CliffsAP Psychology
Chapter One
History and Approaches
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, behavior and the relationship between them. As such it is both a
natural science and a social science. As a natural science, psychology involves the study of the laws of
nature. As a social science, psychology involves the study of thoughts, feelings and behaviors of people.
The roots of modern-day psychology can be traced to ancient Greece. In fact, the word psychology itself is derived
from the Greek word psyche, meaning the soul or breath of life. But not until the late 1800s did psychology
develop as a formal, scientific discipline. When the first formal psychological laboratory was founded in 1879 by Wilhelm
Wundt, a psychologist and philosopher at the University of Leipzip in Germany, the seeds of modern-day psychology were
planted.
Since its inception, the field of psychology has included people with different ideas about what to study and how to
study it. Today's psychologists work from a variety of theoretical models as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of the
mind. And though the field has changed and expanded dramatically since its ancient Greek beginnings, many of the
original ideas form t ... read full excerpt from CliffsAP Psychology ebook
