Essay Sample on The Rise of Structuralism: A Psychology Origin Story

Psychology originated from the study of biology as well as philosophy. As such, the emergence of structuralism entailed employing self-examination, which revealed the structure of the mind. From Myer's timeline of psychology, it can be noted how the psychology of structuralism began with the wisdom of the body, explaining the science of homeostasis, alongside discussing the fight-or-flight response, and the identification of hormonal changes associated with stress. Later, the school of thought involving the exploration of the purpose of consciousness and mental processes was developed. It was known as functionalism. It focused on understanding the purpose of consciousness and mental processes surrounding living organisms, and how it helped them cope with their environment - including their survival and environmental adaptation. As such, in 1938, Skinner investigated the behavior of organisms, which described the operant conditioning of animals. Besides, in the same year, Louis explained the primary mental abilities in humans, while explaining the purposes of the seven abilities that they possess. Most of the works that followed functionalism were categorized into evolutionary psychology because it modified the works in functional psychology. Evolutionary psychology further explained processes such as perception, language, and memory, which form the products of adaptation. It is this school of thought that explored the application of the former psychological theories in various fields and areas, for instance, in 1948, theories of learning were developed.

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Similarly, in 1971, the social learning theory, which is a modification of the former, was discussed by Albert Bandura. More developments were experienced, and as such, in 1979, James Gibson published information discussing the ecological approach to visual perception. The history of psychology was evolutionary, and one concept led to the formation of the other. Psychologists based their research on previously established theories as well as ideologies, thereby leading to the establishment of the complex field of psychology.

One of the critical events from Myer's timeline is the development of the behaviorism theory. B.F Skinner initiated the theory, and the published paper was titled "The Behavior of Organisms." This paper explained the operant conditioning of animals alongside the emphasis of scientific as well as the objective study of environmental influences on behavior. The key ideas surrounding behaviorism theory included learning, conditioning, and reinforcement. It is this theory that later led to the publishing of the "Social Learning Theory" by Albert Bandura in 1971. Furthermore, several journal articles surrounding behaviorism were published, such as those in the journal of verbal learning and verbal behavior. The behaviorism theory was generally a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning (Cherry & Gans, 2019). As such, the conditioning is a result of the constant interaction with the environment. Consequently, the behaviorism theory concludes that human responses are functions of the environmental stimuli, and these molds the actions of humans (Cherry et al., 2019). The event that led to the development of the behaviorism theory is important because it has formed the backbone of almost all other major psychological sub-areas.

The other key event in the historical developments in psychology is the development of structuralism, which arose from the study of the human body, as established in the paper titled "The wisdom of the body," published by Walter B. Cannon. This paper formed the basis of the emergence of structuralism, for it explained the homeostasis process as it relates to biology. Moreover, it explained the fight-or-flight response, as well as the identification of hormonal changes associated with stress. It emphasized on introspection, sensation, and feelings, through the analysis of the human mind (Kendler, 1987). This was referred to as the theory of structuralism, and it is essential in the understanding of the human brain and how it coordinates with the body. Structuralism formed the first school of psychology, and it marked the first scientific school of thought because it focused on understanding the biology surrounding the human body and mind (Kendler, 1987). This event initiated further studies in the field of psychology, thus leading to the present-complex field, which contains lots of information to be appreciated.

References

Cherry, K., & Gans, S. (2019). History and Key Concepts of Behavioral Psychology. Verywellmind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/behavioral-psychology-4157183

Kendler, H. H. (1987). Historical foundations of modern psychology. Dorsey Press. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-97669-000