historical background of psychology by Asad Mahmood

1. Govt Post Graduate College Mirpur A.K
Subject:
Psychology
Topic:
Historical Background of Psychology + Aptitude
Given By:
Prof. Arslan Karim Sab
Prepared By:
Asad Mahmood
BS English Sem-III
Roll No. 05

2.  Psychology is a combination of two words in
two different languages.
 Psychology in Latin:
“Psyche” Soul/Mind
“Ology” Study
 Psychology in Greek:
“Psyche” Soul/Mind
“Logus” Word/Knowledge
 In both Languages its meaning is “The study
of the soul or mind.”

3.  "Psyche" is defined as:
 1. The study of spirit or soul.
 2. The study of human mind.
 3. The study of human behaviour

4. Presented By: Asad Mahmood

5.  Greek philosophers had contributed much for
the development of psychology. Some of the
important figures are
 Democritus (460-c. 370BC)
 Socrates
 Plato (c 427-347BC)
 Aristotle (c 384-322BC)
 Galen (AD c 130-200)

6.  Suggested that we could think of behavior in
terms of a body and a mind(interaction of
biological and mental processes)

7.  He was interested in studying the
reincarnation of soul.
 Soul or mind was considered as the
representation of individuals.
 Studied mind and soul and called them the
essential element that represents the
presence of an individual.

8.  A bright student of Socrates
 expanded Socrates’ concepts in philosophy
about life and soul.
 According to him, the mind or soul are
distinct In its own right and it’s God-given.

9.  The soul is composed of three parts-
 that which exerts reason (in the head);
 that which responsible for our noble impulses
(in the heart);
 and the basest part, the seat of our passions
(in the diaphragm).

10.  a student of Plato
 wrote first book Wrote “About the Psyche”
covering topics such as personality, sensation,
perception, thought, intelligence, needs, motives,
feelings, emotions and memory.
 distinguished three function of the Soul:
 The Vegetative, concerned with basic
maintenance of life;

11.  The Appetitive, concerned with motives and
desires; and the rational,
 The Governing Function located in the heart.
The brain merely performs minor mechanical
processes as a gland.
 proponent of empiricism. (experimentation)
 He outlined the laws of associationism.

13.  Contributed his theory of the dependence of
human temperament on physiological factors.
 Differences in behavior are attributable to the
“humors” or vital juices of the body: blood,
phlegm, black bile and yellow bile.
 Hence, he correspondingly named
temperaments sanguine (cheerful),
phlegmatic (sluggish), melancholic (sad) and
choleric (irascible).

14.  St. Agustine (354-430)
 combined Platonic psychology with Christian
thinking.
 He introduced and used the method of
introspection (the description of one’s own
conscious processes)
 Manifested his interest in distinguishing
several faculties of the soul as will, memory,
imagination and others, producing the first
definite development of what later was called
faculty psychology.

15.  About nine century later, he combined
“Aristotelian notion (the mind is the form of
living matter) to the theologically imperative
idea of immortality.”

16.  The philosopher Rene
Descartes (1596-
1650) formulated a
theory of mind-body
interaction:
 John Locke (1632-
1704) in his An Essay
Concerning Human
Understanding
introduced the idea
as the unit into which
all experiences may
be analyzed:

17.  George Berkeley (1685-1753) in
his theory of knowledge
(solipsistic philosophy) said that
ideas (which in their own sum
constitute mind) become the one
reality.
 David Hume (1711-1776) like
Berkeley, wrestled with the
problem between impression
and ideas, between image and
direct sensations.

18.  It was during 1800's that
psychology was established as an
independent discipline. It was the
work of Wilhelm Wundt and William
James that contributed much in the
field of psychology.
 Wilhelm Wundt established first
psychology laboratory in Leipzig,
Germany and studied different
conscious experiences in the
laboratory. Wundt defined
psychology as a science of
consciousness or conscious
experience.
 He founded the first school of
thought named as structuralism.

19.  Titchner (Cornell University)
 Structuralism (1920's)
Structuralism is the attempt
to describe the structures
that compose the mind.
Consciousness can be
analyzed in terms of
sensations and feelings that
form the structures of the
mind.
 used introspection to
examine what was happening
in one's mind and what one
was thinking and feeling.
 Translated many of Wundt's
original writings into English

20.  William James:
 Founder of functionalism
 Functionalism looks at how
the mind produces useful
(functional) behaviors.
 The brain engages in a
dynamic adaptation to the
environment.
 Developed the first American
Psychological Laboratory

21.  Founder of psychoanalysis
 Psychoanalysis is the first
modem school of psychology to
emerge and it emphasized the
importance of unconscious
forces in the behavior of
humans b.
 It aims at digging beneathe the
surface
 Focuses on uncosciousness
 Also called “psychodynamic”

22. Behaviorism was the another school
 emerge in response to psychoanalysis.
 Its emphasis is not on unconscious forces
 but rather on what is directly observable
and
measurable.
 It is practising psychology in public
 Behavior is described more accurately in
terms of simple behaviors rather than in
mental terms. Very opposed to the idea of a
"mental life".
J.B Watson:
 Considered to be the founder of American
Behaviourism
 Believed that psychology should limit itself
to observable, measureable events and
behaviour.
 B.F Skinner:
 Belived that organisms learn to behave in
certain ways because of reinforcement.
 Pavlov (1904 - Noble Prize

23.  Gestalt psychology is a school of psychology based upon the idea that
we experience things as unified wholes.
 This approach to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the
late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of
structuralism.
 Instead of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest
elements, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the
whole of experience. According to the Gestalt thinkers, the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts.
Persons:
Kohler
Wertheimer
Perls.

25.  Humanistic Psychology is a very broad field that
encompasses
many psychological theories. They all, however,
emphasize the
importance of free will and the human condition.
b. One major contribution is the development of
psychological
techniques.
 Cognitive Psychology, the school of psychology
emphasizes the importance of mental activities,
symbolic
processing, learning, memory, thinking, and
perception in
normal and abnormal states.

26.  Aptitude refers to those
qualities characterizing a
person’s way of behavior
which serve to indicate how
well he can learn to meet
and solve certain specified
kinds of problems.
(Bingham)
 It is a specific capacity or
special ability indicative of
one’s probable success in a
relevant field after getting
proper opportunity for
learning or training.

27.  An aptitude is a component of a competence to do a
certain kind of work at a certain level.
 Outstanding aptitude can be considered
"talent/passion".
 An aptitude may be physical or mental.
 Aptitude is inborn potential to do certain kinds of
work whether developed or undeveloped.
 Ability is developed knowledge, understanding,
learned or acquired abilities (skills) or attitude.
 The innate nature of aptitude is in contrast to skills
and achievement, which represent knowledge or
ability that is gained through learning.
 People are different from one another within
themselves or other fields of human activity such as
leadership, music, art, mechanical work, teaching etc.

28.  Sensory Aptitude:
 Mechanical Aptitude:
 Artistic Aptitude:
 Professional Aptitude:
 Scholastic Aptitude:

29.  These are related to sensory capacities and
abilities of children. It includes sense of
hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. In this
category children can direct themselves and
become in those areas of life where these can
applied perfectly.

30.  Some persons have a specific mind for the
tasks related to use of mechanical abilities
and it demonstrates the ability of their
mechanical aptitude. In other case a person
may be good at repairing vehicles, engines,
machines etc, abilities to use sophisticated
machines and innovations in instrumentation.

31.  It is related to the expression of all artistic
abilities. It has an aesthetic sense: It is the
sense of what is beautiful. It is primarily a
personal sense, but may be enhanced by
another's input or awareness. There are many
categories of artistic aptitude: Musical,
Dance, Graphic art, photography, poetry,
acting, debate, writing, designing etc.

32.  It is related to profession and occupation. It
predicts future success of the person. It includes:
Clerical, Legal, Teaching, Pilot, Navigation,
Banking, Military etc.

33.  This is academic in nature. It drives learning
process. It includes: scientific, engineering,
medical, commercial, sports, linguistic etc.

34.  Aptitude can be measured through a multiple
evidence which includes past academic
achievement of the pupil, occupational status
of the parents, the observation of the teacher,
the hobbies selected by the pupil, the
interview, self-estimate by the pupil, a
situation test and a standardised aptitude
test.

35.  Below we mention some important Aptitude
Tests:
 Minnesota Mechanical Aptitude Test,
measures the mechanical aptitude.
 Wiggly Block Test by Johnson O’connor
consists of 9 wooden pieces which are
dismantled and then reconstructed.

36.  Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) have been
prepared by Drs. Benette, Seashore and
Wesman and printed by Psychological
Corporation, New York. This consists 8 tests
viz. verbal reasoning, numerical ability,
abstract reasoning, space relations,
mechanical reasoning, clerical speed and
accuracy and language usage.