《20.-.Contemporary.Psychology》.pdfVIP

CHAPTER 20 — Contemporary Psychology Contemporary psychology reflects its long, diverse the current relatively peaceful coexistence of psy- history. In this text we have seen that at various chologists holding dissimilar views. During the 1920s times the philosophies of empiricism, sensationalism, and 1930s, when several psychological schools ex- positivism, rationalism, romanticism, and existen- isted simultaneously, open hostility often arose be- tialism have been employed in efforts to understand tween members of rival schools. Today the schools humans. We have also seen that one or more of are gone and a spirit of eclecticism prevails, reminis- these philosophies became the basis for psychology’s cent of the functional approach to psychology that schools of thought: voluntarism, structuralism, func- William James suggested. The eclectic chooses from tionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psycho- diverse sources those ideas and techniques that are analysis, and humanistic psychology. The method- most effective in dealing with a problem. ologies most often used to study humans throughout psychology’s history have been introspection, natu- ralistic observation, and experimentation. Remnants Divisions of the American of all these philosophies, schools, and methodologies Psychological Association are found in contemporary psychology. Table 20.1 lists the 52 divisions of the APA, which give a clear indication of the diversity of psychology The Diversity today (although 54 divisions are listed, divisions 4 of Contemporary Psychology a