These great minds influenced our understanding of how we sometimes behave and how can those behaviours be changed. The word psychology comes from the Greek word psukhe which literally translates to the soul which means psychology is the study of the soul. It very uniquely combines the sciences with the humanities. Psychology is as old as the time itself; you find yourself often glimpse it through many ancient texts and myths. In literature, we see it in Lady Macbeth’s ambition, the pride of Satan in Paradise Lost, etc. Psychology as a discipline is quite diverse, where various psychologists are sometimes part of the same school of thought but bring in their unique perspectives. Here are some of the most influential psychologists around the world. Jean Piaget Piaget is known for his revolutionary theory of cognitive development helped many future psychologists and experts understand children’s intellectual growth. His research led to the development in the field of cognitive psychology, education reform, developmental psychology. It is said that Albert Einstein once remarked on Piaget’s observation on children’s intellectual growth as the thought process that can occur to a genius. Sigmund Freud When we think about psychology, we think about Freud. His work is noteworthy on mental illnesses. He provided examples supporting the belief that mental illnesses are not just caused by various psychological reasons. He explained that many times cultural differences have a huge influence on our behaviour patterns. His groundbreaking theories on personality, clinical psychology, and the understanding of human development are studied and used by psychologists to date. William James William James is fondly known as the father of American psychology. His teachings are what helped establish firmly as a recognized branch of science. His most noteworthy accomplishment included the legendary 1200-word text named “The Principle of Psychology” which is known and revered by experts and psychologists all over the world. He also contributed to the study of pragmatism, functionalism and influenced many future psychologists during his illustrious teaching career of 35 years. Lev Vygotsky Vygotsky was a contemporary of ace psychologists Freud, Skinner, Piaget and Pavlov but his work was not acknowledged in his lifetime. Some believe that reason behind it was the inaccessibility of his work to the western world which changed until recently. His writings were mostly written in Russian was translated into English in the 90s and his work was influenced many in the field of child development and educational psychology. So, which others psychologists you have heard of?
