Who is the father of Psychology?

Despite Wilhelm Wundt being recognized as the father of Psychology, there are other authors who stood out and are considered the fathers of other psychological currents. Like Sigmund Freud of psychoanalysis, John Watson of behaviorism, Ulric Neisser of cognitivism or the Perls couple of Gestalt psychology.

In this article we will talk about who was the father of Psychology and what were his contributions to this field. Finally, we will mention some psychological currents and the main representative of each of them.

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Who is considered the father of psychology really?

Although there have been outstanding figures throughout the history of Psychology, authors with great relevance and who are known not only within field of psychology, but also outside it, as would be the case of Sigmund Freud, who has received the title of father of psychology is German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt.

Wundt's consideration as the father of Psychology is due to the fact that he was the first to separate the Psychology of Philosophy, since previously Psychology was presented as part of said field of knowledge. A relevant fact that stood out in Wundt's career was

the development of the first experimental psychology laboratory, at the University of Leipzig, in 1879, thus being considered the beginning of Modern Psychology.

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Who was Wilhelm Wundt?

As a child, Wilhelm Wundt did not stand out for his academic performance, but this assessment would change when he began university studies, since he managed to graduate in Medicine, being the best of his course. Within the field of Medicine, he was especially interested in physiology, which studies the physical and chemical functions of the organism. He related and worked together with important medical specialists in physiology like Johannes Müller and later with Hermann von Helmhotz.

Wundt was Helmholtz's assistant at the University of Heidelberg, although his experience was not very good and he ended up abandoning his work and He began his studies in Philosophy at the University of Leipzig, later becoming Professor of Psychology at this university. University. As we mentioned before, Wundt was interested in physiology, showing affinity for the study and scientific knowledge, that is, everything that could be known through the experimental method. Likewise, he also showed interest in the social sciences. In this way, the type of psychology that he proposed attempted to unite the social and physical sciences.

In this way, Wundt would begin his work as professor and professor of Philosophy, but always showing a more experimental and scientific side. It was in 1879 when the first psychology laboratory was founded at the University of Leipzig, where Wundt taught. This union that the author proposes between Physics and Psychology is reflected in his work entitled "Principles of Physiological Psychology", where he pointed out the appearance of a new science. Wundt is therefore considered the father of modern psychology, among other things because he elaborated the first psychological scientific system.

The author proposes the study of the immediate experience of conscious processes, using both instruments of the experimental field such as psychological knowledge when it describes the processes immediate. Likewise, he studied both sensations and feelings, taking into account objective measures such as the subject's reaction time.

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The structuralist movement

Along with Edward Titchener, Wundt was a leading author within psychological structuralism.. This current seeks to describe the mental structures from the description of the processes of the psyche. In this way, Wundt tried to study, to know, scientifically the conscience using the model of chemistry, that is, to look for the elements that were part of it. In the same way, that the periodic table of chemical elements was proposed, the author wanted to know the elements that constituted the minds of people.

In order to know the elements that were part of the psyche, Wundt used the technique of introspection experimental or self-observation, which consists of making the patient reflect on his own processes of thought. This strategy was carried out under strict control, previously training the subject and controlling the different variables that could influence it, so that the result was as objective as possible.

So this current proposes to study the elemental structure of the process of consciousness in order to finally discover its last elements, which are sensations, images and feelings. Likewise, they will try to establish laws of combination between the simple elements, the last elements, to obtain the complex phenomena of the mind.

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Wundt's influence today

As we have already seen, one of the most relevant contributions that Wundt made to the field of Psychology was the inauguration of the first Psychology laboratory Experimental, supporting a more scientific and objective Psychology and thus assuming the beginning of Modern Psychology, separating from Philosophy and defining itself as a branch of the science.

Despite the great change that Wundt made in this area, being considered the father of Psychology, currently the methods and techniques that he proposed are not the most widely used, since introspection, the main technique he used, although he tries to be as objective as possible by controlling the different variables, does not cease to suppose a subjective strategy, of the subject himself, and it is difficult to scientifically assess its effectiveness.

Other relevant authors in Psychology

As we have already seen, the author considered the father of Psychology is Wilhelm Wundt. Even so, Psychology can be divided into different schools or currents, highlighting different authors in each of them. For this reason, below we will cite some of the best-known psychologists in each field, who are also of great relevance in the history of Psychology.

1. Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology is the branch of psychology that is responsible for studying the development of human beings, from birth, through all the stages of their life cycle. The study proposed by this field of Psychology it is important to know what is the expected development of people to know if it is necessary to intervene to avoid more serious disturbances in the future.

The psychologist Jean Piaget He is considered the father of this branch of Psychology, since he was the first to carry out a complete study of the psychological development of people throughout his life.

Piaget tried to describe human development from two concepts: cognitive functions and structures.. Functions are innate biological processes and are invariable; instead, the structures themselves are variable and can be modified. The most characteristic structure proposed by the author are the diagrams

2. Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is the psychological current that presents as a focus of study the unconscious, the information that the subject cannot know, or is difficult for him, but that is basic for the explanation of his behavior. Likewise, they give special importance to the study of the subject's past, their childhood and the possible traumatic events they experienced. Despite still being in force today, this current stands out for its little empirical basis and difficulty in verifying the effectiveness of its techniques.

The father of psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud, who proposed concepts known as: the unconscious, already mentioned; the id, the ego and the superego; libido; psychosexual stages or drives.

3. behavioral psychology

Behavioral psychology studies observable human behavior. In this way, the measures it uses are objective, that is, it is only interested in variables external to the subject, which we can observe from the outside, thus avoiding the subjective assessment of the individual himself or of the professionals who measure the behavior, or in any case not considering it a faithful reflection of true psychological processes.

One of the most important psychologists within this psychological current is John Broadus Watson, known for the controversial experiment of the "child Albert" where he tested the possibility of establishing a phobia in a intentional.

4. cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology is the opposite current to behaviorism, since interested in understanding the mental processes of people, how they perceive information from the outside, interpret it, transform it, store it and retrieve it. He is considered the father of Cognitive Psychology Ulric Neisser.

At present, one of the most widely used currents and one that has proven to be more effective in intervening in different pathologies is cognitive behavioral therapy, which uses techniques from both schools.

5. Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt Psychology gives more importance to the whole than to the sum of things. Likewise, it highlights the relevance of the “here and now”. The founders of this psychological current were the Perls couple, Laura and Fritz Perls.