Profile of Wilhelm Wundt, the Father of Psychology

Profile of Wilhelm Wundt, the Father of Psychology History and Biographies Print Wilhelm Wundt Biography The Father of Psychology By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on September 16, 2019 Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images More in Psychology History and Biographies Psychotherapy Basics Student Resources Theories Phobias Emotions Sleep and Dreaming In This Article Table of Contents Expand Father of Psychology His Life Career Influence Other Thinkers View All Back To Top Who is considered the father of psychology?  This question does not necessarily have a cut-and-dry answer since many individuals have contributed to the inception, rise, and evolution of modern-day psychology. Well take a closer look at a single individual who is most often cited as well as other individuals who are also considered fathers of various branches of psychology. The Father of Modern Psychology Wilhelm Wundt is the man most commonly identified as the father of psychology.?? Why Wundt? Other people such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Gustav Fechner, and Ernst Weber were involved in early scientific psychology research, so why are they not credited as the father of psychology? Wundt is bestowed this distinction because of his  formation of the worlds first experimental psychology lab, which is usually noted as the official start of psychology as a separate and distinct science.?? By establishing a lab that utilized scientific methods to study the human mind and behavior, Wundt took psychology from a mixture of philosophy and biology and made it a unique field of study. In addition to making psychology a separate science, Wundt also had a number of students who went on to become influential psychologists themselves. Edward B. Titchener was responsible for establishing the school of thought known as structuralism, James McKeen Cattell became the first professor of psychology in the United States, and G. Stanley Hall established the first experimental psychology lab in the U.S.?? His Life Wilhelm Wundt was a German psychologist who  established the very first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. This event is widely recognized as the formal establishment of psychology as a science distinct from biology and philosophy. Among his many distinctions, Wundt was the very first person to refer to himself as a psychologist. He is often associated with the school of thought known as structuralism, although it was his student Edward B. Titchener who was truly responsible for the formation of that school of psychology. Wundt also developed a research technique known as introspection, in which highly trained observers would study and report the content of their own thoughts.?? Career in Psychology Wilhelm Wundt graduated from the University of Heidelberg with a degree in medicine. He went on to study briefly with Johannes Muller and later with the physicist Hermann von Helmholtz. Wundts work with these two individuals is thought to have heavily influenced his later work in experimental psychology. Wundt later wrote the  Principles of Physiological Psychology  (1874), which helped establish experimental procedures in psychological research.?? After taking a position at the University of Liepzig, Wundt founded the  first of only two experimental psychology labs  in existence at that time. Although a third lab already existedâ€"William James  established a lab at Harvard, which was focused on offering teaching demonstrations rather than experimentation.  G. Stanley Hall  founded the first American  experimental psychology  lab at John Hopkins University. Wundt is often associated with the theoretical perspective known as structuralism, which involves describing the structures that compose the mind. Structuralism is regarded as the very first  school of thought in psychology. He believed that psychology was the science of conscious experience and that trained observers could accurately describe thoughts, feelings, and  emotions  through a process known as introspection. However, Wundt made a clear distinction between  introspection, which he believed was inaccurate, and internal perception. According to Wundt, internal perception involved a properly trained observer who was aware when a stimulus of interest was introduced. Wundts process required the observer to be keenly aware and attentive of their thoughts and reactions to the stimulus and involved multiple presentations of the stimulus. Of course, because this process relies on personal interpretation, it is highly subjective. Wundt believed that systematically varying the conditions of the experiment would enhance the generality of the observations. While Wundt is  typically associated with structuralism, it was actually his student  Edward B. Titchener  who influenced the structuralist school in America. Many historians believe that Titchener actually misrepresented much of Wundts original ideas. Instead, Wundt referred to his point of view as volunteerism. While Titcheners structuralism involved breaking down elements to study the structure of the mind, Blumenthal (1979) has noted that Wundts approach was actually much more holistic. Wundt also established the psychology journal  Philosophical Studies.  In a 2002 ranking of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth-century, Wundt was ranked at number 93. Influence The creation of a psychology lab established psychology as a separate field of study with its own methods and questions. Wilhelm Wundts support of experimental psychology also set the stage for  behaviorism  and many of his experimental methods are still used today. Wundt also had many students who later became prominent psychologists, including Edward Titchener,  James McKeen Cattell, Charles Spearman,  G. Stanley Hall, Charles Judd, and  Hugo Munsterberg. Other Thinkers Also Considered Fathers of Psychology A number of other influential thinkers can also claim to be fathers of psychology in some way or another. The following are just a few of these individuals who are noted in specific areas of psychology:?? William James: The Father of American Psychology; he helped establish psychology in the U.S. and his book, The Principles of Psychology, became an instant classic.?Sigmund Freud: The Father of Psychoanalysis; his theories and work established psychoanalysis as a major school of thought in psychology.?Hugo Münsterberg: The Father of Applied Psychology; he was an early pioneer of several applied areas including clinical, forensic and industrial-organizational psychology.?John Bowlby: The Father of Attachment Theory; he developed the theory of attachment.?Kurt Lewin: The Father of Social Psychology; his work pioneered the use of scientific methods to study social behavior.?Edward Thorndike: The Father of Modern Educational Psychology; his research on the learning process helped establish the foundation for educational psychology.?Jean Piaget: The Father of Developmental Psychology; his theory of cognitive development revolutionized how research thought about childrens intellectual grow th.?Ulric Neisser: The Father of Modern Cognitive Psychology; the cognitive movement in psychology received a major boost from the publication of his 1967 book, Cognitive Psychology.?Lightner Witmer: The Father of Modern Clinical Psychology; he founded the worlds first journal devoted to clinical psychology, The Psychological Clinic, in 1907.?Gordon Allport: The Father of Personality Psychology; he was one of the first psychologists to study personality. A Word From Verywell Wundt was not only the very first person to refer to himself as a psychologist, he also established psychology as a formal discipline separate from philosophy and biology. While his introspective method does not meet the empirical rigor of research today, his emphasis on experimental methods did pave the way for the future of experimental psychology. Thanks to his work and contributions, a whole new field was established and inspired other researchers to explore and study the human mind and behavior. Obviously, not everyone is going to agree with these generalized titles. A few people might suggest that Freud is the father of psychology since he is perhaps one of its most known figures. Others might suggest that Aristotle is the true father of psychology since he is responsible for the theoretical and philosophical framework that contributed to psychologys earliest beginnings. Still others might argue that those earliest researchers such as Helmholtz and Fechner deserve credit as the founders of psychology. No matter which side of the argument you are on, one thing that is easy to agree on is that all of these individuals had an important influence on the growth and development of psychology. While the theories of each individual are not necessarily as influential today, all of these psychologists were important in their own time and had a major impact on how psychology evolved into what it is today.