Happy Galentine’s Day!Functionalism: Development, Part IHerbert Spencer (1820-1903)Herbert SpencerSocial DarwinismSlide 6Synthetic PhilosophyWilliam James (1842-1910)William JamesSlide 10Slide 11NeurastheniaJames and PsychologySo Why Is James So Famous for Psychology?The Principles of Psychology (1890)Slide 16Methods of PsychologyFunctionalismHabitPragmatismTheory of EmotionsThe Three-Part SelfSlide 23Slide 24Discussion QuestionsSlide 26Slide 27Slide 28Slide 29Slide 30HAPPY GALENTINE’S DAY!Ovaries before brovaries!FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2015FUNCTIONALISM: DEVELOPMENT, PART IHERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903)HERBERT SPENCER•Extended Darwin’s work and coined the term “survival of the fittest,” extending it human character and social institutions, into what would later be called Social Darwinism•This idea was embraced and grew rapidly in the United StatesSOCIAL DARWINISM•Social Darwinism: the application of the theory of evolution to human nature and society•Evolution and “survival of the fittest” happen naturally, so it should not be regulated (this is a laissez-faire) economic system•If left to develop naturally, the best would eventually surface as dominantSOCIAL DARWINISM•This became a part of American individualism•Tycoons like John D. Rockefeller even quoted survival of the fittest in their ruthless economic endeavors•After all, it was independence from big government that brought settlers to America (so the American Zeitgeist loved this)•Thus, Americans really latched on to functionalist psychologySYNTHETIC PHILOSOPHY•Synthetic philosophy: knowledge and experience can be explained in terms of evolutionary principles•The mind exists in its present form because of past and continuing efforts to adapt to various environments•Physiological and mental processes are adaptive to increasingly complex experiences; thus, behavior is also adaptive in order to surviveWILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910)WILLIAM JAMES•John Watson would later call him “the most brilliant psychologist the world has ever known” (quoted in Leary, 2003, pp. 19-20)•Yet also seen as kind of backward, as he was interested in things like clairvoyance, seances, psychics, etc.•Called psychology “a nasty little science” and wasn’t too interested in developing a school of thought of a following •Later called psychology “an elaboration of the obvious”•Did not found functionalism, but inspired and anticipated functional psychologyWILLIAM JAMES•Born in New York City, but educated all over Europe•His brother, Henry James, was a great American novelist•Began by studying art, but was told he would never be great•His father encouraged him to go into the sciences, so he studied medicine at Harvard–“With the exception of surgery, in which something positive is sometimes accomplished, a doctor does more by moral effect of his presence on the patient and family, than by anything else. He also extracts money from them” (James, as quoted in Allen, 1967, p. 98)WILLIAM JAMES•Went to Brazil to study animal life, but didn’t care for that much either–Said “I am cut out for a speculative rather than an active life” (quoted in Simon, 1998, p. 93)–This rather accurately predicts his distaste for experimentation!•Frequently ill, neurotic – vacationed to Germany to get better, where he heard one of Helmholz’s lectures and decided it was time for “psychology to begin to be a science” (quoted in Allen, 1967, p. 140)NEURASTHENIA•Neurologist George Beard associated “neurasthenia” with the upper class, educated Americans who did a great deal of mental work–Such symptoms included insomnia, hypochondria, headache, skin rash, nervous exhaustion, and “brain collapse”–This was attributed to clocks, punctuality, and the stress of demanding work, often resulting in delayed career choice–“Americans were endangering their mental and physical health through overwork” (quoted In Shapin, 2007, p. 75)JAMES AND PSYCHOLOGY•Out of kind of an existential despair, James started thinking about the philosophy of life•Used thoughts and belief in free will to pull himself up by his bootstraps and accepted a job at Harvard teaching physiology•Taught “The Relations Between Physiology and Psychology in 1875-1876–This was the first psych class taught in America!–Harvard gave him $300 to start a lab (hot dog!) •Continued to travel and fall in love with various women, despite being married (one of his affairs included Emma Lazarus)SO WHY IS JAMES SO FAMOUS FOR PSYCHOLOGY?•He opposed the structuralist approach of the mind•Offered a functionalist idea of the mind – preferred to see psychology as the study of living people as they adapt to their environment•Also opened up the study of nonrational humanity, such as emotion•Plus, he wrote in a way that was very clear and very charmingTHE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY (1890)•“Without question the most literate, the most provocative, and at the same time the most intelligible book on psychology that has ever appeared in English or in any other language (MacLeod, 1969, p. iii)•Didn’t make a fan out of Wundt and Titchener, though•Left psychology, thought lab work wasn’t worth the effort•James handed the keys to his lab over to Hugo Munsterburg (who turned it into a way more applied psychology), and decided to focus more on religion and educationTHE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY (1890)•Appropriate subject matter for psychology:•Phenomena: conscious experience (no simple elements!!!)•Conditions: the body (brain) •Thought Wundt was too narrow – didn’t believe in the elemental nature of conscious experience, and thought introspection was too biased•“No one ever had a simple sensation by itself.” --BOOM•Told off the structuralists.METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY•Introspection was good in theory, but it needed to be made nonbiased and subject to checks from several observers•Acknowledged the importance of the experimental method, but didn’t care for using it himself•Recommended the comparative method – looking to different populations, including animals, children, rudimentary people, clinically ill people, etc. •One thing that made functionalism different from structuralism was its multi-method approachFUNCTIONALISM•Called for a new approach to psychology that emphasized the unity and total experience of mental life•Coined “stream of consciousness: consciousness is a continuously
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