Timeline: History of Psychology - Brianna Farmer

470 BCE

PRESOCRATICS

I. There was a split in ideas between Idealism and Materialism
Idealists believed senses were flawed and that sensory observations could not be trusted
Materialists abandoned divinity and said that there was only one to understand and that was to study it directly
II. There was a connection made between the mind and the body by the first doctor (Hippocrates)
III. A gained knowledge of the influence of subjectivity came about

450 BCE

SOCRATIC ERA

I. Socrates got into the practice of questioning everything
II. The Socratic Method – teaching by asking questions
III. Plato began “The Academy” where he taught Socrates philosophy
IV. Allegory of the Cave -- explaining human existence (PLATO)
V. Idealism was furthered
VI. Recognition of our limitations (The Chariot)

384 BCE

Aristotle

I. Founding of Materialism
Emphasis on Empirical science
II. The creation of The Lyceum – a scientific academy (Aristotle)
III. 1st textbook was written titled “Peri Psyche”

300 BCE

Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus was Discovered

I. Collection of doctor’s notes written in Hieroglyphics
II. First written reference to the brain
III. First documented observation of location of function and contralateral control

1300

Fall of the Catholic Church from Power

I. Renaissance Period – After Dark Ages
II. People started to question and doubt the church
III. There was a division of power and leadership when people realized religion couldn’t help everything
IV. It was no longer dangerous to question religion – turning people to SCIENCE
V. Invention of the printing press – allowing people to share ideas on all levels

1600

School of Rationalism is Founded (Descartes)

I. Enlightenment Period
II. Mind/body dualism was a new idea
III. The pineal gland was discovered and believed to be the place of interaction between the body and the mind (Descartes)

1650

School of Empiricism Founded (Locke)

I. Locke stated that all behavior was a result of experience and real knowledge comes from sensory experience
II. The idea that everyone’s brain was born “blank”

1774

Franz Mesmer's MESMERISM

I. Thought to be a detailed cure for some mental illnesses
II. Now known as hypnosis

1793

Release of First Mental Patients

I. Philippe Pinel
II. First big leap towards more humane treatment of the mentally ill.

1800

Belle-Magendie Law

I. First localization of function in the nervous system
II. This was important for understanding ALS, MS, and spinal cord injuries

1808

Discovery of Phrenology (Franz Joseph Gall)

I. Gall studied mental faculties by studying the size of the brain regions
II. Studied brain indirectly by measuring the skull
III. "Productive false start" -- it mobilized others to study the localization of function in the brain and also made the brain more popular

1830

Discrediting of Phrenology (Pierre Flourens)

I. Found some sort of location of function from using animal ablation studies
II. Discovered that the brain was a "commune" of activity
III. Brain plasticity became relevant

1848

Phineas Gage Brain Injury

Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierces his brain. His personality was changed but his intellect remained intact suggesting that an area of the brain plays a role in personality.

1859

Charles Darwin Published his View of Evolution

I. Documented evidence of evolution and applied theory to other life forms (humans)
II. Provided an explanation for how adaptation took place (Natural selection)
III. First to recognize importance of environment

1861

Identification of "Broca's Area" (Paul Broca)

I. French physician that discovered an area in the left front lobe
II. Area discovered (Broca's Area) plays a key role in language development

1870

Gustav Fritsch and Eduard Hitzig Conduct First Electrical Stimulation Studies of Cortex

I. Discovered primary motor connect in brain
II. Discovered organization in brain -- further evidence for localization of function

1874

Carl Wernicke Publicizes his Work on Frontal Lobe

I. Localization of language comprehension
II. Detailing that damages to a specific area of the brain may damage one's ability to understand or even speak language

1878

G. Stanley Hall Received First American PhD in Psychology

I. Later went on to found the APA

1879

William Wundt Founded First Formal Laboratory of Psychology

I. University of Leipzig
II. Formal beginning to the study of psychology

1890

Discovery of Correlations by Francis Galton

I. Used statistics to find relationships between variables in human behavior
II. Used correlation to demonstrate the effects of heredity on behavioral characteristics

1890

Mental Tests - Coined By James Cattle

I. Elevated the status of psychology as a science in America

1890

State Care Act Passed

I. Ordering mentally ill patients out of poor-houses and into state hospitals for treatment
II. Larger leap towards the fair treatment of those who were mentally ill

1892

G. Stanley Hall founded the APA

I. Hall was also the first president

1896

John Dewey - Functionalism

I. Functionalism came into play
II. Functionalism focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior
II. The idea of being able to understand things without breaking them down

1900

"Interpretation of Dreams" -- Freud

I. Sigmund Freud published ‘Interpretation of Dreams’
II. Beginning of psychoanalytic thought -- the idea of revealing the unconscious mind to his patients

1905

Alfred Binet IQ Test is Published in France

I. Hired by the French government to develop a test to differentiate the typical children and delayed learners
II. A step towards ensuring children are receiving the right help in order to succeed in an academic setting

1906

First Classical Conditioning Study (Pavlov)

I. Established the biological nature of mental illness
II. Created a biological model for mental illness and the idea that they could be corrected

1907

"The Psychology of Dementia Praecox" Published (Jung)

1911

Alfred Adler Abandoned Freud's "Psychoanalytic Theory"

I. Stated that Freud overemphasized sexuality and formed his theory solely based on his own childhood
I. Later went on to move on to his own school of thought

1912

Research on Perception of Movement Published (Werthimer)

I. Marked the beginning of Gestalt Psychology

1916

Standford-Binet Intelligence Test Published in U.S.

I. First depiction of some sort of IQ test in the country

1920

Little Albert Experiment

I. John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner
II. Demonstrated that a person (child) could be classically conditioned to feel fear

1927

Anna Freud Publishes First Book

I. Expanding on her fathers ideas about the developmental stages of children

1938

Electroshock Therapy First Used on a Human Patient

1942

"Counseling and Psychotherapy" Published (Rogers)

I. Carl Rogers
II. This book shared the ideas that if a patient is respected and never judged, this will enhance the effectiveness of treatment of mental health issue

1949

The Boulder Conference

I. Set guidelines for graduate training in psychology

1950

"Childhood and Society" Published (Erikson)

I. Expanded on Freud’s Theory to include social aspects of personality development across the lifespan

1952

DSM Published

I.The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
II. Published by APA
III. Marked the beginning of modern day mental illness classification

1953

Code of Ethics Developed by APA

I. Set of guidelines psychologists are supposed to use when doing psychological research

1954

Founding of Humanistic Psychology (Maslow)

I. Later developed Hierarchy of Needs

1961

"On Becoming a Person" Published (Rogers)

I. Marked a powerful change in how treatment for mental health issues is conducted

1963

Idea of Observational Learning Introduced (Bandura)

I. New idea of observational Learning on the development of personality

1968

DSM II Published

I. Published by the American Psychiatric Association
II. Updated changes in classification of mental illness

1971

Zimbardo Prison Study

I. A study to look at how environment may affect people psychologically
II. First step towards environmental psychology

1972

Creation of the CT Scan

I. First piece of technology that let you look at a LIVE human brain

1973

APA Endorsed the Psy.D. degree

I. For professional practice in psychology.

1980

DSM III Published

1995

First Psychologists Prescribe Medication

I. Through U.S. military’s psychopharmacology program.

2002

New Mexico becomes the First State Allowing Licensed Psychologists to Prescribe Psychotropic Medication

2010

Simon LeVay publishes "Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why"

I. Argues that sexual orientation emerges from prenatal differentiation in the brain.

2013

DSM V Is Released

I. The APA removes "gender identity disorder" from the list of mental illnesses and replaces it "gender dysphoria" to describe a person's discomfort with his or her gender

2015