Introspection vs Behaviourism - 849 Words

So, should psychology study things and hypothesize about things that are not directly observable? Before I begin my argument I want to point out that the word psychology is the combination of two terms - study (ology) and soul (psyche), or mind. The derivation of the word from Latin gives it this clear and obvious meaning: The study of the soul or mind. I believe that Behaviourists such as Watson wished to alter the meaning of the word ‘psychology’ because it was not sufficient or capable of answering the metaphysical questions such as â€Å"what is the mind?† and â€Å"what is consciousness?† They believed that the discipline could only be effective or ‘scientific’ if every hypothetical question could be operationalized and therefore quantified,†¦show more content†¦Human motivations, emotions, thoughts and behaviours are messy, unpredictable and every human being is a unique bit of mystery. Maybe it shouldn’t be a question of ‘can the experiment be replicated in the laboratory’ because we don’t live in labs. I believe a more pragmatic approach will eventually answer many of the questions psychology struggles with and that’s also what I think MacDougall was advocating in his argument. Watson, as a leading behaviourist of the day advocated for complete rejection of mental phenomena and the concept of consciousness had no place in science b/c mental phenomena cannot be directly observable. So Watson was suggesting that psychology can only be defined as a science if it denies the mind, whaa?! I suggest advocates for this position would instead be more comfortable if they left â€Å"Psych†ology to its rightful place as the study of the human mind, and therefore human nature, and instead form a science called Behaviourology. But really, what is the point of experimenting and making observations if you don’t further attempt to determine WHY the observed behaviour occurs? For example: take a child that was physically abused every day of his life and then observe that he grows into an adult who physically abuses his children. Wow how fascinating, not. I believe that this only becomes a question for/of psychology when the observer attempts to determine WHY these patterns ofShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of Psychology And New Schools1057 Words   |  5 Pagesdown of mental processes into its most fundamental components in trying to understand a person s mind. Then came functionalism (James,1902). Functionalists weren t concerned with mental processes, but in the role, that these processes played. Behaviourism (Watson, 1931) attempts to explain behaviour by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. They believe in experimenting on observable components while completely ignoring the unobservable mental processes. Gestalt psychology (WertheimerRead MoreThe Theory Of The Mind And Behavior1264 Words   |  6 Pagesthat we are born with imprinted knowledge. Aristotle, a student of Plato, theorized the concept that we were born a blank canvas and the development of our minds are sculpted by our experience, demonstrating that modern psychological debates of nature VS nurture, and interests of the functions of the mind, have been discussed for centuries. Psychology as we know it today is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. All scientists whether chemists, biologists, physicists or psychologists mustRead MorePsychology Ncert Book 1 Chapter Notes11190 Words   |  45 Pagesconstituents or the building blocks of the mind. Psychologists during Wundt’s time analysed the structure of the mind through introspection and therefore were called structuralists. Introspection was a procedure in which individuals or subjects in psychological experiments were asked to describe in detail, their own mental processes or experiences. However, introspection as a method did not satisfy many other psychologists. It was considered less scientific because the introspective reports couldRead MoreThe Philosophy of Happiness11705 Words   |  47 Pagesanother’s. But he does not really address the problem inherent in the Greatest Happiness Principle, that it leaves room for the misery of an individual to be discounted in order to inc rease the he overall total of happiness in the community. Happiness vs Duty At the opposite extreme from utilitarianism, in modern times, stands the moral theory of Kant. Kant’s starting point is that the only thing that is good without qualification is a good will. Talents, character, and fortune can be used to bad ends