This approach led to the development of structuralism.įunctionalism is a school of thought that focuses on how mental processes as a whole allow an organism to fit into and interact with its environment. This can be compared to how a chemist seeks to understand the basic elements of an object to understand its structure. Wundt sought to quantify the basic components of thought, to understand and identify the structures of conscious thought. He believed that psychology should be the scientific study of the conscious experience. He published Principles of Physiological Psychology in 1873, which would later be considered the first psychology textbook. Wundt is often referred to as the 'Father of Psychology'. The foundations of structuralism in psychology were first established by German physiologist, Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920). Key Players of Structuralism in PsychologyĪ famous master and the disciple who forged his own way are the key players in this approach. Sought to understand the how and why of the mental process as it relates to the environment Sought to breakdown and quantify mental processes Heavily influenced by Darwinism and natural selectionįocused on introspection, on subjects such as thoughts/feelings/sensationsįocused more on introspection and behaviorįocused on basic components of mental processesįocused on how basic components of mental processes functioned as a whole Functionalism, established by William James, focuses on the 'why' of mental processes as a whole, and how they interact with the subject's environment.įirst example of experimental psychology in a lab setting Titchener, focuses on studying the basic components of mental processes using introspection. Structuralism, based on the ideas of William Wundt and formalized by Edward B. What is the Difference Between Functionalism and Structuralism in Psychology? What contributions have structuralism and functionalism had to the field of psychology?.Who were influential figures in structuralism and functionalism?.Structuralism and functionalism would set the stage for other schools of thought to follow, and also have a major impact on education, mental health treatments, and psychological research methods used today. Functionalism, first proposed by American philosopher William James, would soon emerge as a response to this approach. Wilhelm Wundt, the first man to introduce structuralism, changed all of that when he began to study the human mind within a controlled setting, in his laboratory in Germany. Psychology was not a field that was being scientifically studied b efore the formation of structuralism and functionalism.

Structuralism functionalism theory