The Theory Of Psychology And Psychology - 1599 Words

Psychology first started in 1879 by Wilhelm Wundt who founded the first laboratory which specialized in psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany. Wundt used controlled experiments to investigate the mind by using a method called introspection which examined an individual’s mental state to gain an understanding of how our mind works. This approach became known as Structuralism, deals with the study of the conscious mind, with the idea that the conscious mind can be broken down into basic elements that combined to form to the structure of the human mind. The second approach to psychology came in 1890, Functionalism. Functionalism was influenced by Darwin s views on natural selection and wanted to explain the mental processes in†¦show more content†¦Freud suggested to have a healthy personality there had to be a balance between this three parts. Freud also suggested that childhood experiences affect our behaviour as adults. He believed we go through a series of stages called the psychosexual stages of development and if trauma or excessive pleasure occurs it will be reflected in our personality as adults. Freud created dream analysis a form of therapy, as he argued if a person experiences a traumatic event they can use defence mechanisms such as repression the move the memory into the unconscious mind, which can lead to mental illness. Dream analysis is a form of therapy that allows the unconscious mind to be accessible in order to deal with repressed memories and explain the patient’s mental illness. One strength of the psychodynamic approach is its practical application of dream analysis. Research by Sandell has shown that dream analysis can be successful in reducing a variety of mental illnesses. However a weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that it is reductionist, it over-simplifies the explanation of human behaviour and ignores other factors that may cause behaviours. A key moment that developed after the psychodynamic approach was Behaviourism. The behaviourist approach argue that behaviour is learned through our interactions with the environment. Our behaviour is changed and altered by the consequences of our actions. There are two types of conditioning that have been