History and Philosophy of Psychology

1. HISTORY &
PHILOSOPHY OF
PSYCHOLOGY
ABPG1203
Open University Malaysia (OUM)
TOPIC 1
Historical Background of Psychology

2. What comes first to your mind when you hear the word
‘psychology’?
What do psychologists really do?

6. Is psychology a science?
Why? How?

7. Understanding Psychology a Science (p.3)
• One of the hallmarks of taking the scientific approach
involves adopting the scientific method. The scientific
method is essentially a four-step process:
1. Conceptualising a problem;
2. Collecting research information or data collection;
3. Analysing the data; and
4. Drawing conclusions or making inferences.

12. • philosophy, (from Greek, by way of
Latin, philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the
rational, abstract, and methodical
consideration of reality as a whole or of
fundamental dimensions of human existence
and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a
central element in the intellectual history of
many civilizations.

14. History of psychology…
Pre-Scientific Era
vs
Scientific Era

15. • Major Schools of Thought in Psychology
• Structuralism.
• Functionalism.
• Gestalt Psychology.
• Behaviorism.
• Psychoanalysis.
• Humanism.
• Cognitive Psychology.