Functionalism

Functionalists believed that psychology should study the functions of conciousness rather than its structure. They sought to understand how our mind helps us to adapt to the word around us -- in short, to function in it (Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2006). The functionalists wanted to know why humans think, feel, and behave as we do. They had less interest in events at the level of the brain and greater interest in events at the level of the group (Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2006). Functionalism began to emerge in the late nineteenth century in the United States. This system deivated from the German school of structuralism and recieved its greatest influence from the work of Charles Darwin (Functionalism, 2010). The Functionalists applied Darwin's theory of natural selection to mental characteristics (Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2006). Functionalism overall did not have a specific founder but William James was seen as its greatest advocate. William James was a leader in the functionalist movement and was a "big-picture" person who tought courses in physiology, psychology, and philosophy at Harvard. He studied ways in which the consciousness helps and individual survive and adapt to an environment (Passer & Smith, 2009). Functionalists sought to study why thoughts, feelings, and behavior occur and how they are adaptive (Kosslyn & Rosenberg, 2006). They were mainly concerned with the capability of the mind and might study why our thoughts influence our actions or what might cause us to think the way we do. Functionalists wanted to know the driving forces behind our thoughts and emotions and would therefore seek to research these particular topics. Besides William James, many other psychologists advocated Functionalism. A psychologist named John Dewey is assocaited with the Functionalism system. Dewey used James's ideas as the basis for his writings but asserted that consciousness and the will were not relevant concepts for scientific psychology (Functionalism, 2001). Instead, the behavior is the critical issue and should be considered in the context in which it occurs (Functionalism, 2001). James Roland Angell was greatly influenced by the ideas of John Dewey. Angell drew a difference between functionalism and structuralism and how mental processes operate. Also, Mary Whiton Calkins was a student of William James and went on to become the first female president of the American Psychological Assocation in 1905 (Passer & Smith, 2009). Some examples of publications that illustrate Functionalism are: William James's //Principles of Psychology//, published in 1890; James R. Angell's //Psychology: An Introductory Study of the Structure and Function of Human Consciousness//, published in 1906; and James R. Angell's //The Province of Functional Psychology//, published in 1907.

References: Functionalism. (2010). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/222123/functionalism​ ​Functionalism. (2001). In //Encyclopedia of Psychology//. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from Bnet: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0001/ai_2699000145/?tag=content;col1/ ​Kosslyn, S. M. & Rosenberg, R. S. (2006) //Psychology in context//. Boston: Pearson Education Inc. ​Passer, M. W. & Smith, R. E. (2009). //Psychology: the science of mind and behavior//. New York: McGraw-Hill.