Schools of Psychology

Schools of Psychology
School
• A group of people , particularly writers, artists, or
philosophers sharing similar ideas or methods.

• Also called approach.

SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY
• Structuralism
• Functionalism
• Behaviourism
• Psychoanalysis
• Gestalt
• Humanistic
 … Before Structuralism
• Before Structuralism, Psychology was a part of Biology and Philosopy
 Structuralism
• Wilhelm Wundt and E.B Titchener were pioneers.
• Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychological laboratory in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany.
• Marks the formal beginning of modern psychology.
• Defined psychology as the study of conscious experiences.
• Aimed to identify the building bocks of conscious experiences.
• Sensations, feelings and images as building blocks.
• Method used was “introspection” – a process used by the structuralists that involved participants’
detailed verbal reports of his/her mental processes ( sensation, images and feelings) in a carefully
controlled psychological experiment.
• The method of introspection was criticized for being less scientific.
• Introspective accounts could not be verified by outside observers hence criticized by other
psychologists.
Functionalism
• Wilhelm James and John Dewey were pioneers
• Defined psychology as the study of conscious experience.
• William James proposed consciousness as an ongoing stream of mental processes interacting
with the environment.
• Believed that consciousness serves the important function of adaptation for the individual.
• Aimed to study the adaptive function of conscious experience rather than building blocks of
consciousness.
• Hence, the name functionalism.
Behaviorism
• John Watson and B.F Skinner were pioneers

• Rejected the structuralists and functionalist idea of psychology as the study of consciousness.

• Defined psychology as the study of observable behavior or responses

( to stimuli) which can be measured and studied objectively.

Aimed to study observable behavior.

Gestalt Psychology
• Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka were pioneers.
• Rejected the structuralists ides of psychology as the study of consciousness and
consciousness as composed of various elements.
• Defined psychology as the study of holistic process of perceptual organization.
• Believed that experience is a wholer or “gestalt”.
• Whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Aimed to study principles of perceptual organization.
Psychoanalysis
• Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were pioneers.
• Defined psychology as the study of human mind.
• Proposed that consciousness consists of three levels-
unconscious
preconscious
conscious
• Proposed human mind consist of three parts
id: operate on pleasure principle
ego: operates on reality principle
superego: operates on the moral principle
Humanistic Psychology
• Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were pioneers.

• Rejected the behaviorist idea of human behavior as stimulus – response sequence.

• Belief in human being as basically good and progressive.

• Natural tendency to seek growth.

10 Branches of Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Educational Psychology 
• Cognitive Psychology 
• Behavioural Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Occupational/Industrial Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Medical/Health Psychology
• Biopsychology
 Clinical Psychology
• Using the intricate concepts of science, Clinical Psychology studies mental disorders
and aims to implement various therapeutic methods to help the concerned patient in
efficiently tackling them. It understands, predicts and relieves the psychological
problems of the patients using scientific psycho-therapeutic methods. A 
clinical psychologist observes the emotional, behavioural as well as biological
aspects of the human body and thus utilises psychotherapy to assist their patients in
dealing with their mental issues.
 Abnormal Psychology
• Concerned with Psychopathology and abnormal behaviour, this branch of psychology
encompasses the study of a wide range of mental and psychological disorders such as
OCD, depression, personality disorders, etc. It is amongst the prominent clinical
branches of psychology and focuses on abnormal human behaviour which is different
from the normal curve of human behaviour and thus results in various implications on
the individual’s mind
 Educational Psychology 
 
• Educational Psychology simply refers to the scientific study of how people learn and
retain new information. This prominent branch of Psychology usually deals with the
issues that an individual faces while learning something and also studies the
unsystematic behavioural pattern of the adolescents. Educational psychologists work
on formulating efficient learning methods to help students and teachers work together
in an interactive and engaging learning environment.
 Cognitive Psychology 
 
• Cognitive Psychology is one of the most famous branches of psychology and
involves the detailed study of the thought-processing of the human mind
from its thinking abilities and memories to problem-solving skills. It aims to
understand how people think, remember, communicate, perceive, learn,
etc. Clinical psychologists generally examine how the human brain processes
information and thus assist people in sharpening their memory retention and
problem-solving skills. 
 Behavioural Psychology
• Based in the idea of how all types of behaviours are acquired through conditioning,
Behavioural Psychology centrally assesses how different types of conditioning can
lead to varied results in behaviours. It was one of the popular branches of Psychology
extensively applied in initial phase of 20th century and is used as a mainstay in
therapies, education and various other areas.
 Forensic Psychology
• The interdisciplinary amalgamation of psychology with criminology and law
enforcement and regulations is known as Forensic Psychology. Also regarded as
Legal Psychology, it involves the assessment of a crime scene, conducting research
on what happened and how as well as analyzing evidence, interviewing witnesses and
coming up with inferences to present in the court. Forensic Psychologists use the
applications of cognitive sciences within the criminal justice system. 
 Occupational/
Industrial Psychology
• One of the most popular branches of Psychology, Industrial Psychology deals with
resolving organizational issues that occur in a workplace environment. Often
employees face certain issues which can lead to inefficiency or lack of motivation,
thus, Occupational/Industrial Psychologists help the organizations in finding better
ways to implement greater efficiency and employee retention.
 Developmental Psychology
• Every human being goes through a variety of physical as well as psychological
changes over their life span. The area which involves the study of different types of
changes in a human mind and body through various stages is known as
Developmental Psychology. The major focus of this branch of Psychology is on the
innate mental abilities of the human mind and how their corresponding environment
affects their development and growth. Individuals from all the walks of life from
infants, children, teenagers to adults and elderly are examined in terms of the growth
and development of their psychological and emotional bent of mind.
 Medical/Health Psychology
• A notable one amongst the vast range of branches of psychology, Health Psychology
is concerned with how social conditions and environment impact the health and
wellness of an individual. Health Psychologists are often misinterpreted as Physicians
but a Medical Physician looks into the biological cause of a disease whereas a
Medical Psychologist delves deeper into exploring the different psychological factors
that are influencing the health of their patient.
 Biopsychology
• As a highly interdisciplinary specialization, Biopsychology explores the impact of
thought processes, feelings and behaviors on the brain, neurons and nervous systems.
As an emerging sub-field amongst the different branches of Psychology, it is
extensively connected with various other disciplines like Biology, Neuroscience,
Physiology, Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, to name a few.