Final paper 1
Psychological Specialization Project: Topic
Capella University
Part I: Major Schools and Theorists of Thought in Psychology
As a graduate student in psychology, I picked option number two because I do agree that it is
important to see the historical roots of your field. My chosen specialization within psychology is
clinical psychology: applied research. I think historically I can pull from a lot of great
philosophers. I am thinking of relating a few philosophers to have influenced modern psychology
in my chosen specialization. I think more than one philosopher makes sense because my
specialization is research, a lot of philosophers had to do some sort of research to test out their
thinking.
Descriptions of Major Schools and Theorists of Thought in Psychology
Applied research is research that involves evaluating clinical or organizational practices that
health care systems can implement or encourage (Lieu & Platt, 2017). Gustav Theodor Fechner
was German experimental psychologist who founded psychophysics and formulated Fechner's
law, a landmark in the emergence of psychology as an experimental science, Fechner is widely
considered to be the founder of experimental psychology (Longe, 2016). Gustav Theodor
Fechner is related to my chosen specialization. Gustav Theodor Fechner was born on April 19,
1801, in a small town in southeastern Germany, Lower Lusatia. He earned his degree in
biological science in 1822 at the University of Leipzig and taught there until his death on
,November 18, 1887. Having developed an interest in mathematics and physics, he was appointed
professor of physics in 1834 (Longe, 2016).
Impact of Major Schools and Theorists of Thought on Psychology
The penultimate philosophic problem that intrigued Fechner, and for which his psychophysics
was intended to be a solution, was the age-old mind-body dilemma. His solution has been called
the identity hypothesis: mind and body are not regarded as a true duality but are different sides of
, one reality. They are separated in the form of sensation and stimulus; that is, what appears from a
subjective viewpoint as the mind, appears from an external or objective viewpoint as the body. In
the expression of the equation of Fechner's law (sensation intensity = C log stimulus intensity), it
appears evident that the dualism is not real. While this law has been criticized as having flawed
logic, and for not having universal applicability, it has been useful in research on hearing and
vision (Longe, 2016). This sort of thinking allows for the benefits of research on hearing and
vison.
How Events Impacted the Life of One Major Theorist or Have Led to the Foundation of a
Theoretical Perspective.
Around 1839 Fechner had a breakdown. He had injured his eyes by gazing directly at the sun
while experimenting with afterimages, and his response was to isolate himself from the world for
three years. During this period his interest in philosophy increased. Fechner believed that
everything is endowed with a soul; nothing is without a material basis; and, although seen from
different perspectives, mind and matter are the same essence. In addition, he believed that the
foregoing assertions were demonstrable and provable by means of psychophysical experiments
in psychology. He authored many books and monographs on such diverse subjects as medicine,
aesthetics, and experimental psychology, affixing the pseudonym Dr. Mises to some of them
(Longe, 2016).
Part II: The Future of the Psychology Field
Modern psychology has continued to improve the original teachings with research to back up the
findings. The Weber-Fechner Law in psychology has usually been applied to sensory
dimensions. However, some neurophysiological studies have shown that assessment of mental
Psychological Specialization Project: Topic
Capella University
Part I: Major Schools and Theorists of Thought in Psychology
As a graduate student in psychology, I picked option number two because I do agree that it is
important to see the historical roots of your field. My chosen specialization within psychology is
clinical psychology: applied research. I think historically I can pull from a lot of great
philosophers. I am thinking of relating a few philosophers to have influenced modern psychology
in my chosen specialization. I think more than one philosopher makes sense because my
specialization is research, a lot of philosophers had to do some sort of research to test out their
thinking.
Descriptions of Major Schools and Theorists of Thought in Psychology
Applied research is research that involves evaluating clinical or organizational practices that
health care systems can implement or encourage (Lieu & Platt, 2017). Gustav Theodor Fechner
was German experimental psychologist who founded psychophysics and formulated Fechner's
law, a landmark in the emergence of psychology as an experimental science, Fechner is widely
considered to be the founder of experimental psychology (Longe, 2016). Gustav Theodor
Fechner is related to my chosen specialization. Gustav Theodor Fechner was born on April 19,
1801, in a small town in southeastern Germany, Lower Lusatia. He earned his degree in
biological science in 1822 at the University of Leipzig and taught there until his death on
,November 18, 1887. Having developed an interest in mathematics and physics, he was appointed
professor of physics in 1834 (Longe, 2016).
Impact of Major Schools and Theorists of Thought on Psychology
The penultimate philosophic problem that intrigued Fechner, and for which his psychophysics
was intended to be a solution, was the age-old mind-body dilemma. His solution has been called
the identity hypothesis: mind and body are not regarded as a true duality but are different sides of
, one reality. They are separated in the form of sensation and stimulus; that is, what appears from a
subjective viewpoint as the mind, appears from an external or objective viewpoint as the body. In
the expression of the equation of Fechner's law (sensation intensity = C log stimulus intensity), it
appears evident that the dualism is not real. While this law has been criticized as having flawed
logic, and for not having universal applicability, it has been useful in research on hearing and
vision (Longe, 2016). This sort of thinking allows for the benefits of research on hearing and
vison.
How Events Impacted the Life of One Major Theorist or Have Led to the Foundation of a
Theoretical Perspective.
Around 1839 Fechner had a breakdown. He had injured his eyes by gazing directly at the sun
while experimenting with afterimages, and his response was to isolate himself from the world for
three years. During this period his interest in philosophy increased. Fechner believed that
everything is endowed with a soul; nothing is without a material basis; and, although seen from
different perspectives, mind and matter are the same essence. In addition, he believed that the
foregoing assertions were demonstrable and provable by means of psychophysical experiments
in psychology. He authored many books and monographs on such diverse subjects as medicine,
aesthetics, and experimental psychology, affixing the pseudonym Dr. Mises to some of them
(Longe, 2016).
Part II: The Future of the Psychology Field
Modern psychology has continued to improve the original teachings with research to back up the
findings. The Weber-Fechner Law in psychology has usually been applied to sensory
dimensions. However, some neurophysiological studies have shown that assessment of mental
