What do we mean by schools of thought? Is that where your brain goes to study? Not quite! The word “school” has more than one meaning! It can mean a place where you go to learn, or it can mean a group of people who all share a similar idea.
When we say “school of thought” in psychology we mean a group of people who all believe the same thing!
Psychology (the study of the brain) has changed a lot in a short amount of time! That is not surprising because scientists still have a lot to learn about the brain! As psychologists have learned their way of thinking and studying the brain has changed as well. Each time a new way to study the brain emerges a new “school of thought” is created.
Structuralism
This was one of the very first schools of thought in psychology and started when people were first trying to understand the brain. To understand the brain they looked at all of the thoughts of the brain in small parts.
Functionalism
What good is a bunch of parts if you don’t know what they do right!? That is where functionalism started from! Functionalists focused on what the brain did not what it was made of.
Gestalt
Imagine trying to figure out what a puzzle was of by looking at each piece individually. It would be hard wouldn’t it? That is why this school of thought developed. Gestalt psychologists did the opposite of Structuralists and focused on the brain and mind as a whole!
Behaviorism
It can be hard to really see what is happening inside someone’s mind can’t it? That is why people used to think that psychology wasn’t very scientific. Behaviorists proved them wrong! They realized that thoughts created behaviors, and that behaviors were easy to watch and study! Behaviorists learned a lot about what was happening inside the brain by watching what was going on outside of it.
Cognitive Psychology
While behaviorists taught us a lot, they still ignored what was going on inside the mind. Cognitive psychology turned that focus back to the brain! Cognitive psychology includes neuroscience. Among other things cognitive psychologists use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines to look at what is happening inside the brain.
Psychoanalytic
This school of thought can be very bizarre! It is an attempt to understand the subconscious mind, which is the part of the mind that acts automatically. It tries to understand what is going on when we sleep, when we say the wrong word by accident, and when react to something without thinking.
Humanistic
Humans are very complicated thinkers, so this school of thought developed to focus on that. Humanistic psychologists use psychology to help people live their best lives.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/science/structuralism-psychology
https://www.verywellmind.com/psychology-schools-of-thought-2795247
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