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Structuralism is considered the firstschool of thought in psychology. It involved breaking down the mind into the smallest possible parts and analyzing each one. The goal was to learn how each component functioned individually, as well as how they worked together to support complex mental processes.
Wilhelm Wundt, who was famous for founding thefirst psychology laband is considered the father of modern psychology,founded structuralism. Although, one of his students also contributed greatly to this school of thought.
Origins of Structuralism
While Wundt is often listed as the founder of structuralism, he never actually used the term, instead referring to his ideas asvoluntarism.It was his student,Edward B. Titchener, who invented the termstructuralism.
Though Titchener is usually the one credited with the establishment of structuralism and bringing the ideas to America, the ideas started with Wundt. Titchener actually changed much of what Wundt taught.
Titchener did this because conscious experiences aren’t as easy to control in an experiment as behavior is. Rather than focusing on obtaining quantitative measurements, Titchener prioritized observation and analysis.
Introspection: Structuralism’s Main Tool
Titchener took Wundt’s experimental technique, known as introspection, and used it to focus on the structures of the human mind. Anything that could not be investigated using this technique, Titchener believed, was not in the domain of psychology.
Titchener believed that theuse of introspection, which utilized observers who had been rigorously trained to analyze their feelings and sensations when shown a simple stimulus, could be used to discover the structures of the mind. He spent the bulk of his career devoted to this task.
Titchener’s Structuralism
Titchener’s structuralism stressed three important tasks in the study of the human mind:
For approximately 20 years, Titchener dominated American psychology. He was extremely prolific, publishing 216 books and papers during his lifetime. He also trained a number of influential psychologists, supervising the doctoral work of nearly 60 students, includingMargaret Floy Washburnand Edwin G. Boring.
Today, Ticheners’s work is rarely mentioned outside of a purely historical context. He maintained a powerful hold on American psychology during his lifetime and contributed to psychology becoming a respected branch of the sciences, but his influence began to wane following his death.
Structuralism’s Impact on Psychology
Structuralism may have enjoyed a brief period of dominance in psychology, but the school of thought essentially died out following the death of its founder. It did, however, lead to the development of other movements, including functionalism, behaviorism, andGestalt psychology.
What Were Structuralism vs. Functionalism?
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim A.Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Schultz DP, Schultz SE.A History of Modern Psychology.Roback AA.The structuralism of Titchener.Hist Amer Psychol. 1952:180-191.Additional ReadingHockenbury, DH, Hockenbury, SE. Introduction and Research Methods. In:Discovering Psychology.5th ed. New York, NY: Worth Publishers; 2010:4-5.
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim A.Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Schultz DP, Schultz SE.A History of Modern Psychology.Roback AA.The structuralism of Titchener.Hist Amer Psychol. 1952:180-191.Additional ReadingHockenbury, DH, Hockenbury, SE. Introduction and Research Methods. In:Discovering Psychology.5th ed. New York, NY: Worth Publishers; 2010:4-5.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kim A.Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Schultz DP, Schultz SE.A History of Modern Psychology.Roback AA.The structuralism of Titchener.Hist Amer Psychol. 1952:180-191.
Kim A.Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Schultz DP, Schultz SE.A History of Modern Psychology.
Roback AA.The structuralism of Titchener.Hist Amer Psychol. 1952:180-191.
Hockenbury, DH, Hockenbury, SE. Introduction and Research Methods. In:Discovering Psychology.5th ed. New York, NY: Worth Publishers; 2010:4-5.
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