Foundations of Psychology

Schrita L. Brooks
Psychology 300
Pamela Parks
June 2, 2014



















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A paradigm is a system of theoretical hypothesis utilized by a scientific community to make
sense of an area of experience. Psychology lacks a blended paradigm, but has several schools of
thought, or perspectives, which is a way of perceiving psychological events. Wilhelm Wundt
(1832-1920), was the founder of the first psychology lab in Germany. He also promoted the first
school of thought, structuralism. The first paradigm in psychology is structuralism, which breaks
down the minds mental process into basic elements. Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener
(1867-1927) used introspection, the examination of ones own conscious thoughts and feelings.
Wundt trained observers to verbally report everything that went through their minds when they
were presented with a stimulus or task. William James (1842-1910), was one of the founders of
the second paradigm, functionalism, and known worldwide for penning the first textbook in
psychology in 1890. With functionalism, the main goal in this approach is the function of mental
processes. Psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), is a school of thought that
focused attention on the influence on behavior of the unconscious mind. Freud believed the
human mind was made up of three elements, the id, which is made up of primal urges, the ego,
part of the personality that deals with reality, and the super ego, which is a section of the
personality that keeps all of our ideals and values. Behaviorism, known today as behavior
psychology, is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are learned through
conditioning. Behaviorists believe that observing behavior, rather than analyzing the mind is the
important key to psychology. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), observed that behavior can be
controlled by environmental consequences that will either increase or decrease their likelihood of
occurring. Cognitive psychologists understand the mind through scientific experimentation.
Cognitive psychologists are interested in how memory works, how people make their decisions,
and how they solve their problems. The evolutionary perspective contends that many behavioral
tendencies in people, whether it is the need for food, or worrying about our children, progressed
because it helped our ancestors to survive, and raise healthy children. There is a deep emotional
bond between a parent and a child, which stops them from wondering off too far from each other
while the child is immature and helpless to a point. Cutting this bond can lead to a great deal of
emotional stress and unhappiness. The primary biological foundations of psychology linked to
behavior, are the nervous system, the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and
the endocrine system. The nervous system is one of the main systems that add to the biological
basis of behavior in the nervous system. The nervous system is a network of nerve cells called
neurons that start all physical and mental activity in human beings. Neurons generate and
communicate messages throughout the body and brain by the transfer of chemicals, and giving
off electrical charges. There are two basic systems that separate the nervous system, the central
nervous system, and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS), which
includes the brain and spinal cord, sustains and promotes basic life processes to external and
internal stimuli. The peripheral nervous system (PNS), carries messages to and from the central
nervous system. The peripheral nervous system has two subdivisions, the somatic nervous
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system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system is made up of the
sensory neurons that get information through sensory receptors in the skin, muscles, eyes, and
the motor neurons that guides the action of the skeletal muscles. The autonomic nervous system
controls basic life processes, like how our hearts beats, how our digestive system works, and our
breathing as well. The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system are also
comprised of two parts, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous
system. The sympathetic nervous system is triggered in response to threats. The parasympathetic
nervous system allows the body to return to its normal state, and also works to aid in the upkeep
of the bodys energy resources. The endocrine system is an essential part of the biological
cornerstone of behavior. The endocrine system releases chemicals called hormones into the
bloodstream that acts similar to neurotransmitters in the nervous system. Hormones also play a
role gender behavior and development.

References: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Hothersall, D. (1995), History of Psychology, 3
rd
ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill, Kowalski and Western (2009)