Aims and Goals

of Psychology
Psychology also aims to contribute further
to the knowledge of human nature.
Specifically, it aims to deepen the
knowledge about human behaviour so that
man can improve the quality of his
existence.
Psychology as a scientific study aims to
describe, understand, predict and influence
human and animal behaviour and mental
process.
 Describing behaviour- a detailed characterization of
a certain phenomenon can be presented and be a
means of further utilization of the study.
 Understanding- involves the organization of facts
about behaviour, development of reasons pertaining
with the different relationships among observed
behaviour.
 To predict behaviour will enable the psychologist to
anticipate any future actions of an individual.
 Influence- involves the alteration of behaviour of
the individual. It further tends to change a certain
trait, idea, and beliefs of the individual.
School of Psychology
A school of psychology or school of thought is an
organized explanation of certain phenomena believed by
groups of people supporting the principle.
Several schools of thought are as follows:
 Structuralism- grew out of work of James, Wundt,

and their associates. Structuralist believed in the

importance of the structure of the mind. The mind is
structured through conscious experiences. For
example: they identify four basic skin sensations:
warmth, cold, pain and pressure. The structuralists
primarily used the method called introspection.
 Functionalism- John Dewey, William James, James
Rowland Angell, and Harvey Carr spearheaded the
group which tried to retract the idea of
structuralism. Structuralism stating the importance
of the “function of the mind” rather than the
“structure of the mind”. Functionalism also stressed
the importance of functional adjustment of an
organism to his environment.
Behaviorism- 
John V. Watson, he believed that observable behaviour , not
inner experience was the only reliable source of information.
The behaviourist also stressed the importance of the
environment in shaping an individual’s behaviour.
Ivan P. Pavlov, Pavlov conditioned the behaviour of a dog by
ringing a bell each time he gave a dog some foods. The learning
process by which a response become associated with a new
stimulus is called conditioning.
B.F Skinner, he describes how the principle of condition might
be applied to create an idea planned society. Skinner thus was
able to introduce the operant condition by which an individuals
can be conditioned through the principles of operation.
Gestalt- Gestalt psychology, just like the other
movements, developed as a reaction against
structuralism. Gestalt means “to configure or to form or
pattern” instead of individual sensations.
Psychoanalysis- was founded by Australian doctor
Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis was based on the
theory that behaviour is determined by powerful inner
forces, most of which are buried in the unconscious
mind.
Sigmund Freud was able to publish
psychoanalytic observations of the following
popular people although they were not his
patients:
 Michelangelo, in Freud’s essay The Moses of

Michelangelo
 Leonardo da Vinci, in Freud’s book Leonardo

da Vinci and a Memory of his Childhood.

 Moses, in Freud’s book Moses and

Monotheism.
 Freud developed psychoanalysis as a form of
psychotherapy (free association)
 A theory of personality (id, ego and superego)
and as theory of development (psychosexual
stage)
 The goal is to help the patient understand and
accept repressed feelings and find ways to deal
with them.
Cognitive Psychology
 Is a theoretical perspective that focuses on the realms of human
perception, thought and memory. It portrays learners as active
processors of information.
 According to Jean Piaget (1969) students learn better when they
can invent knowledge through inquiry and experimentation
instead of acquiring facts presented by a teacher in class.
 Lev Vygotsky (1978) emphasized the role of social interactions
in knowledge construction. Social contructivism turns attention
to childrens interaction with parents, peers, and teachers in
homes, neighbourhood, and schools. Vygotsky introduced the
concept of the zone of proximal development which is the
difference between the difficult level of a problem a student can
cope with independently and the level that can be
accomplished with help from others.
Existentialist Psychology
 From this new Humanistic “3rd force” grew existential
psychology. Existential psychology started from
Humanistic Psychology’s focus on the human condition
and took it to an extreme.
 Brenatos Psychology was known as “Intentionally, a
system of thought  where every mental event referred to
something outside itself.
 Brenatos was saying that a human being cannot exist as
an intrapsychic being. 
 Existentialist believe in both free will and the
uniqueness of the individual. Individual behaviors are
not seen as evil or good, but neutral, interpreted only by
the individual. 
Humanistic
 Called upon romantic and existential ideas to
restore the creative, healthy emotional side of
humanity.
 Humanistic psychology believed that an
individual’s behaviour is primarily determined by
his perception of the world around him; individuals
are not solely  the product of their environment and
individuals are internally directed and motivated to
fulfil their human potential. Abraham Maslow is
the proponent of this school.
MASLOW HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Psychogenesis of
Psychology
Ancient Period
 Man has tried to explain behaviour since time
immemorial. Although man is not quite aware
that they are utilizing psychology, the most
common way of explaining behaviour during
the Ancient times is the use of animism.
Essentially, it is the Gods and spirits who were
attributed to be the direct cause of events and
activities of man.
Greek Period
Psychology began with the ancient Greeks earliest quest for the
knowledge of human nature.
 Democritus (460-370 BCE)- theorized that the human mind is

composed of atoms which penetrates in and out of our system.

 Plato (428/427-348/347 BCE)- believed that the soul is distinct to

man and it is God-given.

Plato further reiterated that the human psyche consist of three distinct
elements:
 Element of reason ( in the head) the highest level of value

 Spirited element (in the heart) by which man would express his

emotions
 Element of bodily appetites and desires (in the diaphgram) an

individual one of the said elements may tend to be dominant to the

person resulting to a certain pattern of personality and goal in life.
 Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) is considered as the
father of psychology because he is the first
person to put into writing his explanation of
pertaining the behaviour of man.
He introduced the three functions of the soul:
 Vegetative- deals with the basic maintenance of

life
 Appetitive- focuses on the desire and motives

 Rational- governs reason that is located in the

heart.
 Hippocrates – father of medicine, first theorized that
mental disorders arose from natural causes. He was
also first to classify different mental disorders during
the classical period.
 Galen- theorized relation of temperament to

physiological factors. According to Galen behaviour

may attributed to the humors or vital juices of the
body or the bile.
The temperaments corresponds as sanguine (yellow bile)
for chherfulness, phlegmatic (green bile) for
sluggishness, melancholic (black bile) for sadness and
choleric (red bile) for irascibility.