances our lives. Psychologists examine the relationships between brain function and behavior. Next, the environment and behavior, applying what they learn to illuminate our understanding and improve the world around us.
Psychology as the study of mental processes tries to investigate the activities happening in the brain which are primarily non-physiological in nature. These mental processes include perception, learning, remembering and thinking. These are internal mental activities which are not directly observed but inferred from the behavioral activities of the person. For example, we can say that somebody is thinking if he or
She displays certain activities related to finding a solution to a mathematical problem assigned to him or her.
From the definition of psychology now it might be clear to you that psychology addresses a variety of issues related to mental and behavioral functioning of an individual. Such a study helps us to develop a basic understanding about human nature and facilitates us to deal with a number of personal and social problems.
The study of human beings starts with the functioning of biological systems, especially the nervous system. Under central nervous system, psychology studies the functions of various parts of brain which regulate our feelings, emotions and thinking. Within the autonomic nervous system, the role of hormones and neurotransmitters in determining our behavior is important. In addition, psychology studies as to how a given sociocultural environment interacts with innate biological, intellectual and social attributes of the child and facilitates healthy development of the child.
• Psychology is a systematic and scientific study of mental processes, experiences and behaviors - both overt and covert – as they take place in a sociocultural setting.
• In India, the study of soul/consciousness was the main concern during Vedic and Upanishads period.
• The formal beginning of psychology was in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental laboratory at the University of Leipzig, in Germany.
• The scope of psychology is wide as it addresses a variety of issues related to mental and behavioral functioning of the individuals.
• Study of psychology helps us to develop a basic understanding about human nature and facilitates dealing with a number of personal and social problems.
• The various psychological processes that are involved in human behavior are sensation, attention, perception, learning, memory, and thinking.
• Psychology has a number of specialized fields of study. Each field helps us understand human behavior in a specific domain.
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