Psychology Atlas

How The Mind Works
Schools and Movements

Functionalism

Also Known As Functional Psychology

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A school of psychology that emerged in the late nineteenth century United States, holding that mental processes should be studied in terms of the adaptive functions they perform for the organism, in contrast to structuralism's focus on breaking consciousness into its basic elements.

Facts
Central Question
What do mental processes and consciousness do for the organism, rather than what are they made of? 1
Founded Year
1890 2
Dated here to William James's The Principles of Psychology (1890), generally credited as the movement's founding text; functionalism itself emerged gradually in the United States in the late nineteenth century rather than at one defined moment.
Cross-Tradition Connections

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Founded By

In Branch

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Functionalism (psychology)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening paragraph
Quote, Opening paragraph
Functional psychology or functionalism refers to a psychological school of thought that was a direct outgrowth of Darwinian thinking
1. Wikipedia: Functionalism (psychology)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
Quote, History section
The mind was considered to perform a diverse biological function on its own and can evolve and adapt to varying circumstances
1. Wikipedia: Functionalism (psychology)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
Functional psychology or functionalism refers to a psychological school of thought
1. Wikipedia: Functionalism (psychology)
Wikimedia FoundationFounded By: William James, Opening paragraph and History section
Quote, Founded By: William James, Opening paragraph and History section
William James is considered to be the founder of functional psychology.
2. Wikipedia: The Principles of Psychology
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
Quote, Introduction
The Principles of Psychology is an 1890 book about psychology by William James, an American philosopher and psychologist who trained to be a physician before going into psychology.

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