Structuralism –

Structuralism sought to analyze the adult mind (defined as the sum total of experience from birth to the present) in terms of the
simplest definable components and then to find the way in which these components fit together in complex forms.

Structuralism can be defined in psychology as the study of the elements of consciousness. The idea is that conscious experience can
be broken down into basic conscious elements, much as a physical phenomenon can be viewed as consisting of chemical structures
that can in turn be broken down into basic elements.

In a nutshell, Structuralism is a school of thought that sought to identify the components (structure) of the mind (the mind was the key
element to psychology at this point). Structuralists believed that the way to learn about the brain and its functions was to break the
mind down into its most basic elements. They believed, the whole is equal to the sum of the parts.

Structuralism is when you explain something by ‘focusing-in’ and analyzing its separate, physical parts (its structure) So,
in structuralism, a bicycle would not be regarded as ‘a vehicle’ or ‘type of transportation’, but rather as the parts — a metal frame
with wheels and handles and a seat that supports a person. It is considered a very ‘sterile’ and ‘reductionist’ way to interpret reality
and phenomena. In contrast, functionalism emphasizes that the ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. A bicycle’s function is the
key to its understanding — its function is for transportation, for human enjoyment and pleasure, etc.

Structuralism's main attention was towards Objectivity, since it was one of the very first schools of thoughts in
psychology. Wilhelm Wudnt insisted that psychology must adopt rigourous research methods, to make this discipline
‘scientific and objective.’

He used the method of Objective Introspection. In which trained individuals reported in detail, their conscious
immediate experiences in response to specific stimulus. These stimulus were presented to them, under controlled
conditions.

This method was further criticised by many because of it's very particularistic and non-subjective
nature.

 It was Wilhem Wundt’s ideas formed the basis of the first school of thought (or perspective) in psychology.

 Wundt, was the first person to ever call himself a Psychologist, he was the one who noted psychology as a science apart
from biology and philosophy. He was also known as the "father of experimental psychology".

 Structuralist school influence the development of experimental psychology.

Experimental psychology - the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific investigation of basic psychological
processes such as learning, memory, and cognition in humans and animals.

 So we can say that Structuralism is the basic foundation of the study of Psychology apart from biology and philosophy.

 In 1874, Wundt write a book that became one of the most important in the history of psychology, Principles of Physiological
Psychology

 And in 1879, Wundt founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research at the University of Leipzig. This marked
psychology as an independent field of study.

 An example of structuralism is describing an apple. An apple is crisp, sweet, juicy, round, and hard. Another example of
structuralism is describing your experience at the ocean by saying it is windy, salty, and cold, but rejuvenating.

 Edward B. Titchener was a student of Wundt, who develops structuralism based on the ideas or concepts of his teacher.

 Titchener defined psychology as the science of consciousness or study of experiences.

 Titchener believed that the goal of psychology was to study mind and consciousness. He defined consciousness as the sum
total of mental experience at any given moment, and the mind as the accumulated experience of a lifetime.

 Consciousness: The normal state of being awake and able to understand what is happening around you, it represents a
person’s mind and thoughts .It is the totality in psychology of sensations, perceptions, ideas, attitudes, and feelings of which
an individual or a group is aware at any given time or within a given time span .Your conscious experiences are constantly
shifting and changing.

 Sensation: Sensation refers to sensing our environment through touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell (the 5 senses). Sensation
is something you feel.
  Perception: Perception is the way we interpret these sensations and therefore make sense of everything around us.
Perception occurs when your brain gets involved, and you assimilate what you sense into an experience. Perception is
something you see. Sensation couldn't exist without perception and perception couldn't exist without sensation. They're not
the same but they're related. e.g ,you can feel the piece of paper and you can see it

 Thoughts: Thought can refer to the ideas or arrangements of ideas that result from thinking, the act of producing thoughts, or
the process of producing thoughts. Despite the fact that thought is a fundamental human activity familiar to everyone, there
is no generally accepted agreement as to what thought is or how it is created.

 Ideas: A thought or collection of thoughts that generate in the mind. An idea is usually generated with intent, but can also be
created unintentionally. Ideas often form during brainstorming sessions or through discussions. Emotions: A mental state
that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes. It is a
conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific
object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.

 14. Introspection method: Introspection is examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the
process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context, it may refer to
the examination of one's soul.

Introspection is closely related to human self- reflection and is contrasted with external observation. Through introspection
experiments, Wundt began to catalog a large number of basic conscious elements, which could hypothetically be combined
to describe all human experiences.

 The school of Structuralism is, for the most part, completely dead in psychology.
o 1. By today‟s scientific standards, the experimental methods used to study the structures of the mind were too
subjective— the use of introspection led to a lack of reliability in results.

o 2. Other critics argue that structuralism was too concerned with internal behavior, which is not directly observable
and cannot be accurately measured.

Conclusion:
 Structuralism is important because it is the first major school of thought in psychology.
 It helps in the approval of psychology as separate science.
 Structuralism also influenced experimental psychology.
 It provides base for the study of mind under its elements.
 It provides techniques of using introspection method in education.
 It provide base for further study in Psychology.

In conclusion, structuralism dictates that the total sum of parts that have been broken down are what make up the whole
“something.” Wundt mainly formed structuralism to focus on understanding the fundamental component of the human mind.
Through the use of different processes such as introspection, he was able to conduct experiments to the conscious mind. This way
Wundt subjectively identified what makes them experience those thoughts. However, the structural school lost considerable influence
when Titchener died. In the end structuralism led to the development of other theories such as behaviorism, functionalism and Gestalt
psychology.

Example:
An example of structuralism is describing an apple. An apple is crisp, sweet, juicy, round, and hard. Another example of
structuralism is describing your experience at the ocean by saying it is windy, salty, and cold, but rejuvenating.

an example of Structuralism is a fleece blanket, it can be considered as warm, fuzzy, soft and green. The breakdown of a complex
component such as the fleece blanket to its basic elements (soft, fuzzy) is what’s considered as structuralism.

Structuralism was only interested in showing the basic elements of something and not the complex ideas. The person describing the
apple or fleece blanket can only describe it to its most basic elements.

Negative:
Hall (2001) informs us that one reason why Structuralism faced criticism was because of a methodological flaw in Wundt’s
structuralism. The theory relied on introspection which lacked subject agreement and reliability. In psychology, it is important that
many observers agree independently on phenomena. When it comes to Wundt’s Structuralism experiment, his observes were
student’s trained by him. Wundt was also the one who resolved any disagreement of concepts during the experiments. The use of
trained observers is opposed to the current practice of psychology.

Wundt, the main person of the Structuralism, was influenced by the way chemists were breaking water into hydrogen and oxygen and
salt into sodium and chlorine. Thus, he and his disciples studied the structure of mind and consciousness through the method of
introspection. Remember, they talk about elements, structure and breaking the consciousness into simpler form.
Max Wertheimer, the main person of the Gestalt school, on the other hand, wanted psychology to focus on mind as a whole.
Remember, "Whole is greater than sum of it's parts". It deals with how we acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions. They don't
talk about the conscious mind like Wundt did.

Gestalt is holistic approach and looks into any phenomenon as an integral systems. The main focus is to find linkages and
connectivity rather than splits and differentiations. Also Gestalt focuses on PRESENT rather than regrets of past and worries of
future. Power lies in the present is the core concept in Gestalt therapy, known as “Here and Now”.

Introspection is a process that involves looking inward to examine one's own thoughts and emotions. The term is often used in
everyday language to refer to the informal process of exploring one's inner life, but the term also applies to a more formalized process
that was once used as an experimental technique in psychology. The experimental use of introspection is similar to what you might
do when you analyze your own thoughts and feelings but in a much more structured and rigorous way.

What Is Introspection?
The term introspection can be used to describe both an informal reflection process and a more formalized experimental approach that
was used early on in psychology's history.

In everyday use, introspection is a way of looking inward and examining one's internal thoughts and feelings. As a research tool,
however, the process was much more controlled and structured.

Benefits of Introspection
While introspection has fallen out of favor as a research technique, there are many potential benefits to this sort of self-reflection and
self-analysis.

Introspection can be a great source of personal knowledge

The process provides knowledge that is not possible in any other way
It can help people make connections between different experiences and responses

Criticisms of Introspection
While Wundt's experimental techniques did a great deal to advance the cause of making psychology a more scientific discipline, the
introspective method had a number of notable limitations.

The use of introspection as an experimental technique was often criticized, particularly Titchener's use of the method. Schools of
thought including functionalism and behaviorism believed that introspection lacked scientific reliability and objectivity. Because the
process is so subjective, it is impossible to examine or repeat the results.

A few other problems with introspection:

Different observers often provided significantly different responses to the exact same stimuli
Even the most highly trained observers were not consistent in their responses
The technique is impossible to use with children or animals
Introspection is limited in its use; complex subjects such as learning, personality, mental disorders, and development are difficult or
even impossible to study with this technique
The very act of analyzing one's own thoughts plays a role in changing the experience
Also, because observers have to first be trained by the researchers, there is always the possibility that this training introduces a bias to
the results. Those engaged in introspection might be thinking or feeling things because of how they have been influenced and trained
by the experimenters.

Research has also shown that people are largely unaware of many of the workings of their own minds, yet are surprisingly unaware of
this unawareness.

Cognitive biases are a good example of how people are often unaware of their own thoughts and biases. Despite this, people tend to
be very confident in their introspections.

When evaluating the self and others, people give greater weight to introspective about themselves while judging others on their
outward behavior. The problem is that even when introspections don't provide useful or accurate information, people remain
confident that their interpretations are correct, a phenomenon known as the introspection illusion.

A Word From Verywell

The use of introspection as a tool for looking inward is an important part of self-awareness and is even used in psychotherapy as a
way to help clients gain insight into their own feelings and behavior. While Wundt's efforts contributed a great deal to the
development and advancement of experimental psychology, researchers now recognize the numerous limitations and pitfalls of using
introspection as an experimental technique.