Functionalism

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Functionalism and Why Better Than Structuralism in Psychology

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Functionalism and Why Better Than Structuralism in Psychology

Functionalism is argued to be the relationship between nature and mental states (Polger,

2022). According to functionalism, mentals states can be distinguished by what it does rather

than their underlying components. This can be understood by thinking about physiology as

proceeding anatomy, just as the study of consciousness’ structure came before function. In

particular, the useful analogy between minds and computers served as the first inspiration for

functionalism. The primary argument for functionalism depends on demonstrating its advantages

to psychology compared to its competitor, structuralism. Structuralism seeks to analyze the

systematic psychology proposed by Edward B. Titchner. It looks at aiming to analyze the adult

mind in terms of examining the fundamental components of ideas and experiences before

figuring out how these components fit together in an intricate framework (Lopez-Garrido, 2021).

Contrasted with structuralism, functionalism was seen to be the most beneficial to psychology as

it has paved the way for applied psychology. As applied psychology is generally the study of

using scientific methods in psychology to solve problems related to human behaviour, animal

behaviour, and experience (Britannica, 2022). This area of psychology also gave rise for

fundamental subfields to emerge such as clinical psychology, social psychology, organizational

psychology, and behaviourism.

One way that functionalism was prominent in psychology was through research areas

such as applied psychology. Applied Psychology is the area concerned with treating and

diagnosing mental and emotional disorders while also researching the effectiveness of therapy

provided (N, 2018). The two are inherently interwoven because introspection is at the core of

examining mental processes that functionalism undertakes. Individual differences were

celebrated within the framework of functionalism, which sought to explain the results of the
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mind's operations. "Functionalists viewed the mind not as a collection of mental parts of

structure but as a conglomerate or aggregation of functions and processes that lead to practical

implications in the real world." [Transcription] "Functionalists viewed the mind not as a

collection of mental parts of structure but as a conglomerate or aggregation of functions and

processes. Due to the lack of clarity in the function specification, that was an inquiry that needed

to be answered. Neither structuralism nor functionalism offered entirely satisfactory solutions,

but both schools of thought were dedicated to the scientific investigation of psychology.

Functionalists were fascinated by the processes and outcomes of an organism's behaviors, while

structuralists were more interested in the outcomes of those acts (Stojiljković et al., 2018). They

both failed because they tried to discover answers to these difficulties by looking within

themselves, which is not a scientific technique. As a result, neither of them was successful.

Structuralism is one of the fundamental theoretical approaches that people in psychology

consider the first important. In much the same manner as Mike did with water, structuralists seek

to break down the mind into its parts (or "structure") to understand it better. The ground breaking

work of Wilhelm Wundt, who in 1879 founded the first psychology laboratory, is considered the

ancestor of the structuralist school of thought. However, Edward Titchener, a student of Wundt's,

was the one who first used the term "structuralism," and he went on to become primarily

responsible for the spread of the ideology. Titchener held the opinion, contrary to that of his

professor, that the scope of study in psychology should extend beyond the mind and include

awareness. According to his interpretation, human awareness comprises all our thoughts and

feelings at any given moment. Therefore, the mind serves as a repository for everything that we

have ever experienced throughout our lives (Van et al., 2018). Titchener and his fellow
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structuralists concluded that if we broke down the mind into its parts, we would get a deeper

understanding of how our thoughts are organized and new perspectives on higher-level thinking.

Titchener suggested that three structures built up an individual's conscious mind:

sensations (produced by sensory information), pictures (mental picturing of concepts), and

attachments (emotional components). Titchener was able to determine these components of

human awareness through introspection. Introspection, sometimes known as just looking inside,

is a method that can be utilized to improve one's understanding of their current mental state.

However, some psychologists held that introspection was too subjective because each individual

has their own unique perspective of the universe. William James, a significant figure in the

development of functionalism, was also a vocal opponent of the structuralist school of thought.

When contrasting the structuralist and functionalist views of the mind, one can see that a

vital distinction exists between the two. Functionalists claim that dissecting human mental

processes to gain a greater understanding of them is not only irrational but also impossible, even

though structuralists like doing so to comprehend them better. Edward Bradford Titchener, a

student of the originator of structuralism, Wilhelm Wundt, argues that in order to have a

complete understanding of the human mind, one need only differentiate between three categories

of conscious experience: physiological sensations, emotions, and mental representations.

Because it is only via the collaboration of these various forms of awareness that humans can

operate, William James, the father of functionalism, believed it was impossible to separate these

various parts of awareness. Despite their differences, each of these thinkers made significant

contributions to the growth and development of psychology. One of the most compelling

arguments in favor of structuralist theory is that it offers a methodical approach to categorizing

human awareness. Because Wundt was the first person to study psychology formally, it was
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essential for his ideas to have a basis in scientific research. James's functionalism gradually

drifted away from the scientific method and toward the investigation of psychological

phenomena (Kwon et al., 2018). It was more realistic since it did not demand of its participants

that they "strip perception of all associations," a strategy that James believed would have a

negative impact on the results of the experiment.

The validity of Wundt's hypotheses may have been called into question, but nobody can

deny the importance of his contributions to the discipline of psychology. The numerous

psychologists who came after him are indebted to him for laying the framework for the current

status of psychology as a discipline that adheres strictly to scientific norms. James "established

that psychology encompasses more than just the study of perception and experience; he paved

the way for later psychologists like Sigmund Freud, whose theoretical foundations were based

more on philosophy than science. James "established that psychology encompasses more than

just the study of perception and experience. The structuralist tradition was brought to the United

States by E. B. Titchener, a Wilhelm Wundt student. The functionalist tradition has had a

significant impact on the history of psychology. Even though it is no longer considered a

"school," it is still a significant orientation for most contemporary psychologists.

Inconclusion, structuralism argues that functionalism classifies too much as having

mental states. Although I find myself more sympathetic to the insights of functionalism than

those of structuralism, both functionalism and structuralism are practical approaches to

understanding the mind and behavior because they focus on the conscious processes that lie at

the center of the human experience. However, I am more sympathetic to functionalism's insights

than structuralism.
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References

construct | psychology | Britannica. (2022). In Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/science/construct

Kwon, J. J. (2018). A Study on the Change of Design Methodological Characteristics in the

Architecture of Kenzo Tange-focused on the Change from Functionalism to Structuralist

Approach. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 9(6), 191-201.

Lopez-Garrido, G (2021, Jan 07). Structuralism and Titchener. Simply Psychology.

www.simplypsychology.org/structuralism.html

N, S. M. S. (2018, November 28). What is CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY? definition of

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (Psychology Dictionary). Psychology Dictionary.

https://psychologydictionary.org/clinical-psychology/

Polger, T. W. (2022). Functionalism. Internet encyclopedia of philosophy.

https://iep.utm.edu/functism/

Stojiljković, D., & Ristić Trajković, J. (2018). Semiotics and urban culture: architectural

projections of structuralism in a socialist context. Social semiotics, 28(3), 330-348.

van dan Berg, A. (2018). Structural Functionalism Revisited (1): Structuralism. In The Immanent

Utopia (pp. 241-366). Routledge.


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