Stages of development of psychology as a science from ancient times to the present day

In comparison with the ancestor of psychology, philosophy, the history of its formation and development as a science is not great. However, before the design of psychology in the independent branch of scientific knowledge, many centuries passed, during which knowledge and ideas about the human soul - such a "choppy", "unclear" and indefinite, but such a comprehensive subject, which psychology devoted itself to, were formed. Thus, the main stages in the development of psychology can be divided into the pre-scientific, emerged in ancient times, the philosophical - very long, when for many centuries, assembled and formed into definite theories of the representation and observation of sage scientists about man and his "inner world," and scientific , Which begins with the middle of the XIX century, when the first experimental studies in this field began.

The historical stages of the development of psychology begin in ancient times. Ancient philosophers tried to understand the nature of man. They were convinced of the existence of a certain substance responsible for his behavior. The materialists represented the soul in the form of a physical body consisting of the smallest atoms, the idealists believed that the soul is immaterial, an ephemeral substance that lives independently of the human body and contains the higher mind. The great philosopher Aristotle did not separate the soul or the "psyche" from the body, he believed that it is located in the heart of a person, accumulates knowledge about the universe and thanks to this helps a person realize himself in life.

The problem of the soul spawned endless discussions during the Middle Ages. The theologians rejected philosophical teachings about the soul and naturally scientific research, believing that everyone on earth and the human mind in particular is ruled by a supreme divine being. Scholastics also tried to combine theological teachings with the theory of Aristotle and explain the earthly processes from the point of view of the human mind, "illuminated" by divine faith.

The next stages in the development of psychology as a science of consciousness begin with the XVII century and they are connected with the theory of Descartes, who created a mechanistic model of behavior. According to her, the soul located in the brain and making up its essence, follows the motor nerves in the muscles, which allows the limbs to move and perform certain actions. In addition, the soul allows a person to control his actions, which distinguishes him from the animal. This dualistic theory, showing the existence of the soul, governing the body with the help of a mechanical model, despite the development of knowledge in human anatomy and physiology, has long been leading and has become the starting point for the formation of later psychological theories.

Stages of development of psychology in the XVII century are associated with the rapid growth of natural sciences. Chemistry, physics, then in the 18th century physiology, which made it possible to come closer to understanding how information is transmitted in the human body, contributed to the formation and formation of scientific psychology. Finally, in the XIX century, sociology and the first experimental laboratories appeared, allowing one to observe the reactions and actions of man. Since this time, new stages in the development of psychology are already emerging as a science of behavior. This was initiated by the German scientist W. Wundt, who in 1879 opened the first laboratory to study the content and structure of consciousness. Later a similar laboratory was organized in Russia by the natural scientist VM Bekhterev.

Modern psychology begins its development in the twentieth century as a set of various branches of knowledge, including scientific directions and disciplines that study the diverse objective manifestations of the psyche and its mechanisms. From the middle of the twentieth century to the present day, the stages in the development of psychology are the emergence and development of a multitude of directions and schools (behaviorism, cognitive, analytical, humanistic psychology , etc.) that have their own ideas about the person and the mechanisms of his behavior, often contradictory Friend. However, as the psychological knowledge deepens, contradictions between different directions are smoothed out, an eclectic approach arises that selects from existing theories those concepts that help to better understand certain phenomena and develop effective mechanisms for helping a person improve and harmonize his life.