Historical Figures and Philosophies in Psychology

Historical Figures and Philosophies in Psychology Name Institutional Affiliation Instructor Course Date Historical Figures and Philosophies in Psychology Introduction Psychological exploration is a complex subject with many contributors to psychologists, leading to changes in the field. Five personalities are considered to stand out due to their evident impact. Famous for giving birth to psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud explored the mind and its role in behavior change. Behaviourism pioneer B.F. Skinner makes critical points like observable behavior and reinforcement in conduct modification. Humanistic psychology father Carl Rogers focused on the significance of self-actualization and empathy in therapy. The functional features of consciousness were the focus of William James, who can be considered the father of American psychology. Finally, the pioneering developmental psychologist Jean Piaget created a groundbreaking theory that changed the understanding of kids learning. These psychologists established the foundation on which modern psychology exists and present their different views of human behavior and mind. Five Key Figures Sigmund Freud Freud, often called the “father of psychiatry,” studied the human subconscious to determine factors influencing behavior. He hypothesized that unconscious conflicts and desires have much to do with behavior. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was based on the importance of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences’ role in character development (Pavón-Cuéllar, 2021). He developed different stages of development and how cognitive and behavior changes based on innate and environmental factors. Psychodynamic theory today deals with the interaction between unconscious urges and conscious mental processes, which began after Freud’s work that created a framework for this theory. The framework is used to explain the reasons people behave as they do. B.F. Skinner B.F. Skinner's most significant contribution to the history of psychology is behaviourism. Skinner firmly believed that behavior is observable and that its connection to environmental clues is of more importance than stressing the interior mental processes. As suggested by operant conditioning theory, Skinner, learning happens mainly as a result of the outcome of an action, and reinforcement and punishment greatly determine behavior. Skinner was the first to demonstrate in his controlled experiments how reinforcement programs can shape behavior in animals such as pigeons and rats (Racine, 2022). On top of implementing behavior modification interventions, it contributed to therapy, training animals, and education. Considering that ...