History and Pioneers of Psychology

Lesson in Introduction to Psychology and General Psychology

1. History & Pioneers of Psychology Prepared by: Orlando A. Pistan, MAEd -GC Psychology Instructor

2. History and Pioneers

3. Ancient Period Man has tried to explain behaviour since time immemorial. Although man is not aware that they are utilizing psychology – the most common way of explaining behaviour during these times is Animism . Essentially, it is the gods and spirits who were attributed to be the direct cause of events and activities of man.

4. Greek Period Psychology began with the ancient Greek’s earliest quest for the knowledge of human nature. The Greeks dominated the psychological thinking through their philosophy and science for fifteen centuries before other philosophers emerged and contested their ideas.

5. Plato (428-347 BCE) believed that the soul is distinct to man and it is God-given. Thus it inhibits the body as “knower”, “thinker” and “determiner” of the individual’s actions. Plato further reiterated that the human psyche is consisted of three elements: a) element of reason (in the head), b) spirited element (in the heart), c) element of appetite & desire (in the diaphragm)

6. Aristotle (384-322 BC) is the father of Psychology , he is the first person to put into writing his explanation pertaining the behaviour of man. He introduced the 3 functions of the soul : a) vegetative , which deals with the basic maintenance of life; b) appetitive , which focuses on the desire and motives; and the c) rational , which governs reason that is located in the heart.

7. Hippocrates (460-370 BC) the father of medicine, first theorized that mental disorders arose from natural causes. He was also the first to classify different mental disorders.

8. Galen (129-216 AD ) theorized the relation of temperament to physiological factors. According to Galen, behaviour may be attributed to the humors or vital juices of the body :

9. Galen (129-216 AD ) a ) sanguine (yellow bile), for cheerfulness; b ) phlegmatic (green bile), for being inactive; c ) melancholic (black bile), for sadness; and d ) choleric (red bile), for being irritable.

10. Medieval Period In the history of Europe, the  Middle Ages  or  medieval period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the  Age  of Discovery.

11. St. Augustine of Hippo a Catholic saint, combined the Greek Platonic thought with Christian thinking and introduced the method of I ntrospection . In this method, the individual describes his own conscious processes.

12. Let us make some Introspection. Think of fictional characters, (cartoon, novel, movie , TV series , etc.), whose personality is similar with yours:

13. My Anime Alter Ego These are the fictional characters who resemble my personality . Want to know me better? Hope this will give you the idea . LAVI (D' Gray Man)  - funny, sadistic and a teaser to individuals close to me ; YUKITO TSUKISHIRO ( Cardcaptor )  - gentle in his ways, and an observant guy who loves peaceful life ;

14. My Anime Alter Ego VEGETA (Dragon Ball Z)  - tends to become sullen when things are out of my control, has few selected peers, and always exaggerate expectations ; LELOUCH LAMPEROUGE (Code Geass )  - has Type A personality who always find stress in every situation, always doubt my self, but will strive hard to become better, talks to my self frequently for evaluation, and possesses an antagonist attitude.

15. St. Thomas of Aquinas merged Aristotle’s idea that the mind is a living matter to his idea of immortality. This is the belief that when the body dies, the soul separates and becomes a spirit.

16. Pre-modern Period Rudolf Gockel Francis Bacon John Lock Francis Galton

17. Rudolf Gockel (1547-1628 ) is often attributed for the initial use of the term “psychology” in his writings. “ Yucologia hoc est de hominis perfectione , anima, ortu .”

18. Francis Bacon (1561-1626 ) first proposed that psychology should separate from philosophy and psychology should be treated as a natural science . Bacon has been called the Father of Empiricism.

19. John Locke (1690 ) introduced his concept of Tabula Rasa of which at birth, the mind is like a blank sheet.

20. Francis Galton (1865 ) recognized as the “Father of Behavioral Genetics”, introduced the idea of individual differences . Individual differences  research typically includes personality, motivation, intelligence, ability, IQ, interests, values, self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem

21. Modern Psychology Wilhelm Wundt (1879) established the first psychological laboratory in Liepzig , Germany. He was regarded as the “ Father of Modern Psychology ”.

22. Modern Psychology Emil Kraepelin (1900s ) a German psychiatrist, was the first to formally describe bipolar disorder. He coined the term “manic depressive” to explain how mania and depression both affect a patient. He was recognized as the “ Father of Modern Psychiatry ”.

23. History & Pioneers of Psychology Thank you for paying attention.