History of Psychology

The Beginning of Psychology

800 BCE

The earliest form of psychology can be found during the age of the early Greeks, however psychology was not its own discipline until the 1800s.

First Lab

1879

Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany.

First Doctorate in Psychology

1886

Joseph Jastrow, a student of G. Stanley Hall at Johns Hopkins University, is the first person to get a doctorate in psychology. He later becomes professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin and serves as president of the American Psychological Association.

"Principles of Psychology"

1890

William James', "Principles of Psychology" became the most influential textbook in the history of American psychology. It was the foundation for the questions that American psychologists would focus on for years to come.

American Psychological Association (APA) Founded

1892

Created by, G. Stanley Hall. He serves as the first president of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Functionalism, Psychoanalysis, and Structuralism

1896

Functionalism focuses on the acts and functions of the mind. Its most prominent advocates are William James and John Dewey. Sigmund Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis. He believed that people are motivated by powerful, unconscious drives and conflicts. Edward B. Titchener was a leading advocate of structuralism. Structuralism is the view that all mental experience can be understood as a combination of simple elements or events.

Behaviorism

1900

Behaviorism- a form of psychology that focuses on the study of animal/human behaviors- rose to dominance during the early 20th-century. It's goal was to understand mental processes.

First Woman President of the APA

1904

Mary Calkins is elected president of the APA. She studied at Harvard University, but was denied her a Ph.D. because of her gender.

IQ Test Developed

1905

Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developed a scale of "general intelligence" on the premise of mental age.This work is eventually changed and improved into the concept of IQ, mental age over physical age.

"A Mind That Found Itself"

1908

Clifford Beers publishes, "A Mind That Found Itself" describing his experiences as a patient in mental asylums. He demands humane treatment towards patients and educate the general population. His book inspired the, "Mental Hygiene Movement" in the U.S. during the 20th century.

First African American Doctorate in Psychology

1920

Francis Cecil Sumner is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. He was taught by professor, G. Stanley Hall, at Clark University.

National Mental Health Act Passed

1946

U.S. President Harry Truman signs the National Mental Health Act, which provided funding for psychiatric education and research for the first time in America's history. This act leads to the creation of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

First Drug to Treat Depression

1951

Studies have shown that the drug Imipramine may be able to help with depression. Eight years later, the FDA approves its use in the United States under the name Tofranil.

Homosexuality removed from DSM

1973

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) removes homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), stating sexual orientation, "does not necessarily constitute a psychiatric disorder."

"The Selfish Gene"

1976

Richard Dawkins publishes, "The Selfish Gene" which popularized the idea of evolutionary psychology. It applied principles from evolutionary biology to the human brain.