Intro to History and Perspectives in Psychology

Part 1: Getting Started – What is Psychology? 1.​ In your own words, define psychology to your best knowledge. Psychology is the study of the human brain​ 2.​ Answer this quick question:​ ○​ Why do you think psychology is considered a social science instead of just a branch of medicine or philosophy? Psychology is considered a social science instead of just a branch of medicine or philosophy because psychology studies society’s behavior.​ Part 2: A Brief History of Psychology ●​ Read the link provided about the early history of psychology.​ ●​ Then, create a short timeline (4–5 events only) that shows how psychology began and changed over time.​ ○​ Example events: Wilhelm Wundt opens the first psychology lab (1879), Freud’s psychoanalysis, rise of behaviorism, development of humanistic and cognitive psychology.​ ○​ Ancient Greece: Plato and Aristotle debated learning and behavior. ○​ 1879: Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory in Germany. ○​ Early 1900s: Sigmund Freud introduced psychoanalysis ○​ 1900s: Behaviorism grew under John Watson and B.F. Skinner. ○​ 1950s: Humanistic psychology emphasized free will and personal gowth ●​ Write 2–3 sentences explaining how psychology grew from philosophy and science into its own field.​ Psychology began as part of philosophy, with ancient philosophers questioning how people learn and why they behave certain ways. Later,scientists like Wundt used experiments to study the mind. This helped psychology become its own field that combines ideas from philosophy and science to understand people better. Part 3: The Major Perspectives Learn about the six main perspectives in psychology: ●​ Behavioral​ ●​ Cognitive​ ●​ Humanistic​ ●​ Biological​ ●​ Psychodynamic​ ●​ Sociocultural​ Your task: 1.​ Choose two perspectives that interest you and research them. ​ 2.​ For each:​ ○​ Write a simple definition (1–2 sentences).​ ○​ Name at least one famous psychologist connected to it.​ ○​ Give one real-life example of how that perspective explains human behavior.​ Biological Perspective -​ Definition:The biological perspective studies how the brain, nervous system, and genetics influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. -​ Famous psychologist: Roger Spetty -​ Example: A person’s depression may be linked to low levels of certain brain chemicals, like serotonin.​ ​ Psychodynamic perspective: -​ Definition: The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and childhood experiences that shape behavior. -​ Famous Psychologist: Sigmund Freud -​ Example: An adult who is scared of dogs might have had a scary experience with dogs in their childhood that they don’t fully remember. Part 4: Reflection Write a short paragraph answering: ●​ Which perspective do you think best explains human behavior?​ Why did you choose it? I think the psychodynamic perspective best explains human behavior because it shows how our past and unconscious thoughts can still affect us today. Many people act in certain ways without knowing why, and this perspective explains that childhood experiences and hidden feelings shape our future choices. I chose it because it helps us understand behavior that can’t always be explained just by science or learning