The History of Psychology

The History of Psychology
PSY310
February 13, 2012

The History of Psychology
The study of psychology dates back as far as the Greek Gods and continues for centuries, which followed into present day. Many scientists, physiologists as well as psychologists are mentioned and play a role with the discussions, theories, and discoveries in which we have reached modern day psychology.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), a German psychologist, claimed that there is a long past when it comes to psychology but the history of psychology is short. Ultimately, he made this claim based on findings and theories that dated back to the Greeks, but the scientific portions of psychology were closer to the start of the twentieth century and continued to grow.
Ebbinghaus was strongly influenced by such psychologists as Fechner and Helmholtz during his years at University of Bonn where he received his doctor of psychology in 1983 at only 23 years of age. He continued with his love and commitment to psychology at the University of Berlin. The many years spent studying, researching and training in the discipline of psychology eventually led him to be known as “the pioneer of memory research” (Fuchs, 1997).
Afterwards, in the United States, college students were becoming aware of what has been termed as the “new” psychology shortly after 1870. This following had been led by Harvard University professor William James. James brought forth his theories regarding how the mind would adapt to the environment. Demonstrations on empirical findings were also presented. In 1890, James completed and published his book Principals of Psychology.
From 1870 through to 1910, another early scholar included Wilhelm Wundt, philosophy professor at the University of Leipzig. Wundt discussed how psychology is an independent academic discipline. He also created the first laboratory where research regarding the schools of psychology could be learned and investigated. Wundt’s theories were based on the structuralism school where he discovered breaking down the mental processes as far as their most basic elements.
Shortly thereafter, in 1903, John B. Watson earned a doctorate from University of Chicago by submitting a thesis on rat psychology. In 1913, Watson published “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it” in the Psychological Review journal where he suggested that future psychologists should observe an individuals’ behavior to conclude how he or she learns. Based on Watson’s thesis, the white lab rat became standard for laboratory studies (2010).
In addition to Watson’s thoughts labeled as neo-behavioristic perspectives, B. F. Skinner, Harvard doctorate graduate in 1931, theorized operant conditioning which paralleled the neo-behavioristic perspectives. Skinner’s behavior theory of operant conditioning was in contrast to Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning. Although both of these theories contained subjects and environments, it was how the subject was presented to the environment or the environment presented to the subject that determined which was which.
In the aftermath of World War II, psychology became more prevalent and clinical psychology was supported by the federal government. Funding became available for scientific and psychological research and many more psychologists were practicing. It was in 1953 when Ernest R. Hilgard published his book Introduction to Psychology which supported the new students studying psychology (2010).
Deeply rooted in the nineteenth century, research on language, memory, attention, and cognitive psychology started in 1962 at Harvard University’s Center for Cognitive Studies. However, it was Herbert Nichols who stated his prediction of how “the twentieth century will be to mental science what the sixteenth century was to physical science, and the central field of its development is likely to be America” in an issue of McClure’s magazine in 1893. This prediction does hold truth to it as it is in America where more than a quarter million psychologists continue to impact modern science as well as the basis of American education continues to rise. Because of the two World Wars, economic depression and prosperity, America continues to be the setting of growth, practice, and research of the study of psychology (2010).
Essentially, it is because America is as culturally diverse as it has become over the past century that the study of psychology is prevalent. With so many people having a strong desire to understand the mind and how it works in conjunction with the body and environment, the study and science of psychology will continue to grow.

References
Answers.com: Psychology. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/psychology
Fuchs, A. H. (1997). Ebbinghaus 's contributions to psychology after 1885. American Journal of Psychology, 110(4)(110), 621-634.
Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Hermann Ebbinghaus Biography. (2005-2006). Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/hermann-ebbinghaus/

References: Answers.com: Psychology. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/psychology Fuchs, A. H. (1997). Ebbinghaus 's contributions to psychology after 1885. American Journal of Psychology, 110(4)(110), 621-634. Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Hermann Ebbinghaus Biography. (2005-2006). Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/hermann-ebbinghaus/