Schools of Psychology - Structuralism, Functionalism, Behaviorism, Gestalt Psychology and

Psychoanalysis.
1. School of Thoughts in Psychology Suresh Babu G Assistant Professor
2. Schools of Thoughts in Psychology • Structuralism • Functionalism • Behaviorism •
Cognitivism • Gestalt • Humanism • Psychoanalytic
3. Structuralism • Structuralism was the first school of psychology, and fovused on
breaking down mental processes into the most basic components • Wilhelm Wundt the
father of structuralism, opened the world’s first psychological laboratory in Leipzig in 1879
• Edward Titchner, Weber and Fechner are some of the notable structuralists.
4. Based on introspection Immediate experiences of human beings Holds that
psychological wholes are compounds of elements The main elements are sensations ,
feelings , images and the like that form conscious experience. Aim of psychology is to
study mental element Systematic observation of the activities of mind
5.  It separated psychology from philosophy and metaphysics and developed it as an
independent and organized discipline.  It emphasized the systematic observation of the
activities of learners under controlled learning conditions.  It gives an experimental
method for studying human behavior, ie, experimental introspection.  It initiated a spirit
of science and experimentation in the field of education.
6. Experimental introspection method – it is unreliable, limiting and subjective. It is
based on internal behavior which cannot be observed directly. It cannot be employed to
study behaviour of children, the mentally defective, insane humans animals.
7. Functionalism Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist
school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James, father of
American psychology. William James
8.  Functionalism studies mind as it functions in adapting the individual to his
environment.  The school flourished in the universities of Chicago and Columbia in
America and two different streams came into existence – the Columbia functionalism and
the Chicago functionalism.  The important among the Chicago functionalists were John
Dewey, Angell, and Harvey Carr. The Columbia functionalists includes Thorndike, Cattell
and Woodworth
9. TENETS OF FUNCTIONALISM  According to functionalism the aims of psychology is the
study of what for and what of mental process.  It emphasizes with the nature and
functions of mental processes.  Functionalism considers mind to be a recent development
towards adjustment to his environment  They believed that the mind and body are
intrinsically one. The mental activities are the result of adjustment between the mind and
the body.
10. Contributions to Education  It included curriculum with subjects having practical utility.
 It emphasized study of various problems of the learner and their solution.  It give
importance to learning by doing and developed activity oriented methods like project
method for teaching and learning.  It emphasized child-centered learning.
11. Limitations of Functionalism • The term function is variously used by functionalists and
they failed to define many psychological concepts. • It is teleological (it holds that mind
functions to achieve some purpose) and eclectic. • Like structuralists, functionalists also
focused only on consciousness and neglected the unconscious facets of human mind. • It
only aid man’s adjustment to environment is highly biological and neglected socio –
cultural influences in the functioning of mind.
12.  Behaviorism become the dominant school of thought during the 1950’s.  J.B.Watson,
an American psychologist, is the founder of the behaviourist school which came into
existence as a protest against structuralism and functionalism.  Other notable
psychologists of this school were Skinner, Pavlov, Tolman, Hull etc
13.  According to the behaviourist school is a purely experimental branch of the natural
science, the object of which is to elaborate, control and predict behaviour.
14. TENETS OF BEHAVIORISM  Psychology is the science of stimulus and response, it is
concerned with the study of receptors (sense-organs) and effectors (muscles and nerves).
 The chief task of psychology is to study the overt or observable behaviour that can be
measured scientifically.  Behaviour is merely the response to some environmental
stimulus. It is an association of stimulus and response.
15. Environmental forces are more important in determining the behaviour and shaping
the personality of an individual. All behaviour is learnt in the process of interaction with
environment.
16. CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION  Behaviourism advocated the use of reinforcement in
the place of punishment.  Programmed learning  The techniques of shaping behaviour
and the behaviour modification programmes advocted by the behaviourists.  Contributed
a lot in dealing with backward and maladjusted children in the classroom.
17. Limitations of Behaviourism • Human behaviour is so complex that it cannot be studied
by breaking down into simple response connections as held by behaviourists. • It focused
totally on the overt or observable behaviour of man and neglected the convert. • They give
importance to the environment in shaping human behaviour and neglected the role of
heredity.
18. GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY  Gestalt Psychology was born in Germany and it was founded
by Max Wertheimer.  Major proponents of this school is Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Kohler and
Kurt Lewin.  Gestalt is a German word, which means configuration or organised whole. 
Gestalt psychologists emphasized the role of configuration or organization in the
perceptual field and highlight the role of insight and understanding in learning
19.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is the whole which determines the
behaviour of its parts.  An individual perceives a thing as a whole and not as a mere
collection of its constituents or elements.  Perception always involves a problem of
organization.  Learning takes place as a result of organization of the perceptual field by
the learner in a meaningful and intelligent way. Tenets of Gestalt Psychology
20. Contribution to Education • Gestalt school emphasized the important of presenting the
subject matter as a whole in the class so as to make learning more meaningful. • Gestalt
principles have found its application in the construction of curriculum, organization of
syllabus, scheme of studies, work-plan etc. • Hoslistic methods of teaching, holistic
evaluation, insight learning, interdisciplinary approach to the study of problems,
comprehensive educational programmes etc. draw their inspiration from the Gestalt
school.
21. • Gestaltists emphasized that learning of generalizations, laws, principles and theories
enable the students to apply the acquired knowledge in a new situation.
22. Limitations of Gestaltism • It failed to explain learning beyond perceptual experience. • It
failed to explain the strengthening of behaviour through practice. • It could not fully
explain how previous experience influence learning. • In many occasions learning takes
place by trial and error. Gestalists failed to explain this.
23. Psychoanalysis
24. Psychoanalysis • It is associated with the name of Sigmund Freud, a Viennese neurologist,
who stressed the study of human behaviour through the analysis of unconscious mental
process by using the method of free association and dream analysis. • Important
personalities who contributed to this school are Adler, Jung, Hartmann, Erickson, Anna
Freud (daughter of Sigmund Freud) etc
25. Tenets of Psychoanalysis  Human mind has three parts – Conscious, Sub-conscious and
unconscious.  The unconscious layer constitute the larger part of mental life which
contains all the repressed wishes, desires, feelings, drives, motives, etc.
26. • Id (instinctive desires), ego (reason based on real experience) and Super-ego (moral
inhibition) are the three aspects of our complete self or personality. • Human behaviour
and personality are the result of adaptation of real physical and social world, but the core
of personality remains what was laid down in childhood. Tenets of Psychoanalysis
27. Contribution to Education • Freud discovered unconscious motivation which plays an
important role in the process of learning. • Psycho-analysis has emphasized the
importance of the early experiences of the child in the process of education.
28. • It stressed the importance of feelings and emotions in the process of education. • It has
thrown light on the causes of maladjustment and behavioral problems in children.
Contribution to Education
29. Limitations of Psychoanalysis • Freudian concepts like id, ego, superego, etc are
hypothetical construct which lack any scientific support. • Psycho analytical school over
emphasized sexual world and neglected social experience in the formation of personality.
• It does not permit inferences about cause and effect. • Freud adopted non-scientific