Structuralism School of Psychology

STRUCTURALISM
SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY

Ms.Priyanka
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Akal University Talwandi Sabo
Bathinda.
[email protected]

1. STRUCTURALISM Ms.PRIYANKA ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AKAL UNIVERSITY TALWANDI SABO BATHINDA .

2. TIME PERIOD E. B. Titchener (1867-1927 ) Edward Bradford Titchener (11 January 1867 – 3 August 1927) was an English  psychologist  who studied under  Wilhelm Wundt  for several years. Titchener is best known for creating his version of psychology that described the structure of the mind:  structuralism .

3. MEANING OF STRUCTURALISM Structuralism in psychology is a theory of consciousness developed by Wilhelm Wundt and his student Edward Bradford Titchener . This theory was challenged in the 20th century It is also known as STRUCTURAL PSYCHOLOGY

4. When was structuralism psychology founded? IN 1879 This attempt to understand the structure or characteristics of the mind was known as structuralism. Wundt established his psychology laboratory at the University at Leipzig in 1879. In this laboratory, Wundt and his students conducted experiments on, for example, reaction times.

5. MEANING OF STRUCTURALISM Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components . Researchers tried to understand the basic elements of consciousness using a method known as introspection.

6. What is an example of structuralism? Example :  An  example of structuralism  is describing an apple . An apple is crisp, sweet, juicy, round, and hard. Another  example of structuralism  is describing your experience at the ocean by saying it is windy, salty, and cold, but rejuvenating.

7. DEFINITION SCHULTZ (2012): EXAMINATION OF ONE’S OWN CONSCIOUS THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. SCHULTZ (2012): The process of directly examining one’s own conscious mental state and process.

8. History When psychology was first established as a science and separate from the biology and philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behaviour began.

9. FOUNDER E.B.TITCHENER It was his student,  Edward B. Titchener , who invented the term  structuralism . Wundt believed that the mind could be broken down into structures by classifying conscious experiences into small parts that could be analyzed, similar to other sciences. Titchener decided to scrap Wundt's brand of psychological study because conscious experiences aren't as easy to control in an experiment as behavior is. Rather than focusing on obtaining quantitative measurements, Titchener prioritized observation and analysis.

10. MAIN IDEA OF E.B. TITCHENER HOW THE MIND WORK? FOCUS ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE MIND?

11. IDEA 1. EVERY SYSTEM HAS A STRUCTURE 2. STRUCTURE DETERMINE THE POSITION OF EACH ELEMENT OF A WHOLE 3. STRUCTURAL LAWS DEALS WITH COEXISTENCE RATHER THEN THE CHANGE 4. STRUCTURE ARE REAL THINGS.

12. Elements of the mind Titchener's theory began with the question of what each element of the mind is. He concluded from his research that there were three types of mental elements constituting conscious experience :  Sensations  (elements of perceptions),   Images  (elements of ideas), and  affections  (elements of emotions) .These elements could be broken down into their respective properties, which he determined were   quality, standard   intensity , property   duration ,  time period clearness , understanding of colour extensity. Size /shape

13. Interaction of elements The second issue in Titchener's theory of structuralism was the question of how the mental elements combined and interacted with each other to form conscious experience. His conclusions were largely based on ideas of   associationism . Titchener rejected Wundt's notions of  apperception   (new experience in relation to past experience ) and creative synthesis ( voluntary action ), which were the basis of Wundt's voluntarism. Titchener argued that  attention  was simply a manifestation of the "clearness" property within sensation.

14. METHOD USED IN STRUCTURALISM 1. INTROSPECTION : IT IS THE EXAMINATION OF THE ONE’S OWN CONSCIOUSNESS,THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. 2. OBERVATION: SELF OBSERVATION OF ONE’SMENTAL STATE. (MEDITATION)

15. Titchener argued with the Wundt and consciousness could be broken down into its basic elements. Titchener also believed that objectives introspection could be used on thoughts as well as on physical sensations. STRUCTURALISM was a dominant force in the early days of psychology, but eventually after the death of titchener , the e phenomenon of structuralism is disappear.

16. CRITICISM 1. NOT FEASIBLE 2.CAN’T BE MEASURED LIKE INTELLIGENCE, ATTITUDE, PERSONALITY 3. INTROSPECTION LACKS GENERALITY. 4.IT WAS TOO CONCERNEDWITH THE INTERNAL BEHAVIOUR. 5. STUDY THE STURUCTURE OF MIND IS TOO SUBJECTIVE. 6. IT IS NOT DIRECTLY OBSERVABLE.

17. MERITS AND DEMERITS MERITS 1.OLDEST METHOD 2.EXAMINE INNER BEHAVIOUR OF AN INDIVIDUAL 3. MOST ECONOMICAL 4. FIND OUT ABOUT MENTAL STATE DEMERITS 1. NO-RELIABILITY 2.NO-VALIDITY 3. SUBJECTIVITY BIAS 4. SCOPE IS LIMITED 5. NON SCIENTIFIC IN NATURE

18. CONCLUSION 1.It is the first and major school of psychology. 2.Structuralism also influenced Experimental Psychology . 3.It provide base for the study of mind under its elements. 4.Titchener subdivided consciousness into three domains: 1.PHYSICAL SENSATION- --- ELEMENTS OF PERCEPTION 2 . IMAGES ------ELEMENTS OF IDEAS 3 .FEELINGS - ----- ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONS