School of Psychology

 

Schools of Psychology 

The schools of psychology are different theoretical approaches or viewpoints developed by psychologists to explain human behaviour, mental processes, learning and development. Each school focuses on particular aspects of psychological functioning and uses different methods to understand behaviour.

In simple words:

Schools of psychology are different systems of thought that explain how and why people think, feel, learn and behave.

 Major Schools of Psychology

School	Main focus	Important psychologist(s)
Structuralism	Structure of conscious experience	Wilhelm Wundt E. B. Titchener
Functionalism	Functions and purposes of mental processes and behaviour	William James  John Dewey
Behaviourism	Observable behaviour and learning	J. B. Watson B. F. Skinner Ivan Pavlov
Gestalt Psychology	Whole pattern or organisation of experience	Max Wertheimer Wolfgang Köhler Kurt Koffka
Psychoanalysis	Unconscious mind and personality	Sigmund Freud
Cognitivism	Thinking, memory, perception and information processing	Jean Piaget Ulric Neisser
Humanism	Human potential, freedom and self-actualisation	Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow

Why are schools of psychology important in Educational Psychology?

Different schools provide different explanations of how learners learn and develop.

For example:

• Structuralism helps us understand conscious experiences.
• Functionalism focuses on how mental processes help learners adapt to their environment.
• Behaviourism explains learning through conditioning, reinforcement and observable behaviour.
• Gestalt psychology emphasises understanding the whole situation and learning through insight.
• Cognitivism explains learning through mental processes such as memory, thinking and problem-solving.
• Humanism emphasises the learner's needs, feelings, self-concept and potential.

Thus, these schools have contributed different perspectives to the development of modern educational psychology and teaching-learning practices.