As a result, different approaches and perspectives emerged.
What Was Structuralism in Psychology?
Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components.
Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee
Researchers tried to understand the basic elements of consciousness using a method known asintrospection, or internal perception.
His theory broke sensation down intofour distinct properties: intensity, quality, duration, and extent.
He indicated that sensations gave rise to perceptions, ideas, and thoughts.
He developed rigorous lab methods to study these components of consciousness.
Titcher broke away from many of Wundt’s ideas and at times even misrepresented the teachings of his mentor.
Wundt’s theories tended to be much moreholisticthan the ideas that Titchener later introduced in the United States.
Strengths of Structuralism
Structuralism is important because it is the first major school of thought in psychology.
The structuralist school also influenced the development of experimental psychology in the United States.
There he developed the very first doctoral program in psychology.
As a result, much of his teachings died with him.
What Was Functionalism in Psychology?
Other theories also surfaced to vie for dominance in psychology.
William James believed that one could not study consciousness by breaking it down into parts.
Rather, he sought to understand the purpose and function of human thoughts and subsequent behaviors.
Inspired by Charles Darwin, he purported that cognitive processes evolved over time to help humans adapt and survive.
Functionalists sought to explain mental processes in a more systematic and accurate manner.
Functionalism also emphasized individual differences, which had a profound impact on education.
Strengths of Functionalism
Functionalism was an important influence on psychology.
Criticism of Functionalism
Functionalism was criticized perhaps most famously by Wundt.
“It is literature.
Structuralism was the first school of thought to emerge in psychology.
Functionalism was formed as a direct response to structuralism.
Both were interested in understanding how the elements of the mind worked together to produce actions.
Despite this, each side continued to cast aspersions on the other.
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