William James and Wilhelm Wundt, Case Study Example

Psychology refers to the study of the feelings, believes, and thoughts of people. It entails a comprehensive analysis of the human brain, including how it functions, reasoning, consciousness, and mental health. Some of the pioneer psychologists include William James and Wilhelm Wundt during the 19th century. Then, new psychologists started emerging to create new psychology findings, including the psychoanalytic theory, study of behaviorism, sensory perception in Gestalt’s theory, and the humanistic branch of psychology.

To build upon the previous research, American Psychological Association was formed, which came up with various Psychology sections. The sections include; Evolutionary and Biopsychology Psychology, Cognitive psychology, Developmental Psychology, Personality Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Sports and exercise psychology, clinical psychology, and Forensic Psychology. To be competent in any psychological role, whether medically or academically, it is crucial to have high forms of education in the group.

Psychology being a science requires research to further investigations and verify the existing findings. Various techniques are used in these studies. For instance, a clinical or case study focusing on a single individual can be used. Similarly, the researchers can utilize naturalistic behavior, where the individual under investigation evaluates any feeling of anxiety or performance. Furthermore, surveys are also used in these researches, mainly if the research entails a large population.

The analysis of the collected data can also be done using various approaches. Firstly, the researchers can find the correlation between multiple variables.  Secondly, the study can test a hypothesis with a control and experimental group, where the latter is manipulated, but the former is not. The researchers should always have clear descriptions of terminologies to avoid misinterpretation or ambiguity. Statistical analysis is also meaningful in these studies. Considering that the research is behavior-based, there are ethical guidelines instituted to ensure the wellbeing of all participants in both human and animal research.

Every individual has a distinct personality that makes them unique. Theorist Sigmund Freud studied personality and how various traits can be manifested either consciously or unconsciously. In his psychoanalytic theory, Freud explained three concepts; id, ego, and superego. The id is the instinctual part of the mind, the superego acts as a moral conscious, and the ego acts as a mediator between the id and the superego.

Several other theorists built upon Freud’s theory, including Alfred Adler, who came up with individual psychology. It is a branch focusing on the traits which compensate for an inferiority complex. Then, Erik Erikson came up with the psychosocial stages of development, explaining that the personality also changes as one advances in age. Several other psychologists have studied personality, significantly how various traits influence individual behavior. Also, the environment in which an individual grows up has a significant impact on their personality. The environment includes family, friends, relatives, religious believes, schools, and even work.

Psychology is a broad, complex, but interesting field which enables one to understand how the human brain functions. Also, psychology is a science, which can be researched to prove findings or come up with new concepts. Various areas in psychology have been researched, within them being personality. We all have different individual traits which determine our behaviors. I would like to learn more about why people have different brains because that will help me understand why we all react differently to various circumstances.