Aristotle is often regarded as the father of psychology, and his book, De Anima (On the Soul), the first book on psychology. He was concerned with the connection between the psychological processes and the underlying physiological phenomenon. Many believe he contributed more to prescience psychology than any other person, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Although Aristotle attended Plato's Academy, he became convinced of the need for empirical observations and criticized many of Plato's philosophies. Plato and Aristotle "represent a basic divergence in the way man and the world may be viewed, a modern parallel being the difference between the clinical and the experimental psychologist. (Zusne, p. 8)"
Aristotle postulates that the body and the mind exist as facets of the same being, with the mind being simply one of the body's functions. He suggests that intellect consists of two parts: something similar to matter (passive intellect) and something similar to form (active intellect). Aristotle says that intellect "'is separable, impassible, unmixed, since it is in its essential nature activity. . . . When intellect is set free from its present conditions, it appears as just what it is and nothing more: it alone is immortal and eternal . . . and without it nothing thinks (Britannica Online, "Physiological Psychology")."
Aristotle described the psyche as a substance able to receive knowledge. Knowledge is obtained through the psyche's capability of intelligence, although the five senses are also necessary to obtain knowledge. "As Aristotle describes the process, the sense receives 'the form of sensible objects without the matter, just as the wax receives the impression of the signet-ring without the iron or the gold.' (Britannica Online, "Physiological Psychology")." Sensitivity is stimulated by phenomenon in the environment, and memory is the persistence of sense impressions. He maintained that mental activities were primarily biological, and that the psyche was the "form" part of intellect. Aristotle insisted that the body and the psyche form a unity. This idea is known as hylomorphic.
Aristotle believed that thinking requires the use of images. While some animals can imagine, only man thinks. Knowing (nous) differs from thinking in that it is an active, creative process leading to the recognition of universals; it is akin to intuition, it does not cause movement, and it is independent of the other functions of the psyche. (Zusne, pp. 8-9)
Thomas Aquinas based many of his ideas on those of Aristotle, metaphysically interpreting them to make them fit his Christian theological framework. Thomistic psychology is still taught in Catholic schools today.
One of Aristotle's most important contributions was defining and classifying the various branches of knowledge. He sorted them in to physics, metaphysics, psychology, logic, education, poetics and thus laid the foundation of most of the sciences of today. Aristotle contributed ethics as an important subject of philosophy.
What unique or important contribution did eric erikson make to the study of psychology?
The correct answer is: health psychology
Rene Descartes helped form the early ideas of psychology, before psychology was an established field. His most important contribution to modern psychology is probably the idea of the mind and body being separate entities, which has major implications for why and how we experience emotions.
He Created the Cellphone
psychology is applied in every sphere of human life. it helps vital role in understanding oneself and others.
He created the method known as psychoanalysis for investigating and treating the mind.
Rene Descartes' contribution to psychology was his dualistic perspective that separated the mind (thinking) from the body (physical), known as Cartesian dualism. This perspective laid the foundation for modern psychology to explore the relationship between mental processes and behavior. Descartes also emphasized the role of reasoning and introspection in understanding human cognition, influencing the development of cognitive psychology.
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Virgilio Enriquez- Westerners are the one who influenced Filipino Psychology.
Schools of Thougts Structuralism Functionalism Behaviourism Psychoanalysis Gestalt Humanism Proponents Main Idea Method Used Contribution to the field of Psychology
Pavlov's contribution to psychology was his work on classical conditioning, where he demonstrated how a neutral stimulus could come to elicit a reflexive response through repeated pairings with an unconditioned stimulus. His research laid the foundation for behaviorism and our understanding of how we learn and adapt to our environment.
He is the one who came up with the method known as psychoanalysis for investigating and treating the mind.