Psychoanalysis is a therapeutic method that involves patients talking about their personal experiences and themselves. While Sigmund Freud did not invent this approach, he significantly popularized it, and its techniques remain in use today. In modern therapy, many professionals continue to strongly believe in the profound impact of the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences on an individual's life.

Psychoanalysis

The origins of psychoanalysis are rooted in Sigmund Freud's early work with Josef Breuer, a Viennese physician. Freud's interest was sparked by the case of Breuer's patient, Anna O., who suffered from hysteria. This collaboration and the study of Anna O.'s case led to the development of the "talking cure" and formed the basis of their 1895 book, "Studies on Hysteria." It was through this foundational work that Freud began to develop his comprehensive theories on personality and the unconscious.

Sigmund Freud and the Birth of Psychoanalysis

* The Unconscious Mind
* Early Childhood Experiences

Focuses of Psychoanalytic Theory

You can learn about Freud's ideas of personality here through this brief introduction:

Video: Psychoanalytic Theory

A psychological perspective, developed by Sigmund Freud, that focuses on the unconscious and early childhood experiences; and how those experiences impact conscious behavior.

New Mexico Highlands University

Columbia University

Trinity College (CT)

New York University

Psychology's history is marked by the emergence of several major theoretical perspectives that have shaped the field. These schools of thought offer different ways of understanding the mind and behavior. Key approaches include:
* structuralism
* functionalism
* psychoanalytic theory
* Gestalt psychology
* behaviorism
* humanism
* evolutionary theory

Theoretical Approaches in Psychology

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Edward Titchener (1867-1927), a protege of Wilhelm Wundt, integrated structuralism with psychology. This allowed emphasis on the contents of mental processes instead of their functions.

Structuralism in Psychology

Championed by figures like William James, functionalism is a psychological perspective that investigates how mental activities help an organism adapt to its environment. This school of thought was heavily influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution, proposing that behaviors, like physical traits, are naturally selected because they serve a function for survival and reproduction. Functionalism focuses on the operation of the mind as a whole, rather than breaking it down into its individual components, which was the aim of structuralism.

Functionalism in Psychology

Psychoanalytic Theory

As one of the most historically influential schools of thought, behaviorism aimed to establish psychology as an objective science. This approach centered on studying overt, observable behavior while deliberately deemphasizing the significance of unobservable internal mental processes.

Behaviorism

Evolutionary psychology is a field that investigates the ultimate biological causes of behavior by focusing on how universal patterns of cognition and behavior have evolved over time. It operates on the principle that these genetically influenced patterns are adaptations to an organism's physical and social environment, shaped by their contribution to survival and reproductive success.

Evolutionary Psychology

Humanism is a highly influential perspective in psychology that focuses on the growth potential of healthy individuals and their innate capacity for good. Championed by key figures like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, this approach posits that people are driven by a desire for self-actualization. It highlights concepts such as free will and self-determination, asserting that individuals actively strive to become the best version of themselves, which has significantly contributed to the psychological understanding of the self.

Humanism in Psychology

Gestalt psychology is a school of thought based on the core principle that the whole is different from the sum of its parts. The term 'gestalt' translates to 'form' or 'pattern,' reflecting the idea that the brain does not merely combine individual sensory stimuli but actively creates a holistic perception. This process of organizing sensory information into a meaningful whole occurs in predictable ways, which Gestalt psychologists formulated into a set of principles.

Gestalt Psychology

Early psychological schools like structuralism, Freudian psychoanalysis, and Gestalt psychology all shared a common goal: to describe and understand the inner workings of the mind. However, this focus on subjective 'inner experience' was met with skepticism by other researchers who questioned whether it could be studied scientifically. This critique led to a shift in focus towards studying only objectively observable behavior, which was seen as the measurable outcome of mental processes.

Shared Focus on Inner Experience in Early Psychological Schools

In the early part of the 20th century, the field of American psychology was largely shaped by two major schools of thought: behaviorism and psychoanalysis. The widespread influence of these two perspectives set the stage for the emergence of new theories, such as humanism, which developed in response to their perceived limitations.

Dominance of Behaviorism and Psychoanalysis in Early 20th-Century Psychology

A researcher is conducting a study to understand why people are more likely to help a stranger who looks like them. The researcher hypothesizes that this behavior is a modern manifestation of an ancient mechanism that favored helping genetic relatives to ensure the survival of shared genes. This line of reasoning is most characteristic of which theoretical approach?

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