contributers : Zeeshan Asghar Sana Zainab Rimsha Majid Ramish Shafique

1. Introduction to
Psychology
By
Zeeshan Asghar 160012
Ammar Jarral 160040
Sana Zainab 160027
Rimsha Majid 160033
Ramish Shafique 1600

2. Formal Definition of
Psychology
• “Scientific study of behaviour and its causes.”
– Overt (directly observable) and covert behaviours
• Psychologists study:
– How you act (behaviour/overt)
– How you think (mental/covert)
– How you feel (covert & overt)
– How your brain and body respond
(physiological/covert)

3. .• Aristotle(384-322 B.C)
 Theorized about learning & memory,
motivation & emotion, perception &
personality.
 Used theterm “psyche” to refer to theessence
of life.
Plato(427-347 B.C):
Defined psychology asascienceof soul.
Psychology wasnot distinguished from philosophy.
Psychology wasnever established asascience.

4. I Stage
In terms of the study of the SOUL
The earliest attempts at defining psychology owe
their origin to the most mysterious and philosophical
concept namely that of SOUL.
It’s a word derived from the two GREEK words
PSYCHE means SOUL, and LOGOS means
SIGNIFYING A RATIONAL COURSE OF
STUDY

5. II Stage
In terms of the study of MIND
What is soul?
How can it be studied?
This is not clearly answered by ancient Greek
philosophers.
Which leads to define psychology as the study of
MIND. Mind is part which controls and leads the
activities of the men and women.

6. III Stage
Yet MIND has also faced the same questions
namely, What is mind? How it can be studied?
Consequently it has defined as In terms of the study
of CONSCIOUSNESS.
William James in his book “Principles of
Psychology” (1980) defined as psychology as ‘the
description and explanation of state of
consciousness as such’

7. III Stage
Wilhelm Wundt (1982-1920) established the first
psychology laboratory at the University of
Leipzig, in Germany.
Edward B. Titchener also defined psychology as
the science of consciousness.
But it has failed

8. III Stage
1. It has a very narrow range on account of its
not talking about the subconscious and
unconscious activities of the mind
2. It could not include the study of the
consciousness of animals

9. IV Stage
In terms of the study of behaviour
William McDougall, a British psychologist, was the
first to define psychology as the ‘science of
behaviour’ in his book Physiological Psychology
published in 1905.
“ Psychology is a science which aims to give us
better understanding and control of the
behaviour of the organism as a whole”

10. Wood worth (1948) Says
“First psychology lost its soul, then its mind, then
it lost its consciousness. It still has behaviour of a
sort”.

11. The term behaviour includes all the
Motor or conative activities like walking,
swimming, dancing etc.,
Cognitive activities like thinking, reasoning,
imagining etc.,
And Affective activities like feeling happy, sad,
angry etc,.
Which includes overt and covert behaviour and
inner experiences and mental process.
It is not limited to the study of human behaviour.
The behaviour of animals, insects, birds and even
plants.

12. PERSPECTIVES
1. BIOLOGICAL:
Biological perspective is the scientific study of the
biological bases of behavior and mental states, very
closely related to neuroscience.
2. The psychoanalytic perspective:
The psychoanalytic perspective originated with the
work of Sigmund Freud. This perspective
emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early
childhood experiences, and interpersonal
relationships to explain human behavior and to treat
people suffering from mental illnesses.

13. STRUCTURALISM
 In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt
established the first
“psychological” laboratory in
Germany. He is widely viewed
as the founder of psychology. He
attempted to uncover the
 structure of consciousness by
breaking down mental processes
into their most basic
components.
 This was done through a process
called introspection.
 Wundt’s approach became
known as structuralism.
www.whatispsychology.biz

14. 3. Behavioral Perspective:
Behavioral psychology is a perspective that
focuses on learned behaviors. Today, the
behavioral perspective is still concerned with
how behaviors are learned and reinforced.
• John Watson founded behaviorism in the
early 1900's. Watson emphasized the scientific
study of observable behaviors rather then the
study of subjective mental process.

15. 4. Humanistic Perspective:
During the 1950s, a school of thought known as humanistic
psychology emerged. Influenced greatly by the work of
prominent humanists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham
Maslow, this perspective emphasizes the role of motivation
on thought and behavior.
5. Cognitive Perspective:
During the 1960s, a new perspective known as cognitive
psychology began to take hold. This area of psychology
focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking,
problem solving, language and decision-making.

16. .
6. Social cultural Perspective:
The sociocultural perspective maintains that behavior and
mental processes are shaped not only by prior learning
experiences (the behavioral perspective) or intra-psychic
forces (for instance, the unconscious) but also by the social
or cultural context.

17. HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
1. Structuralism:(Consciouness)
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. Wilhelm Wundt, founder of the
first psychology lab, was an advocate of this position
and is often considered the founder of structuralism,
despite the fact that it was his student, Edward
Titchener who first coined the term to describe this
school of thought.

18. 2. Functionalism:
Functionalism is an early approach to
psychology that concerned with what the mind
does-the functions of mental activity-and the
role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to
their environment.

19. FUNCTIONALISM
 William James argued that
consciousness cannot be
broken down into
elements.
 He was concerned with
ongoing conscious
experience and the
functions of mental
processes.
 His views gave rise to
another branch of
psychology - functionalism
www.whatispsychology.biz

20. 3. Gestalt Psychology:
Gestalt psychology is a school of thought that
looks at the human mind and behavior as a
whole. Originating in the work of Max
Wertheimer, Gestalt psychology formed
partially as a response to the structuralism of
Wilhelm Wundt. The development of this area
of psychology was influenced by a number of
thinkers, including Immanuel Kant, Ernst
Mach and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

21. 5. Huministic Model:
Developed by Rogers and Maslow in the 1950s
Assumptions:
• A healthy mental attitude is dependent on taking personal
responsibility, recognising the existence of free will, and striving
towards personal growth and fulfilment.
• Individuals have a need for self actualisation.
• People are naturally good, with the potential for personal growth if
they are provided with the appropriate circumstances.
• Rogers (1959): if in early life children receive unconditional positive
regard they will develop satisfactorily. However, if they experience
conditions of worth, they are prevented from realising their potential
and becoming self-actualised.
• People use distorted thinking to defend themselves, e.g., by
rationalisation, that is distorting their real motives to fit in with their
self-concept.

22. 6. Behaviorism:
The approach that suggests that observable
behavior should be the focus.
• This perspective views behavior (except for
genetically determined behavior) as the result of
environmental experience! Environmental experience
(also called learning) is the sum total of all life
experiences that the individual has been subjected to
in the past and to the new experiences that will
impinge on his or her behavior.

23. BEHAVIOURISM
 Behaviourists held the view
that only overt behaviour
can be studied
scientifically.
 They advocated the use of
strict experimental
procedures in psychology.
 Supported by B. F.
Skinner, Ivan Pavlov and
John B. Watson
John B. Watsonwww.whatispsychology.biz

24. 7. Cognitive Model:
Studies mental processes including how
people think, perceive, remember and learn.
As part of the larger field of cognitive science,
this branch of psychology is related to other
disciplines including neuroscience,
philosophy, and linguistics.