Key Movements and Figures in Psychology History
Key Movements in Psychology
Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt, considered the father of psychology, aimed to study the basic structure of the mind, including feelings and images. He used measuring tools to analyze phenomena such as the perception of flickering light.
Functionalism
John Dewey is considered the first major American psychologist. He affirmed that the accumulation of knowledge could be applied to life. Functionalism seeks to understand how people adapt to their environment, how the mind works,
Read MoreUnderstanding Social Behavior and Human Groups
Sociology: Key Concepts and Theories
Sociology, the scientific study of social behavior and human groups, focuses primarily on how social relationships influence people’s behavior and how societies develop and change. Sociological imagination is the awareness that allows people to comprehend the link between their immediate, personal social settings and the remote, impersonal social world. Emile Durkheim’s study of suicide related suicide rates to the extent to which people were integrated into the
Read MoreUnderstanding Intelligence: Theories, Research, and Testing
Key Definitions of Intelligence
a) Some theories treat intelligence as the ability to adapt that different individuals have, especially with regard to new situations. They also highlight versatility and adaptability as essential features of intelligence. b) Other views consider that being smart is knowing how to solve problems as efficiently as possible. In this way, originality and creative thinking are highlighted in the construction of intelligence. c) Some cognitive theories place greater emphasis
Read MoreMax Weber’s Sociological Insights: Ideal Types & Social Action
Max Weber: Ideal Types and Social Action
Max Weber diverged from previous authors who drew parallels between the social individual and an organism. Weber denied these parallels between biology and society, arguing that humans are conscious beings whose intentionality cannot be ignored. While Karl Marx believed that material conditions determine consciousness, Weber proposed a more nuanced view. He suggested that Marx’s theory, while a convenient explanation, needed to be supplemented by an inquiry
Read MoreUnderstanding Key Concepts in Psychology and Mental Health
Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Childhood Autism
- Asperger’s Disorder
- Rett Disorder
Common Psychological Terms
- Anhedonia: The incapacity to enjoy an activity.
- Comorbidity: When a person is diagnosed with more than one disease simultaneously.
Anxiety Disorder
- Gender Differences: Females are more likely to experience anxiety disorders, except for OCD, which affects both genders equally.
Sleep Stages
- Stages of Sleep: Wakefulness, light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, then the cycle repeats.
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive
Read MoreBehavioral Issues and Learning Difficulties in Education
Behavior and Learning Problems
Clinical and educational experience, along with systematic research, reveals an intimate relationship between learning difficulties and a lack of personal or social adjustment. However, it is not easy to determine the nature and meaning of this relationship. A large number of people with educational problems suffer from personal and social conflicts, but views on the extent of these relationships, and which variable is the cause and which is the effect, are far from
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