Psychology: Historical Sketch

At the end of this chapter you should be able to: 1. propose a definition of psychology; 2. trace the historical development of psychology from its philosophical roots to its emergence as a separate, scientific discipline; 3. reach an understanding of the concept of schools of psychology; 4. describe and make some assessment of the schools of structuralism, functionalism, behaviourism, Gestalt psychology and psychoanalysis; and 5. identify some of the contributions made by these schools to contemporary psychology.