During the early decades of psychology's existence as a formal discipline, three schools of psychological thought became popular. What were these three schools of thought and what became of each of them over time?

What will be an ideal response?

A good answer will include the following key points.
• Structuralism was the analysis of sensations, images, and feelings into basic elements based on Wundt's method of introspection. Structuralism died out in the early years of psychology.
• Functionalism, founded by William James, emphasized the purpose of behavior, as opposed to its analysis and description. Functionalism also died out as a separate school of psychology, but its emphasis on the causes and consequences of behavior continued to influence the development of psychology as a science.
• Psychoanalysis was both a theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy that stressed the role of the unconscious mind and its hidden conflicts and wishes in influencing our behavior. Psychoanalysis is not accepted by most empirically-oriented psychologists, but remains an active, though highly controversial, school of psychology today.

Psychology

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What will be an ideal response

Psychology