Notes for the first chapter of the textbook Weiten, W. & McCann, D. (2019). Psychology: Themes and Variations. Fifth Canadian Edition. Nelson Education Ltd.
as well as lecture notes for the evolution of psychology.
Chapter 1: The Evolution of Psychology
What is psychology?
● The scientific study of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
● Profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical
problems
How Psychology Developed
Psych=soul, logos=the study of a subject
Greek Mythology
Combines the disciplines of philosophy and physiology, study of conscious experience
Structuralism: task of psych is to analyze consciousness and investigate how its
basic elements are related to this statement
Functionalism: psych should investigate the function of consciousness rather than
its structure
Behaviourism: theoretical orientation where scientific psych should only study
observable behaviour
Behaviour: any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
Unconscious (Freud): contains thoughts, memories, desires that are below the
surface of conscious awareness but nonetheless exert great influence in behaviour
Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud): attempts to explain personality, motivation, mental
disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behaviour
Skinner studies behavioursism: repeated responses lead to positive outcomes, free will is an
illusion
Humanism: emphasizes unique qualities of humans, especially freedom and
potential personal growth
The CPA (page 11)
Clinical Psychology: branch concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psych
problems and disorders
Cognition: refers to mental process involved in acquiring knowledge
Evolutionary Psychology: studies behavioural processes in terms of their adaptive
value for members of a species over the course of many generations
An Illustrative Overview of Psychology’s History (pages 16-17)
Positive Psych; uses the theory and research to better understand the positive,
adaptive, creative and fulfilling aspects of human existence
Research areas in psych: Developmental, Social, Experimental, Behavioural neuroscience,
Cognitive, Personality, Psychometrics, Educational, Health (page 21).
Areas of specialisation: Clinical, Counselling, Educational/School, Industrial/Organizational
Psychiatry: branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of
psychological problems and disorders (not to be confused with clinical psych)
Theme 1: Psychology is Empirical
Empiricism: the premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation
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