Psychology

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Etymology
The word psychology literally means, "the study of the soul" (ψυχή, psukhē, meaning "breath", "spirit", or "soul"; and -λογία -logia, translated as "study of" or "research"[9]).[10] The Latin word psychologia was first used by the Croatianhumanist and Latinist Marko Marulić in his book, Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae in thelate 15th century or early 16th century.[11] The earliest known reference to the word psychology in English was by Steven Blankaart in 1694 inThe Physical Dictionary which refers to "Anatomy, which treats of the Body, and Psychology, which treats of the Soul."[12]

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History
The study of psychology in a philosophical context dates back to theancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, India, and Persia. Historians point to the writings of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Thales, Plato, and Aristotle (especially in his De Anima treatise),[13] as the first significant body of work in the West to be rich in psychological thought
Structuralism
German physician Wilhelm Wundt is credited with introducing psychological discovery intoa laboratory setting. Known as the "father of experimental psychology",[15] he founded the first psychological laboratory, at Leipzig University, in 1879.[15] Wundt focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Although not himself a structuralist, his studentEdward Titchener, a major figure in early American psychology, was a structuralist thinker opposed to functionalistapproaches.
Functionalism
Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of the American philosopher, scientist and psychologist William James. James felt that psychology should have practical value, and that psychologists should find out how the mind can function to a person's benefit. In his book, Principles ofPsychology,[16]published in 1890, he laid the foundations for many of the questions that psychologists would explore for years to come. Other major functionalist thinkers included John Dewey and Harvey Carr.
Other 19th-century contributors to the field include the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneer in the experimental study of memory, who developed quantitative models of learning andforgetting
Psychoanalysis
From the 1890s until his death in 1939, the Austrian physician Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis, a method of investigation of the mind and the way one thinks; a systematized set of theories about human behavior; and a form ofpsychotherapy to treat psychological or emotional distress, especially unconscious conflict.[20] Freud's psychoanalytic theory was largelybased on interpretive methods, introspection and clinical observations.
Behaviorism
In the United States, behaviorism became the dominant school of thought during the 1950s. Behaviorism is a discipline that was established in the early 20th century by John B. Watson, and embraced and extended by Edward Thorndike, Clark L. Hull, Edward C. Tolman, and later B.F. Skinner. Theories of learningemphasized the ways in which people might be predisposed, or conditioned, by their environments to behave in certain ways.
Classical conditioning was an early behaviorist model. It posited that behavioral tendencies are determined by immediate associations between various environmental stimuli and the degree of pleasure or pain that follows.
Humanism
 Humanism focused on fundamentally and uniquelyhuman issues, such as individual free will, personal growth, self-actualization, self-identity, death, aloneness, freedom, and meaning.
Gestalt
 This approach is based upon the idea that individuals experience things as unified wholes
Critical psychology
Critical psychology is aimed at evaluating mainstream psychology and attempts to apply psychology in more progressive ways, often looking...