American Psychological Association defines psychology as “the scientific study of the mind and behavior.” Psychology can also be defined as the science of conscious and unconscious mental processes. Psychology can be divided into theoretical, experimental, therapeutic, and applied.  

                                 History of Psychology

Though psychology had long been a subject of philosophical speculation, it did not become a scientific discipline until the late 19th century. Germany and Austria are countries where most of the founding authors who turned psychology into an autonomous science lived and worked. Friedrich Eduard Beneke (1798–1854) German philosopher-psychologist, defined psychology as “the natural science of inner experience”. German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt is often credited as the “father of modern psychology.” In 1879, Wundt established the first experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig. His approach, known as structuralism, aimed to analyze the structure of the mind through introspection, a method where subjects reported their conscious experiences in response to stimuli. German philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey (1833– 1911) divided psychology into two types: 1) descriptive (human-scientific) and 2) analytical explanatory (natural-scientific). German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909) argued that psychology should be seen as a natural and experimental science. German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909) pioneered the experimental study of memory. German-American psychologist Hugo Münsterberg (1863–1916) did pioneering work in applied psychology, applying it to industry, organizations, education, and business. German psychologist Edward Titchener, who was inspired by Wundt’s work, brought structuralism to the United States.

In Austria, Sigmund Freud introduced his approach of psychoanalysis in the 1890s. Other early notable Austrian psychologists are Karl Jung, who created the analytical (Jungian) approach, and Alfred Adler, who introduced the individual psychology approach.

American philosopher William James pioneered psychological research in the USA and developed functionalism, which focused on the purpose of mental processes and behavior in adapting to the environment. James’s influential book The Principles of Psychology (1890) laid the foundation for many future developments in psychology. American philosopher John Dewey, who developed functional psychology, is also considered the father of American psychology.

Behaviorism, a scientific approach to studying human behavior, developed primarily in the United States, as opposed to the psychoanalytic approach of studying human behavior by the method of “introspection”. John B. Watson, in 1913, coined the term “behaviorism” and developed its earliest, or classical form. This approach is today called “methodological behaviorism.” American psychologist Burrhus F. Skinner launched, in the 1930s, a new form of behaviorism, which is called “radical behaviorism.” Radical behaviorism stands for the analysis of all observable forms of behavior, both private and public. 

American psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow developed the theoretical and therapeutic basis of the humanist psychology approach. Jerome Bruner and Leo Postman were the pioneers of cognitive psychology, which studies how motivations, needs, and expectations affect perception. 

The Gestalt psychology approach was founded by German psychologists Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler at the beginning of the 20th century. sees experience and behavior (i.e., learning, perception, cognitive functions) as structured wholes and seeks to study the complexity, organization, and patterning of those wholes. Gestalt psychology rejected the theoretical basis of both structural psychology and behaviorism.

                       Main Subfields of Psychology

The main subfields of psychology are: brain science and cognitive psychology, climate and environmental psychology, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, developmental psychology, experimental psychology, forensic and public service psychology, health psychology, human factors and engineering psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, psychology of teaching and learning, quantative psychology, rehabitalitation psychology, social psychology,  and sport and performance psychology.   

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