Mental Health A-Z Self-Improvement Psychology Podcast News About Us

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES

Major Schools of Thought in Psychology

By Kendra Cherry Updated on August 17, 2020
Print
Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD

Verywell / JR Bee

When psychology rst emerged as a science separate from biology and

Table of Contents philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind
Early Schools of and behavior began. The di erent schools of psychology represent the
Thought major theories within psychology.

Gestalt Psychology The rst school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder
Behaviorism of the rst psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other
theories began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology.
Psychoanalysis

Humanistic
Psychology In the past, psychologists often identi ed themselves exclusively with
one single school of thought. Today, most psychologists have an
Cognitive Psychology
eclectic outlook on psychology. They often draw on ideas and theories
from di erent schools rather than holding to any singular perspective.

The following are some of the major schools of thought that have
in uenced our knowledge and understanding of psychology:

Structuralism and Functionalism: Early

Schools of Thought
Structuralism is widely regarded as the rst school of thought in
psychology. This outlook focused on breaking down mental processes into
the most basic components. Major thinkers associated with structuralism
include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. The focus of structuralism
was on reducing mental processes down into their most basic elements.
The structuralists used techniques such as introspection to analyze the
inner processes of the human mind.

Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist

school of thought and was heavily in uenced by the work of William
James. It functioned on the mind's functions and adaptations. Unlike some
of the other well-known schools of thought in psychology, functionalism
is not associated with a single dominant theorist. Instead, there are some
di erent functionalist thinkers associated with this outlook including
John Dewey, James Rowland Angell, and Harvey Carr.

Author David Hothersall notes, however, that some historians even

question whether functionalism should be considered a formal school of
psychology at all given its lack of a central leader or formalized set of
ideas. [1]

Instead of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist

thinkers were instead interested in the role that these processes play.

Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt psychology is a school of psychology based upon the idea that we
experience things as uni ed wholes. This approach to psychology began in
Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the
molecular approach of structuralism.

Instead of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest

elements, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the
whole of experience. According to the Gestalt thinkers, the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts.

The Behaviorist School of Thought in

Psychology
Behaviorism became a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. It
was based upon the work of thinkers such as:

John B. Watson

Ivan Pavlov

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorism suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental

causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on
observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioning
and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.

The behavioral school of psychology had a signi cant in uence on the

course of psychology, and many of the ideas and techniques that emerged
from this school of thought are still widely used today. Behavioral
training, token economies, aversion therapy, and other techniques are
frequently used in psychotherapy and behavior modi cation programs.

The Psychoanalytic School of Thought

Psychoanalysis is a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This
school of thought emphasized the in uence of the unconscious mind on
behavior.

Freud believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the
id, ego, and superego. The id consists of primal urges while the ego is the
component of personality charged with dealing with reality. The superego
is the part of the personality that holds all of the ideals and values we
internalize from our parents and culture. Freud believed that the
interaction of these three elements was what led to all of the complex
human behaviors.

Freud's school of thought was enormously in uential, but also

generated considerable debate. This controversy existed not only in
his time but also in modern discussions of Freud's theories.

Other major psychoanalytic thinkers include:

Anna Freud

Carl Jung

Erik Erikson

The Humanistic School of Thought

Humanistic psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and
behaviorism. Humanistic psychology instead focused on individual free
will, personal growth and the concept of self-actualization. While early
schools of thought were primarily centered on abnormal human behavior,
humanistic psychology di ered considerably in its emphasis on helping
people achieve and ful ll their potential.

Major humanist thinkers include:

Abraham Maslow

Carl Rogers

Humanistic psychology remains quite popular today and has had a

signi cant in uence on other areas of psychology including positive
psychology. This particular branch of psychology is centered on helping
people living happier, more ful lling lives.

Cognitive School of Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the school of psychology that studies mental
processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. As
part of the larger eld of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is
related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and
linguistics.

Cognitive psychology began to emerge during the 1950s, partly as a

response to behaviorism. Critics of behaviorism noted that it failed to
account for how internal processes impacted behavior. This period is
sometimes referred to as the "cognitive revolution" as a wealth of
research on topics such as information processing, language, memory,
and perception that began to emerge.

One of the most in uential theories of this school of thought was the
stages of cognitive development theory proposed by Jean Piaget.

A Word From Verywell

While some schools of thought have faded into obscurity, each has had an
in uence on the course of psychology's development. Some more recent
schools of psychology, including behaviorism and cognitive psychology,
remain highly in uential.

Today, many psychologists do not align themselves solely with a single

school of thought. Instead, they may take a more eclectic approach,
drawing upon many di erent perspectives and theoretical backgrounds.

1 Source

Editorial Process Our Review Board Share Feedback

Related Articles

BASICS HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES THEORIES HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES

What You Should Know What Were How Theories Are Used Sigmund Freud and
About Psychology Functionalism and in Psychology Psychoanalysis Study
Structuralism in Guide
Psychology?
Medically reviewed by David Susman, Medically reviewed by Amy Morin,
PhD Fact checked by Aaron Johnson LCSW Fact checked by Cara Lustik

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES BASICS HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES
Wilhelm Wundt Profile: Sigmund Freud's What Is the Gestalt The Origins of
The Father of Psychology Theories and Legacy in Approach In Psychology? Psychology: History
Psychology Through the Years
Medically reviewed by David Susman,
Fact checked by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Cara Lustik PhD Fact checked by Adah Chung

BASICS BASICS THEORIES BASICS

From 1878 to Today: A The Origins and Founder What Are Freud's Stages The 7 Major Perspectives
Timeline of the History of Structuralism of Psychosexual in Psychology
of Modern Psychology Development?
Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, Medically reviewed by Amy Morin,
Fact checked by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Emily Swaim MD LCSW

BASICS HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES THEORIES

What Is the Proximity Sigmund Freud's How Humanistic How the Field of
Principle in Psychology? Psychoanalytic Theories Theories Are Used in Psychology Defines
in Psychology Psychology Libido
Medically reviewed by David Susman,
PhD Fact checked by Emily Swaim Fact checked by James Lacy Fact checked by Emily Swaim

Daily Tips for a Healthy Mind to Your Inbox Mental Health A-Z Our Review Board About Us

Enter your email SIGN UP Self-Improvement Editorial Process Diversity Pledge

Psychology Privacy Policy In the News

News Cookie Policy Advertise

Voices Terms of Use Careers

The Verywell Mind Podcast California Privacy Notice Contact

Follow Us Verywell Mind's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is
not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Mind is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family. We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022.
Check it out here