Birth of a Science
Psychology's founding moment is dated to 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt opened the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany. Wundt's approach became Structuralism under his student Edward Titchener, which analyzed the mind into basic elements.
Structuralists used introspection, where trained observers reported their conscious experiences under controlled stimuli. G. Stanley Hall, Wundt's student and America's first psychology PhD, founded the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1892.
| School | Central Question | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Structuralism | What are the mind's basic elements? | Introspection |
| Functionalism | What is the mind's adaptive purpose? | Broader observation |
Structure vs Function
Functionalism, led by William James and influenced by Darwin, asked what the mind is for. James described a stream of consciousness as a continuous, shifting flow that resists being broken into static structuralist elements.
Functionalists studied how mental processes help organisms adapt, opening the door to learning, individual differences, and applied psychology.
Common pitfall: assuming structuralism and functionalism were competing facts. They were competing questions — one asking what the mind is made of, the other what it is for.