Monday, January 11, 2016
Functionalism vs. Structuralism in Psychology
Today in class we talked about the different types of psychology and the process of thinking behind them. Mr. Stewart said that in the 19th century, people thought people's psychological health or thoughts were determined by the evolution process and people's experiences, this is known as "Functionalism". However, people also argued that psychology was mainly based on feelings and images, also known as "Structuralism". I started to think and as I feel both are valid, I tried to consider both from a scientific standpoint. From my limited research, it was shown that when listening to music you enjoy, dopamine is released in your body which helps you remember the lyrics. I believe this goes along with the feelings and emotions in psychology affecting your memory, I believe this would fall under structuralism. Also, Mr. Stewart also brought up an interesting point about if you were bit by a dog when you were young, this might be the reason you will always be scared of dogs, this would fall under functionalism. Which idea do you think is more reliable or credible?
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I think structuralism is a more reliable idea. Functionalism requires experiences, and says that our actions are purely based on the past experiences we have acquired. However, I think the decisions we make are more based on emotions. Yes, experiences are important and they do dictate how we react in certain situations, but I believe that images and feelings have a greater impact on the way we make choices.
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