Are you wondering which psychological current is better? Do you know all the currents of psychology? In this Psychology-Online article, we will see some of the main currents of psychology and their characteristics and the differences between contemporary psychological currents.
On the other hand, we will also discover the protagonists of psychological thought, thanks to whom psychology has developed, starting from humanistic foundations, to acquire an independent field of scientific research and application.
Let’s analyze the main schools and currents of current psychology.
Structuralism and Associationism
When the first psychologists decided to study the strategies and modalities of psychic functioning, they focused their attention on the univocal functions of the mind: thinking, intelligence, memory, consciousness, understanding, etc. Even the most complex characteristics were decomposed and brought back to these primitive factors. This operating model took the name structuralism, to indicate the basic functions of the psyche and its integration with the physiological structures of the nervous system. In this article we explain.
In the times of structuralism, complex scientific research instruments were not yet available, and for this reason, the analysis technique developed by associationism was simple in nature and translated into the observation of the responses produced by the subject. examined – concept of systematic introspection. The discovery of this observation methodology dates back to Wilhelm Wundt, founder in 1879 of the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig (Germany). Wundt was also the first researcher to define himself with the term psychologist, that is why.
Functionalism
What happened in Europe with the opening of the first psychology laboratory, found a parallel event in the United States, where it was born, thanks to William James, a current of study called functionalism. This term was chosen to indicate the relationship with the representative functions of psychic processes, which for James are in continuous evolution and should be considered the natural reflection of human adaptation to their environment. The theoretical opposition to the structuralist current of thought is evident, in which the psyche had to be decomposed into each of its functions. In the functionalist position, the importance of context in which man is inserted, to the point that mental processes are seen according to a continuous and organizational development. In this article you will find more information about .
Psychodynamic Schools and Psychoanalysis
One of the contemporary psychological trends that has had the most strength is the psychodynamic schools, which study the mental processes of the individual. They consider pathology as an alteration of the relationships between the various psychological forces that act in the individual, which nevertheless are with each other in a relationship that is never static, but, precisely, dynamic. He is the founder of psychoanalysis, and although before him there was already knowledge about dynamic processes, he first built a complete theory that explains both normal functioning and mental pathology. Thus, different models are recognized during the development of his research: the first is the one based on the study of the unconsciouswhile the second takes the name of “structural” model (Id, Ego, Superego).
Psychodynamic schools have been characterized both by theoretical liveliness and by the confrontations between theories and people that have given rise to different schools. Since the first years of the 20th century they have separated themselves from the psychoanalysis of prominent authors such as and , to acquire – since the 1940s – the original contribution of many others who, on the one hand, have enriched the initial theory. On the other hand, they allowed a therapeutic approach to mental illnesses such as psychosis, schizophrenia, autism, which were previously considered untreatable. Ego Psychology is remembered, developed especially in the United States, the English School, with the fundamental contribution of Melanie Klein to the study of the psychic processes of children, and the studies of authors such as Wilfred Bion and Donald Winnicott.
Gestalt theories
One of the most important modern psychological trends is the Gestalt School. The psychology of form, or , has elaborated with Frederick S. Perls a psychodynamic theory based on personal experiences lived in the moment, in the “here and now.” Needs, if not satisfied, give rise to incomplete forms and psychological conflicts. It tries to promote the completion of forms, for example, by concentrating the significant elements of a situation to mobilize their energies in advantageous strategies. An example of this is the.
Behaviorism
The clinical approach of behaviorists has always been opposed to that of psychoanalysis. For them, the symptom is not the product of an intrapsychic conflict, but a problem in itself, and its elimination coincides with the cure. Behavioral therapies are derived directly from scientific discoveriessuch as classical conditioning and operant conditioning, respectively, due to Ivan P. Pavlov and Burrhus F. Skinner, have led to therapies that try to reinforce behaviors considered positive and eliminate negative ones. Behavioral techniques are considered especially useful with those people who are too damaged to receive the help of psychotherapies based on verbal communication. In this article you will find more information about .
Cognitivism and cognitive sciences
One of the main contemporary psychological trends is cognitivism. An orientation of experimental psychology, also called cognitive psychology, that privileges the study of cognitive processes such as perception, memory, reasoning, language, etc. The individual acquires and transforms information from the environment and acquires the knowledge that influences his or her behavior through the aforementioned cognitive processes. In particular, cognitivism revalues, in contrast to behaviorism, the method of introspection, but it also uses knowledge and heuristic procedures in various areas of scientific research, such as cybernetics, information theory or neurophysiology. You can find more information about cognitivism in this article: .
Humanistic orientation
Among all the psychological currents that exist, it is worth highlighting the humanistic orientation. Within humanistic psychology there are several authors, united by criticism of positivist psychology and supporters of a more human psychology. One of the main authors of humanistic orientation is Abraham Maslow. This psychologist spoke of a third force, opposed to the traditional psychoanalytic and behaviorist approaches. His model considers man in a positive way because, although he suffers, he is capable of formulating projects, evaluations, options, and he has right to self-determination. Maslow’s positions have given rise to the Human Potential Movement. You will find more information about Maslow’s theories in the following articles: and .
Another author close to the humanist position is Carl R. Rogers, American psychologist and founder of the Therapy focused on the client. In Rogersian psychotherapy it is the client, and not the therapist, who sets the pace and decides the goals of the therapy. Rogersian psychotherapists call their patients clients, and focus their attention on the current experience, trying to help the patient with a condescending attitude that should favor self-realization and the development of psychological potential.
The Palo Alto School
In the early 1950s in Palo Alto, California, a group of scholars led by anthropologist Gregory Bateson undertook a study on the forms of communication present in families that had among their members a schizophrenic relative. The knowledge and theories of the Palo Alto school, thanks above all to the systematization and dissemination carried out by one of the members of the group, Paul Watzawlick, have revolutionized theories on communication and have given new indications for the psychotherapeutic treatment of families.
The Palo Alto school’s approach considers the family as a system and the member as the carrier of the symptom that signals the dysfunction of the system. Therapy cures the problem by changing family relationships and not the individual.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Calicchio, S. (2012). History of scientific psychology. Psychology is simple. CALMAIL.IT
- Ranieri, F. (2002). Psychology. Milan: Alpha Test.
- Treccani (2020). Cognitivism. Retrieved from: https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/cognitivism/