The Emergence Of The Discipline Of Psychology From Its Early Essay

The Emergence Of The Discipline Of Psychology From Its Early Philosophical And Natural Science Beginnings - Essay Example He and his colleagues focused serious interest on studying the mind through experimental introspection. Introspection is the detailed mental self-examination of feelings and thoughts as they occurred. The research involved meticulous observation of simple events under controlled conditions-one that could be measured as to quality, intensity, or duration-and recording of the responses to variations of those events. The emphasis on control and measurement in these investigations were what first established psychology as a scientific discipline. Wundt initiated the concept of stating mental events in relation to objectively knowable and measurable stimuli and reactions. William James of the same era also followed the psychological method of introspection in The Principles, in which he defines as "the looking into our own minds and reporting what we there discover." However, J.B. Watson questioned the soundness of those approaches, reasoning that if one introspection yield a different result with another wouldn't necessarily mean that one set of results is correct and the other is incorrect. He argued that it was impossible to prove or disprove the results obtained by that method. He suggested that studies be confined to what can be measured and observed by more than one person. With that, Behaviorism was formed.

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Literature - Essay Example the lower social status of Atieno as compared to the speaker, the power struggle between the speaker and Atieno and the misery of the characters represented. In focusing on the different social status of the characters represented in the poem, the critic will point out the various ways in which Atieno is essentially a slave to her older and more successful relative. This difference in social status equates to a significant difference in expected responsibilities as Atieno, at only 8 years old, is expected to perform all the basic functions of the house making it possible for the speaker’s wife, the child’s aunt, to sit all day and sew. This gives the impression that the wife’s chores are not as heavy or as tiring as those given to the niece. This kind of difference in expectations is what Marx points to when he indicates that the lower classes will rise up against perceived injustices in the division of labor to reward. The Marxist critic is also likely to focus on the apparent power struggle occurring between Atieno and the speaker as a result of these differences in labor expectations. The girl is covetous towards her cousins’ things, she â€Å"spends too long at market† (26) and is evidently given a place to sleep but not the same access to education that her cousins have. This idea is given voice as the speaker asks, â€Å"Don’t I keep her, school my own ones / Pay the party, union fee† (20-21). Because she has no power of her own and no real chance of escaping her situation, Atieno rebels against her system the only way she knows how. This speaks directly to Marx’s theory that when the laboring classes have finally had enough of capitalist gain being withheld, they will cease to perform until more equitable terms have been made available. Finally, the Marxist critic is likely to take a look at the misery of the lower classes as it is reflected in the lives of all the characters mentioned. Although Atieno is obviously the worse-off among