5.

0 Introduction

Functionalism, developed by William James, was the first American school of psychology. It focused on
how the mind works to help people adapt to their environment, rather than its structure. Functionalists
wanted to understand how mental processes are useful in everyday life, leading to the growth of applied
psychology. Though functionalism as a formal school is no longer active, its impact remains in modern
psychology.

5.1.1 Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution shifted psychology's focus from the structure to the function of
consciousness. He proposed that variation within a species are inheritable and explained how natural
selection helps organisms survive by adapting to their environment. Those who adapt thrive, while those
who don't, don't survive.

Darwin's work on evolution and natural selection influenced the development of functionalism in
psychology. He also showed the connection between humans and animals, supporting the study of
animal behavior. His emphasis on adaptation has been used by psychologists to explain behavior through
instincts and reinforcement.

5.1.2 Francis Galton

Inspired by his cousin Darwin, Francis Galton studied how traits like intelligence are inherited in humans.
In 1869, he published Hereditary Genius, a book that examined differences in intelligence among
individuals. His work helped start the field of mental testing, which became an important part of
psychology.

5.1.3 George John Romanes and C. Lloyd Morgan

George Romanes and C. Lloyd Morgan were both important in studying animal behavior, but they had
different views. Romanes expanded on Darwin’s ideas and in his 1883 book Animal Intelligence, he
looked at the mental abilities of animals, from simple creatures to apes. However, C. Lloyd Morgan
disagreed, believing that Romanes gave animals too much credit for their intelligence.

5.1.4 Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer was an important thinker in sociology and psychology. He is also known for developing
the first full theory of evolutionary psychology. Spencer noticed that the changes an individual goes
through by learning are similar to the changes other species experience through natural selection.

5.1.5 William James

William James is considered one of the greatest psychologists. John Dewey called him the greatest
American psychologist, and John Watson called him the most brilliant psychologist. Even though James
didn’t create a formal school of psychology or have many followers, his ideas were very important in
developing the field, especially functionalism.

James wasn't the founder of functionalism, but his work helped shape it. His book The Principles of
Psychology (1890) became very important in the functionalist movement. James believed that
psychology should study how people adapt to their environment, rather than just looking at the details
of consciousness. His ideas had a big influence on future psychologists, especially those who followed
functionalism.

5.2 The Founding of Functionalism

Functionalism wasn’t meant to be a new school of thought, but a challenge to Wundt and Titchener’s
ideas. It became a formal system over time, though less strict than structuralism. Functionalism focused
on how people adapt to their environment, which helped develop applied psychology. It encouraged
studying real-life behavior and practical uses of psychology in U.S.

Titchener, by criticizing functionalism, helped define it and gave it its name.

5.3 Functionalism: The Chicago School

Although Titchener named functionalism, he didn’t fully found it. John Dewey and James Rowland Angell
are credited with its development, and William James considered them the true founders of the
"Chicago School" of functionalism.

5.3.1 John Dewey

In his 1896 article The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology, Dewey argued that behavior should not be
broken down into small parts like stimulus and response. Instead, it should be studied based on how it
helps organisms adapt to their environment.

Dewey believed psychology should focus on the whole organism and its survival. While he didn’t call his
ideas "functionalism," they influenced the movement. After Dewey retired in 1904, James Rowland
Angell became its leader.

5.3.2 James Rowland Angell

James Rowland Angell made the University of Chicago a key place for learning functional psychology. In
1904, he published Psychology, where he said consciousness helps organisms to adapt to their
environment, and psychology should study how the mind does this.

In his 1906 speech, Angell explained three main ideas of functionalism:

1. Functionalism studies how mental processes work, not just mental parts.

2. Consciousness helps organisms meet the needs of their environment.

3. Functionalism views the mind and body as connected, working together with the environment.

5.3.3 Harvey Carr

Harvey Carr made functionalism a formal psychology system at the University of Chicago. He believed
functionalism was a broader view of psychology compared to other schools like behaviorism and
psychoanalysis.
In his 1925 book, Carr said:

1. Psychology should study mental activities like memory and perception.

2. These activities help us understand and guide our actions, called "adaptive behavior."

Carr helped make functionalism popular, and most psychologists followed it. He used both introspection
and experiments but focused on studying behavior, which led to behaviorism.

5.4 Functionalism at Columbia School

Robert Woodworth, from Columbia University, created his own version of functionalism called "dynamic
psychology." He didn’t just focus on external things like stimuli and responses, but also on how a
person’s internal factors, like energy levels and past experiences, affect their behavior.

Woodworth believed that to fully understand behavior, we need to look at both the outside world
(stimuli) and the person’s internal state. He thought this was more important than just studying
responses alone.

5.5 Criticisms of Functionalism

Functionalism was criticized by structuralists for two main reasons:

1. Unclear Definition: The term "functionalism" was not clearly defined. Ruckmick pointed out that
"function" could mean either an activity (like remembering) or something that helps the
organism (like digestion). This caused confusion.

o Response: Harvey Carr said both meanings were related, and functionalists just defined
it later, which is common when new ideas are introduced.

2. Focus on Practical Use: Structuralists believed psychology should only study the mind's small
parts through introspection. They didn’t like functionalism's focus on using psychology to solve
real-world problems.

o Response: Functionalists argued that both basic and applied psychology are valuable.
Finally, functionalists were criticized for applying psychology to real-world problems,
which structuralists didn’t like. Today, applying psychology to everyday life is widely
accepted.

5.6 Contributions of Functionalism

Functionalism shifted the focus of psychology from structure to the function of consciousness. It also
introduced animal studies into psychology, as well as research on infants, children, and people with
mental disabilities.

It also expanded research methods, including tests, questionnaires, and observations.

By the time Wundt and Titchener passed away, functionalism had become the dominant approach in the
U.S. Functionalism's main contribution was applying psychology to solve real-life problems.