Modern Psychology The Scientific Study Of Mind And...

The following essay will focus on the emergence of modern psychology, presently understood to be the â€Å"scientific study of mind and behaviour†. Philosophy and experimental physiology have been influential in creating a favourable zeitgeist that ultimately allowed for the transformation of an ancient discipline into the scientific study of the mind. It was 1879 before psychology officially became a science. Previously philosophers endeavoured to understand human nature and the links between the body and the mind - formerly referred to as the soul. In fact, the main concerns of today s psychology, reflect themes that intrigued humanity for thousands of years. â€Å"Psychology has a long past but a short history† (Ebbinghaus, 1908). Therefore†¦show more content†¦His contribution has seen him labelled by some as the founder of modern psychology (Prado, 2009). During the 17TH century under the encouragement of Descartes, one of the most influential rationalists of this period, interactions of the body and mind provoked multitudinous debates. Descartes accepted dualism, the metaphysical stance that mind and body are essentially separate entities, two distinct substances with different natures that interact, mutually influencing one another. The body being mortal, a machine that followed mechanical laws whereas, the mind was immortal, a spiritual being. Descartes theory, the pineal gland is a unique organ situated in the centre of the brain, where all thoughts are processed (Berhouma, 2013). Thought to be mechanical like in their interaction, the mind would accept impressions from the eyes and ears; they would unite in the pineal gland to be considered by the soul, here they would influence the body, for instance, generating the body to move. Whereas the body would create impressions on the pineal gland through nerves, for example, touch, shaping the mind to produce sensations (Mehta, 2001). Descartes believed the mind created two types of ideas, derived and innate, those resulting from external stimuli (sensory experience) and those from consciousness. The acceptance ofShow MoreRelatedSocial And Cultural Context Of Psychology818 Words   |  4 PagesKatja Gavrilina Define the term Psychology and discuss its history in light of social and cultural context, highlighting the significance of different perspectives in Psychology. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of mental processes and human behaviour. It had roots in philosophy and physiology, before becoming an independent scientific discipline in the late 1800 s. 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It is widel y suggested that Psychology is a â€Å"coalition of specialities† meaning it is multi-disciplinary (Hewstone, Fincham and Foster 2005, page 4). I will therefore examine whether it could beRead MoreThe Theoretical Approaches Of Psychology1651 Words   |  7 PagesPsychology is the scientific â€Å"study of the mind† (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified byRead MoreI Am Looking At Where Psychology As A Discipline1361 Words   |  6 PagesHistory of Psychology In this essay I am looking at where Psychology as a discipline has come from and what affects these early ideas have had on psychology today, Psychology as a whole has stemmed from a number of different areas of study from Physics to Biology, But the first Psychological foundations are rooted in philosophy, which to this day propels psychological inquiry in areas such as language acquisition, consciousness, and even vision among many others. While the great philosophicalRead MoreDiscuss to What Extent Psychology Can Be Considered a Science.1129 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Extent Psychology Can Be Considered a Science. According to Merriam Webster (2008), science is a, â€Å"knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method†, with scientific method in five steps being, â€Å"observation/research, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation and conclusion.† (sciencemadesimple.com, 2006). With this to consider, is psychology a science and if so, to what extent. It would be fair to say that psychology has not always