1.

History of Psychology
387 BC Plato suggested that the brain is the mechanism of mental processes.
335 BC Aristotle suggested that the heart is the mechanism of mental processes.
1774 AD Franz Mesmer detailed his cure for some mental illness, originally called mesmerism
and now known as hypnosis.
1793 Philippe Pinel released the first mental patients from confinement in the first massive
movement for more humane treatment of the mentally ill.
1808 Franz Gall wrote about phrenology (the idea that a persons skull shape and placement of
bumps on the head can reveal personality traits.
1834 Ernst Heinrich Weber published his perception theory of Just Noticeable DIfference, now
known as Webers Law.
1848 Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierces his brain. His personality
was changed but his intellect remained intact suggesting that an area of the brain plays a role in
personality.
1859 Charles Darwin published the On the Origin of Species, detailing his view of evolution and
expanding on the theory of Survival of the fittest.
1861 French physician Paul Broca discovered an area in the left frontal lobe that plays a key role
in language development.
1869 Sir Francis Galton, Influenced by Charles Darwins Origin of the Species, publishes
Hereditary Genius, and argues that intellectual abilities are biological in nature.
1874 Carl Wernicke published his work on the frontal lobe, detailing that damage to a specific
area damages the ability to understand or produce language
1878 G. Stanley Hall received the first American Ph.D. in psychology. He later founded the
American Psychological Association.
1879
Wilhelm Wundt founded the first formal laboratory of Psychology at the University of Leipzig,
marking the formal beginning of the study of human emotions, behaviors, and cognitions.
1883 The first laboratory of psychology in America is established at Johns Hopkins University.
1885 Herman Ebbinghaus introduced the nonsense syllable as a means to study memory
processes.
1886 Sigmund Freud began performing therapy in Vienna, marking the beginning of personality
theory.
1890 The term Mental Tests was coined by James Cattell, beginning the specialization in
psychology now known as psychological assessment.
1890 Sir Francis Galton developed the technique known as the correlation to better understand
the interrelationships in his intelligence studies.
1890 William James published Principles of Psychology, that later became the foundation for
functionalism.
1890 New York State passed the State Care Act, ordering indigent mentally ill patients out of
poor-houses and into state hospitals for treatment and developing the first institution in the
U.S. for psychiatric research.
 1892 Foundation of the American Psychological Association (APA) headed by G. Stanley Hall,
with an initial membership of 42.
1895 Alfred Binet founded the first laboratory of psychodiagnosis.
1896 Writings by John Dewey began the school of thought known as functionalism.
1896 The first psychological clinic was developed at the University of Pennsylvania marking the
birth of clinical psychology.
1898 Edward Thorndike developed the Law of Effect, arguing that a stimulus-response chain is
strengthened if the outcome of that chain is positive.
1900 Sigmund Freud published Interpretation of Dreams marking the beginning of
Psychoanalytic Thought.
1901 The British Psychological Society was founded.
1905 Alfred Binets Intelligence Test was published in France.
1906 The Journal of Abnormal Psychology was founded by Morton Prince.
1906 Ivan Pavlov published the first studies on Classical Conditioning.
1911 Alfred Adler left Freuds Psychoanalytic Group to form his own school of thought, accusing
Freud of overemphasizing sexuality and basing his theory on his own childhood.
1911 Edward Thorndike published first article on animal intelligence leading to the theory of
Operant Conditioning.
1912 William Stern developed the original formula for the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) after
studying the scores on Binets intelligence test. The formula is
1912 Max Wertheimer published research on the perception of movement, marking the
beginnings of Gestalt Psychology.
1913 John E. Watson published Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It marking the beginnings of
Behavioral Psychology.
1913 Carl G. Jung departed from Freudian views and developed his own theories citing Freuds
inability to acknowledge religion and spirituality. His new school of thought became known as
Analytical Psychology.
1916 Stanford-Binet intelligence test was published in the United States.
1917 Robert Yerkes (President of APA at the time) developed the Army Alpha and Beta Tests to
measure intelligence in a group format. The tests were adopted for use with all new recruits in
the U.S. military a year later.
1920 John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner published the Little Albert experiments, demonstrating
that fear could be classically conditioned.
1921 Psychological Corporation launched the first psychological test development company, not
only commercializing psychological testing, but allowing testing to take place at offices and
clinics rather than only at universities and research facilities.
1925 Wolfgang Kohler published The Mentality of Apes which became a major component of
Gestalt Psychology.
1927 Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, published her first book expanding her fathers
ideas in the treatment of children.
 1929 Wolfgang Kohler criticizes behaviorism in his publication on Gestalt Psychology.
1932 Jean Piaget published The Moral Judgment of Children beginning his popularity as the
leading theorist in cognitive development.
1932 Walter B. Cannon coined the term homeostasis and began research on the fight or flight
phenomenon.
1935 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was published by Henry Murray.
1936 Egas Moniz published his work on frontal lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness.
1938 Electroshock therapy was first used on a human patient.
1939 Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Test was published which eventually became the most
widely used intellectual assessment.
1939 The Canadian Psychological Associated was founded.
1942 Carl Rogers published Counseling and Psychotherapy suggesting that respect and a non-
judgmental approach to therapy is the foundation for effective treatment of mental health
issues.
1942 Jean Piaget published Psychology of Intelligence discussing his theories of cognitive
development.
1942 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed and fast became the
most widely researched and widely accepted psychological assessment device.
1945 The state of Connecticut passed licensure legislation for psychologists, becoming the first
state to recognize psychology as a protected practice oriented profession.
1945 The Journal of Clinical Psychology was founded.
1945 Karen Horney published her feministic views of psychoanalytic theory, marking the
beginning of feminism.
1949 Boulder Conference outlines scientist-practitioner model of clinical psychology, looking at
the M.D. versus Ph.D. used by medical providers and researchers, respectively.
1950 Erik Erikson published Childhood and Society, where he expands Freuds Theory to
include social aspects of personality development across the lifespan.
1952 A study on psychotherapy efficacy was published by Hans Eysenck suggesting that therapy
is no more effective that no treatment at all. This prompted an onslaught of outcome studies
which have since shown psychotherapy to be an effective treatment for mental illness.
1952 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was published by The
American Psychiatric Association marking the beginning of modern mental illness classification.
1952 Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) first used in the treatment of schizophrenia.
1953 B.F. Skinner outlined behavioral therapy, lending support for behavioral psychology via
research in the literature.
1953 Code of Ethics for Psychologists was developed by the American Psychological Association.
1954 Abraham Maslow helped to found Humanistic Psychology and later developed his famous
Hierarchy of Needs.
1957 Leon Festinger proposed his theory of Cognitive Dissonance and later became an
influence figure in Social Psychology.
 1961 John Berry introduced the importance of cross-cultural research bringing diversity into the
forefront of psychological research and application.
1961 Carl Rogers published On Becoming a Person, marking a powerful change in how
treatment for mental health issues is conducted.
1963 Alfred Bandura introduced the idea of Observational Learning on the development of
personality.
1963 Lawrence Kolberg introduced his ideas for the sequencing of morality development.
1967 Aaron Beck published a psychological model of depression suggesting that thoughts play a
significant role in the development and maintenance of depression.
1968 DSM II was published by the American Psychiatric Association.
1968 First Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) professional degree program in Clinical Psychology was
established in the Department of Psychology at The University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign.
1969 Joseph Wolpe published The Practice of Behavior Therapy.
1971 First Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) awarded (from The University of Illinois
Urbana/Champaign).
1973 APA endorsed the Psy.D. degree for professional practice in psychology.
1980 DSM III published by the American Psychiatric Association.
1983 Howard Gardner (professor at Harvard University) introduced his theory of multiple
intelligence, arguing that intelligence is something to be used to improve lives not to measure
and quantify human beings.
1988 American Psychological Society established.
1990 The emergence of managed care prompts the APA to become more political, leading to the
idea of Prescribing Psychologists and equity in mental health coverage.
1994 DSM IV published by the American Psychiatric Association.
1995 First Psychologists prescribe medication through the U.S. militarys psychopharmacology
program.
1997 Deep Blue, the supercomputer at the time, beats the Worlds best chess player, Kasparov,
marking a milestone in the development of artificial intelligence.
1998 Psychology advances to the technological age with the emergence of e-therapy.
1999 Psychologists in Guam gain prescription privileges for psychotropic medication.
2002 New Mexico becomes the first state to pass legislation allowing licensed psychologists to
prescribe psychotropic medication.
2002 The push for mental health parity gets the attention of the White House as President
George W. Bush promotes legislation that would guarantee comprehensive mental health
coverage.
 2. Goals of psychology
The four main goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and control the behavior and mental
processes of others.

Describe

Psychology is a science. It aims to understand the behavior of others and gather information about the
way the brain works in order to better serve humanity. By observing different human behaviors,
psychologists determine what is normal and healthy and what is unhealthy. Psychology analyzes the
thoughts, feelings, actions and goals of people through the help of various case studies, observations
and surveys.

Have you ever heard of Pavlovs dogs? Pavlov noticed that his dogs were salivating as the result of a
stimuli the lab assistant approaching before food was even presented to them. This observation
acted as a description of what was happening. Once psychologists can describe a behavior or
phenomenon, they can use that as a basis for learning more about that behavior. And yes, many
psychologists have studied animals in order to learn more about human behavior! Youd be surprised
how many similarities there are.

Explain

Why does this behavior occur? Under what circumstances will it occur again? In order to explain a
behavior, psychologists must conduct experiments to ensure that the behavior is not an anomaly. If
theres only one person (or animal) exhibiting this behavior, it certainly isnt a cultural norm. In the case
of Pavlov, he was able to conduct an experiment using multiple dogs that all seemed to behave in the
same way. Through this experiment he was able to notice a handful of important things about the
behavior of others. And thus, classical conditioning came to be.

When presented with an unconditioned stimulus (the food), the dogs began to salivate which is the
unconditioned response. When presented with delicious food, humans tend to salivate, right? After the
dogs were fed for a period of time, Pavlov began to notice that even the presence of his lab assistant,
who fed the dogs, caused them to salivate. Once he noticed this was happening, he realized that he had
come across a wonderful psychological discovery. The lab assistant, which was once a neutral stimulus,
had become a conditioned stimulus. To further his experiment, Pavlov introduced a bell as a neutral
stimulus.

Predict

Based on past observed behavior, a psychologist aims to predict how that behavior will appear again in
the future and if other people will exhibit the same behavior. Pavlov predicted that the new neutral
stimulus the bell would become a conditioned stimulus if he presented it with food enough times.
Sure enough, after presenting the dogs with food at the same time the bell was sounded, he was able to
condition the dogs to salivate when the bell rang even when they werent presented with food. This
discovery held a lot of importance in the world of psychology and allowed many people to influence the
behavior of others.

Control

What did Pavlovs discovery mean for the future of psychology? It meant that teachers could take
control of their classroom easier, parents could teach their children to exhibit good behavior, and
manipulative older siblings could control the behaviors of their younger siblings. In other areas of
psychology, experiments are used to train new employees faster, increase the success of students and
reduce drug addiction.

3. Famous Psychologists
Ivan Pavlov 18491936

The man behind Pavlovian conditioning was educated in natural sciences in St Petersburg, Russia. His
primary interest was physiology and it was while researching the digestive system in dogs that he made
his most famous discovery he noted that dogs would salivate before the delivery of food. Pavlov rang a
bell when feeding the dogs which they soon learnt to associate with food. After some time the dogs
salivated in response to the bell alone. Pavlovian conditioning has a number of real-life applications
including in the treatment of phobias and for aversion therapy.

Sigmund Freud 18561939

The founding father of psychoanalysis first qualified as a doctor of medicine at the University of Vienna.
Freud went on to work in cerebral anatomy and his fascination with the brain developed from there.
Freud died in 1939 but his legacy lives on with many of his theories providing the basis for modern
clinical psychology.

Carl Jung 18751961

Like many on our list Jung studied medicine, at the University of Basel. His interest in spiritual
phenomena lead him to combine his two passions and become involved in the field of psychiatry, His
dissertation was entitled On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena. Jung
befriended Freud and, for a time, was viewed almost as his protg. Jung, however, started to develop
his own ideas and the two men grew apart. Jungs synthesis of the concepts of introversion and
extraversion form a major foundation of personality psychology and has also influenced psychotherapy.

Melanie Klein 18821960

Austrian psychoanalyst, Melanie Klein reached academic fame in the early 20th century for her work on
psychoanalytic child psychology. Kleins ideas included a strong belief in the therapeutic effects of child
play. Klein proposed that play afforded an opportunity for children to express their experiences and
feelings. Kleinian psychoanalysis is one of the major schools in psychology and an area youll cover if
studying the subject at university.

Anna Freud 18951982

Daughter of the illustrious Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud has certainly found her own voice in the world of
psychological discovery. She and Melanie Klein are considered the founders of psychoanalytic child
psychology. Annas work, specifically emphasised the importance of the ego in serving and opposing
subconscious behaviour.

Stanley Milgram 19351984

Milgram began his university career with an undergraduate degree in political science, moving on to
pursue his passion in social psychology by studying for a Ph.D at Harvard. He became renowned for his
work regarding the Behavioural Study of Obedience. In this study, Milgram measured the willingness
of subjects to obey an authority figure, despite ordering the participants to perform acts conflicting with
their conscience. He found that 26 of the 40 subjects seemingly delivered electric shocks of up to 450
volts to another person, when ordered to do so. The shocks were fake but the experiment has been
used to suggest why humans are willing to commit the most appalling atrocities in times of war. Despite
a backlash from the scientific community the experiments are still considered hugely influential today.

4. Branches of psychology
Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology is the area that looks at psychopathology and abnormal behavior. Mental health
professionals help assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety of psychological disorders including anxiety
and depression. Counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists often work directly in this field.

Behavioral Psychology

Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all
behaviors are acquired through conditioning. While this branch of psychology dominated the field
during the first part of the twentieth century, it became less prominent during the 1950s. However,
behavioral techniques remain a mainstay in therapy, education, and many other areas.

People often utilize behavioral strategies such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning to
teach or modify behaviors. For example, a teacher might use a system of rewards in order to teach
students to behave during class. When students are good, they receive gold stars which can then be
turned in for some sort of special privilege.

Biopsychology
Biopsychology is a branch of psychology is focused on how the brain, neurons, and nervous system
influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This field draws on many different disciplines including basic
psychology, experimental psychology, biology, physiology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience.

People who work in this field often study how brain injuries and brain diseases impact human behavior.
Biopsychology is also sometimes referred to as physiological psychology, behavioral neuroscience, or
psychobiology.

Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental
illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric disorders. Clinicians often work in private practices, but
many also work in community centers or at universities and colleges. Others work in hospital settings or
mental health clinics as part of a collaborative team that may include physicians, psychiatrists, and other
mental health professionals.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on internal mental states. This area of
psychology has continued to grow since it emerged in the 1960s.

This area of psychology is centered on the science of how people think, learn, and remember.

Psychologists who work in this field often study things such as perception, motivation, emotion,
language, learning, memory, attention, decision-making, and problem-solving. Cognitive psychologists
often use an information-processing model to describe how the mind works, suggesting that the brain
stores and processes information much like a computer.

Comparative Psychology

Comparative psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. The
study of animal behavior can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology. This
area has its roots in the work of researchers such as Charles Darwin and Georges Romanes and has
grown into a highly multidisciplinary subject. Psychologists often contribute to this field, as do biologists,
anthropologists, ecologists, geneticists, and many others.

Counseling Psychology

Counseling psychology is one of the largest individual subfields within psychology. It is centered on
treating clients experiencing mental distress and a wide variety of psychological symptoms. The Society
of Counseling Psychology describes the field as an area that can improve interpersonal functioning
throughout life by improving social and emotional health as well as addressing concerns about health,
work, family, marriage, and more.

Cross-Cultural Psychology
Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that looks at how cultural factors influence human
behavior. The International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) was established in 1972,
and this branch of psychology has continued to grow and develop since that time. Today, increasing
numbers of psychologists investigate how behavior differs among various cultures throughout the
world.

Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughout the entire lifespan. The
scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people change
throughout life. Developmental psychologists often study things such as physical growth, intellectual
development, emotional changes, social growth, and perceptual changes that occur over the course of
the lifespan.

These psychologists generally specialize in an area such as infant, child, adolescent, or geriatric
development, while others may study the effects of developmental delays. This field covers a huge
range of topics including everything from prenatal development to Alzheimer's disease.

Educational Psychology

Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching psychology,
educational issues and student concerns. Educational psychologists often study how students learn or
work directly with students, parents, teachers and administrators to improve student outcomes. They
might study how different variables influence individual student outcomes. They also study topics such
as learning disabilities, giftedness, the instructional process, and individual differences.

Experimental Psychology

Experimental psychology is the branch of psychology that utilizes scientific methods to research the
brain and behavior. Many of these techniques are also used by other areas in psychology to conduct
research on everything from childhood development to social issues. Experimental psychologists work in
a wide variety of settings including colleges, universities, research centers, government and private
businesses.

Experimental psychologists utilize the scientific method to study a while range of human behaviors and
psychological phenomena. This branch of psychology is often viewed as a distinct subfield within
psychology, but experimental techniques and methods are actually used extensively throughout every
subfield of psychology. Some of the methods used in experimental psychology include
experiments, correlational studies, case studies, and naturalistic observation.

Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychology is a specialty area that deals with issues related to psychology and the law. Those
who work in this field of psychology apply psychological principles to legal issues. This may involve
studying criminal behavior and treatments, or working directly in the court system.
Forensic psychologists perform a wide variety of duties, including providing testimony in court cases,
assessing children in suspected child abuse cases, preparing children to give testimony and evaluating
the mental competence of criminal suspects.

This branch of psychology is defined as the intersection of psychology and the law, but forensic
psychologists can perform many roles so this definition can vary. In many cases, people working within
forensic psychology are not necessarily "forensic psychologists." These individuals might be clinical
psychologists, school psychologists, neurologists or counselors who lend their psychological expertise to
provide testimony, analysis or recommendations in legal or criminal cases.

Health Psychology

Health psychology is a specialty area that focuses on how biology, psychology, behavior and social
factors influence health and illness. Other terms including medical psychology and behavioral medicine
are sometimes used interchangeably with the term health psychology. The field of health psychology is
focused on promoting health as well as the prevention and treatment of disease and illness.

Health psychologists are interested in improving health across a wide variety of domains. These
professionals not only promote healthy behaviors, they also work on the prevention and treatment of
illness and disease. Health psychologists are often deal with health-related issues such as weight
management, smoking cessation, stress management, and nutrition.

They might also research how people cope with illnesses and help patients look for new, more effective
coping strategies. Some professionals in this field help design prevention and public awareness
programs, while others work within the government to improve health care policies.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Industrial-organizational psychology is a branch that applies psychological principles to research on

workplace issues such as productivity and behavior. This field of psychology, often referred to as I/O
psychology, works to improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace while also maximizing the
well-being of employees. Research in I-O psychology is known as applied research because it seeks to
solve real world problems. I-O psychologists study topics such as worker attitudes, employee behaviors,
organizational processes, and leadership.

Some psychologists in this field work in areas such as human factors, ergonomics, and human-computer
interaction. Human factors psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on topics such as human
error, product design, ergonomics, human capability, and human-computer interaction. People who
work in human factors are focused on improving how people interact with products and machines both
in and out of the workplace. They might help design products intended to minimize injury or create
workplaces that promote greater accuracy and improved safety.
Personality Psychology

Personality psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the study of the thought patterns,
feelings, and behaviors that make each individual unique. Classic theories of personality include
Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.
Personality psychologists might study how different factors such as genetics, parenting, and social
experiences influence how personality develops and changes.

School Psychology

School psychology is a field that involves working in schools to help kids deal with academic, emotional,
and social issues. School psychologists also collaborate with teachers, students, and parents to help
create a healthy learning environment.

Most school psychologists work in elementary and secondary schools, but others work in private clinics,
hospitals, state agencies, and universities. Some go into private practice and serve as consultants,
especially those with a doctoral degree in school psychology.

Social Psychology

Social psychology seeks to explain and understand social behavior and looks at diverse topics including
group behavior, social interactions, leadership, nonverbal communication, and social influences on
decision-making.

This field of psychology is focused on the study of topics such as group behavior, social perception,
nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. Social influences on behavior are a major
interest in social psychology, but social psychologists are also focused on how people perceive and
interact with others.

Sports Psychology

Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and
physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve
performance and increase motivation. Other professionals utilize exercise and sports to enhance
peoples lives and well-being throughout the entire lifespan.

A Word From Verywell

Psychology is always evolving and new fields and branches continue to emerge. It is important to
remember that no single branch of psychology is more important or better than any other. Each specific
area contributes to our understanding of the many different psychological factors that influence who
you are, how you behave, and how you think.

By conducting research and developing new applications for psychological knowledge, professionals
working in every branch of psychology are able to help people better understand themselves, confront
the problems they may face, and live better lives.