INTRODUCTION TO

PHYSIOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT IT IS?

• Physiology
– from the Greek word “Physis” meaning nature
or origin and “Logia” which means Study of
- A branch of biology that deals with the workings
of the human body.
WHAT IT IS?

• Psychology
- from the Greek word “Psyche” which mean
mind and “logia” which means study of.
- it refers to the branch of science that studies the
working of the human mind more specifically the
ones that deal with behavior.
WHAT IT IS?

• Physiological Psychology
- is branch of biological psychology that deals
with the workings mind and body.
- studies how the different workings of the body as
in direct link to the brain.
 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT IN
PSYCHOLOGY?
• Psychology studies the behavior of an individual.
• The behavior of an individual is govern by the changes in the
body.
• The changes in the body is profoundly affected by the main
provider of information throughout the body which is the brain.
• The subject is important to be able to understand how small
changes in the brain relates to the differences in the actions of
an individual more precisely in the person’s behavior.
 HOW DID IT BEGUN?
• Hippocrates (400-370 B.C.)

- Ancient Greek physician who is also highly regarded as the

father of medicine.
- The proposed that the core area of thought and emotions is the
brain.
- During the time where there was an outstanding idea of the
existence of several portions of mind and body he started the
journey to say that thoughts and emotions are generally done in
the brain.
 HOW DID IT BEGUN?
• Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.)

- Father of proto-psychology.
- Stated “that the brain is but a coolant to the
passion of the heart”.
- He believed on the construct of the mind and that
everything is constructed by it; the essential entity
of life.
 HOW DID IT BEGUN?
• Galen (A.D. 130-200)

- Was well known for his contribution to the study of

anatomy but also made a theory about personalities.
- He disagreed & believed that brain to be a separate
construct from the hearts as nature place it.
- He understood the workings of the mind into fluids that
define a person’s personality.
 HOW DID IT BEGUN?
• Rene Descartes (17 th century)

- Known as the father of Modern Philosophy.

- He constructed the idea that the human body is like a
mechanical object, that the environment is the stimuli that
dictates actions.
- He conceptualized that human beings require an outside
stimuli that exhibit actions (reflex).
 HOW DID IT BEGUN?
• Johannes Muller(19th century)

- German physiologist and comparative anatomist, one of

the great natural philosophers of the 19 th century.
- Constructed the idea that there are nerve fibers that relay
messages to the parts of the body specifically the organs.
- His idea lay view the idea of the doctrinal of specific
nerve energies which relay the format of the electrical relay
of information from the brain to the different parts of the
body.