Published on 07 December 2021

When Did The Term Psychology Come Into Existence?

General Psychology when-did-the-term-psychology-come-into-existence
Table of Contents

In our daily lives, we often hear the 'psychology' word. Psychology is just a state of mind for most people, but in today's modern world, many universities have created courses to study psychology in depth.

Simply put, psychology is a term related to the mind and behavior. Psychology is a science; it is the study of human behavior. Behavioral Psychology helps us know about human emotions and the type of disorders or physical illnesses when the person's mental health rapidly declines. This is a very diverse field with many scopes and needs a lot of research. Let's see what psychology is in terms of science.

What Is Psychology?

As per the American psychological association, psychology is the study of mind and behavior that involves biological influence, social pressures, and environmental factors. Psychology is considered a "Hub Science" with strong connections to the medical sciences, Education, and social sciences.

In psychology treatment, Psychologists are the ones who understand their client's mental states by studying their behaviors.
The Term Psychology Can Be Mainly Defined As:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Cognitive psychology

What Is The Aim Of Psychology?

This field aims to understand human behavior, mental functions, and emotional processes. Psychology also benefits society by informing people of all mental health issues in detail. It is a type of science; it also collects all kinds of scientific data related to mental health, expanding their area of expertise and helping to connect people.

History Of Psychology

Psychology is not a subject that has emerged instantly in this generation. The study of the human mind was not very relevant, and people were negligible of it in the past, but as time proceeded, more and more were keen to know the wonders of the human mind, which was only achieved by studying this subject.

It all started during the ancient early Greek time. Even the word' psychology' was made up of two greek words, psyche( breath, soul, life or spirit) and logos( study of). 

The word psychology appeared in literature in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many believe Philip Melanchthon was the first to mention psychology through Latinised forms of the original Greek words.

The Laboratory for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig was opened by Wilhelm Wundt in Germany in 1879. 

Philosopher Rene Descartes explained how the human mind and the human body collide to form a human experience. At first, psychology was a subject under the domain of philosophy, but later on, as the research on the human mind expanded. It became an individual subject. 

William James wrote in his book, 'principles of psychology,' where he defined psychology as the science of mental life, wherein some insightful knowledge promoted the subject more and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Margaret Floy Washburn was the first woman who got a doctoral degree in American psychology in 1894 and the second woman who became president of the American psychological association after Mary Whiton Calkins.
In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt was a German psychologist who established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.
Sigmund Freud is considered the most well-known psychologist in history. He explored the human personality and psyche very effectively.

Father Of Modern Psychology

Many consider Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology. Wilhelm Wundt was the first to start a psychology laboratory in Germany in 1879 after he earned the title "father of psychology."

Wundt attempted to study the mind objectively through a process that he called introspection, a method in psychology that objectively observes one's thoughts and feelings.

Structuralism

Edward Titchenar (a student of Wundt) was a structuralist psychologist who thought that human consciousness could be divided into smaller parts and used wundt's introspection method to understand these parts.

Apart from Wundt and Titchenar, Granville Stanley hall also contributed to the growth of psychology by expanding structuralism. He also started a psychology laboratory at John Hopkins University by applying introspection and was elected the American psychological association's first president. 

Functionalism

William James was the first north american psychologist who published his textbook, 'the principles of psychology,' which established him as the father of American psychology.

Soon, this book became perfect in psychology, and eventually, his ideas were recognized as the basis of new thoughts known as functionalism. Functionalism focuses on how behavior works to help people live in their environment. 

Women Psychologist's Contribution

Apart from men psychologists, several women psychologists have made essential contributions to psychology.

  • Anna Freud

She made an essential contribution to the field of psychoanalysis. She is also considered the founder of child psychoanalysis.

  • Mary Winton calkins

She struggled a lot during her time; even her school refused to give her a degree because she was a woman. Despite all these obstacles, she became the American psychological first woman president.

  • Mary Ainsworth

She was a developmental psychologist who developed a technique for studying child and caregiver attachment which is considered the 'strange situation' assessment.

Different Types Of Psychology?

There are four main types of psychology, but all of them have the same aim, and they have one thing in common: studying human behavior.

Clinical psychology

Clinical psychology includes counseling sessions for mental health care; clinical psychologists provide their patients with therapy sessions or counseling sessions to evaluate their patient's minds and treat them accordingly. Such psychologists also take counseling sessions.

Cognitive psychology

This type of psychology deals with intensive therapy sessions. It also studies and examines neuroscience. It explores how people acquire skills and store different kinds of information. These psychologists deal with memory, decision-making, image formation, and self-concept issues.t

Developmental psychology

Any psychological change happening throughout the person's entire life span can be studied by developmental psychology. Ranging from infants to adults, not only that, but it also focuses on older people.

Evolutionary psychology

It deals with how human behavior evolved through time. An evolutionary psychologist approves that human behavior changes through time and evolves accordingly. For instance, it is known that language has changed according to time.

Health psychology

It observes how biology, behavior, and social context affect the human mind. It examines a person's social background and how it affects them emotionally and biologically.

Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology looks at the brain's structure and function, and it deals with issues like bleeding or stroke and cases of concussion. It also suspects any brain injury and deals with it.

Social psychology

It studies and deals with issues related to people's social backgrounds and social problems that affect the human mind and behavior. It looks at social perception and social groups and studies them individually.

Psychology As a Subject Is Necessary 

Psychology is subject, and it should indeed be an important one; in today's world, where we have all the tools and all the studies to examine human behavior, it should indeed be necessary for everyone to be aware of this subject and at least know the basics.

Mental health is an important topic, and the increase in suicides has made us all realize the importance of awarenessJustasy we study the basics of human biology y pass the first grade; in the same way, psychology should be taught in schools and colleges. This subject is essential to know why we are the way we are.

Bottom Line From Practical Anxiety Solution

The word' psychology' comprised two Greek words, psyche( breath, soul, life or spirit) and logos( study of). Even the term psychology was started during ancient greek times.

Not only have men psychologists like William James, Edward Titchener, Wilhelm Wundt, etc. contributed to psychology, but some women psychologists developed the term psychology, such as anna freud, MaryWintonn calkins, and Mary Ainsworth.

Now psychology has evolved. Many universities created courses on that,t and all credit goes to  Wilhelm Wund,t who started the first experimental psychology laboratory in 1879.