4. The Father of American Psychology
James was born into a very wealthy family on
January 11, 1842 in New York City
He went to the best schools and explored Europe as a
child
Wanted to be a painter (that didn’t work out)
Developed back pains at a very early age
Joined the army
7. Indecision
He left Medical School to go to Brazil and study with
Louis Agassiz, but couldn’t go due to back pain
Went back to medical school
He left again to go to Germany in search for help
with his back pain
Came back to finally get his MD (but still had back
pain)
9. Hopelessness
After becoming extremely well educated he realized
he didn’t know what to do in life
He became severely depressed
James was considering suicide until he read an
article by Charles Renouvier which gave him hope
when he had none
11. Family
His father was Henry James Sr.
He had three brothers: Wilkinson (Wilky), Robertson
(Bob), Henry, and he had one sister: Alice James
He married a girl he met in college and had five
children!
13. Principles in Psychology
This book was James’s masterpiece
James hated it
Expresses many of his philosophical views as well as
psychological
Published by Henry Holt (founder of the company
that makes most of your textbooks)
14. Pragmatism
This is the thought process in which you say that
truth is only truth for as long as it “works”
It’s a lot like challenging the truth to only be
temporary
James was the first to put it into a text
15. Functionalism
You take a thing, and make it practical
The idea of looking at something not by its little tiny
pieces, but by the grand scheme
16. James-Lange Theory of
Emotion
The idea that you have a physiological reaction to an
event, and that is where your emotions come from
So, your body reacts, and you look at how it reacts to
know your emotion
17. Theory of Self
You have four selfs:
Material- your clothes and other “things” you own
Social- how you present yourself in public
Spiritual- your emotions and views on things
Pure Ego- The only “I” self. James thought it was like
your soul
