History of scientific psychology

From the birth of psychology to neuropsychology and the most current fields of application

Stefano Calicchio

• Publisher: Stefano Calicchio
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9788835839835
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Discovering the history of psychology and its application areas has never been easier. This volume reviews the main currents of thought that have characterized the birth and evolution of scientific psychology. From the first laboratories of psychology to psychodynamic theory, from cognitivism to neuroscience, the first part of this guide takes you by the hand and accompanies you among the most important discoveries of the subject. The second part of the volume is dedicated to the discovery of clinical psychology, work, legal, development and the various fields of application of the subject. All this through a simple, fast and essential style of discourse. The book ends with a small self-assessment test that allows the reader to review and fix the main concepts. Forget the thousands of pages long or prohibitively expensive psychology manuals and start exploring how your mind works through a series of guides at unbeatable prices. ### THE COLLECTION ###
Psychology made simple is a collection of simple, clear and ready-to-use texts dedicated to the functioning of the human mind, whose lowest common denominator is the practicality and immediacy of its contents. From work contexts to family life, from relationships with others in search of a personal balance, everyone will be able to find answers and satisfy their desire to know, without trespassing into more complex treatments than necessary.

Table of contents

• Disclaimer
• Introduction
• The precursors of matter
• Scientific psychology
• Associationism and structuralism
• Functionalism
• Gestalt Theory
• Behaviorism
• The psychoanalytic revolution
• Cognitivism
• Evolutionary psychology
• Neuroscience
• Areas of application of psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Legal psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Educational psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Conclusion
• Self-assessment test
• Solutions

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Copyright information

Author: Stefano Calicchio

Copyright: 2020 © Standard License - All rights to the work are reserved. The images used belong to the public domain.

Disclaimer

The notions in this book are of an informative nature only and do not constitute or replace medical activity. This book is for training purposes and educational purposes only. The reader assumes full responsibility for his or her choices, aware of the risks associated with any form of exercise. If you assume or are aware that you have psychological disorders, you should consult a psychologist or doctor.

Introduction

For a long time I have been meditating on the creation of a collection of texts dedicated to the study of psychology. I always wanted to create a set of simple, clear, concise and ready-to-use guides, whose lowest common denominator had to be the practicality and immediacy of the concepts. It is no coincidence that today I speak of "psychology made simple".

For too long the theoretical bases of psychology have been hostage to an ambivalent and dichotomous attitude. On the one hand there are university books, linked to a prolix, technical and specialist language. On the other hand, we find the endless publications on psychology, which often have very little to share with the real fundamentals of the subject.

The intent of this first guide (as well as of the entire work as a whole) is to spread the ideas and operational implications of psychology through an exhibition that can be easily memorized, as well as used in one's daily life. All this avoiding easy trivialisations as well as extreme simplifications, which would be inconsistent with the deterministic nature of the material.

From work contexts to family life, from relationships with others in search of a personal balance, everyone will be able to find answers to their own questions without trespassing into treatments made more complex than necessary.

The first book in this collection focuses on a historical introduction to the subject and its main areas of application; knowing the events and research that led to the birth and formation of modern psychology can be of great help not only to satisfy the reader's interest and many curiosities, but also to fix in the mind concepts that will be extremely useful in the next manuals, when we will talk about emotions, intelligence, memory and learning, creativity, personality and much more.

It only remains for me to invite the reader to turn the page, to start studying psychology from its historical roots. A story that began many centuries ago, at the origins of our civilization... good reading!

The precursors of matter

It is curious to observe how in the West every person takes for granted that he or she has a soul. If at first glance this idea may seem entirely rational, a closer look reveals that the concept of body and soul as separate entities has been one of the greatest achievements of our civilization.

The word psychology itself derives from two Greek terms: psiché (translatable with soul, but also with breath or sigh) and logeia (speech, tale or conversation). It follows that psychology is concerned with constructing a narrative about the psyche, that is, about people's souls.

The concept of the soul was born with the invention of philosophy and in particular with Socrates, who made it the centre of his study. Before that, the soul was thought to dissolve with death. The Jewish religion did not use the concept of the soul but Nèfesh, which indicated the breath of man. In Genesis it is stated that God formed man from the dust of the earth, blew the breath of life into his nostrils and man became nèfesh hachaiyàh (living soul).

Finally, when the moment of death comes, the Nèfesh dissolves.

It is interesting to note that for a long time you will continue to have a primitive consideration of the soul. We take it for granted that every man possesses a soul and that after death it continues its existence on a different plane, but Homer himself deals with the subject by eluding the concept of immortality. In his writings, death is accompanied by a simple breath that leaves the physical body.

It is therefore Socrates and Plato who invented and codified the concept of the soul in the meaning we use in our times. Plato will use the term psichas to indicate an entity that is a prisoner of the physical body as long as it remains alive. A concept that will lay the foundations for the split between soul and body, a version that today each of us has adopted.

Christianity will be characterized by a prudent ambivalence towards the concept of the soul. On the one hand, the founders of the church will borrow its image to indicate the concept of the Trinity (body, soul and spirit are adopted with Paul of Tarsus) and underline the need for salvation (Saint Augustine).

On the other hand, it will continue to be denied, resorting to the concept of the resurrection of bodies. As proof of this, we can cite what is stated in the Christian Gospel: "the children of this world take a wife and get a husband; but those who are judged worthy of the other world and of the resurrection from the dead, do not take a wife or a husband; nor can they die anymore, because they are equal to the angels and children of God. "(Luke 20:34-36).

It w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• HISTORY OF SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY. From the birth of psychology to neuropsychology and the most current fields of application.
• Table of contents
• Disclaimer
• Introduction
• The precursors of matter
• Scientific psychology
• Associationism and structuralism
• Functionalism
• Gestalt Theory
• Behaviorism
• The psychoanalytic revolution
• Cognitivism
• Evolutionary psychology
• Neuroscience
• Areas of application of psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Legal psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Educational psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Conclusion
• Self-assessment test
• Solutions