Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental process into the most basic components.
Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced .
Behaviorism became the dominant school of during the 1950’s. Based upon the work of thinkers, behaviorism holds that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes, rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.
Psychoanalysis, the school of thought emphasize the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior, the founder of the psychodynamic approach believed that the human mind was composed of the elements the id, the ego, and the superego.
Humanistic psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Humanistic instead focuses on individual free will, personal growth, and self actualization.
Gestalt psychology is based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of structuralism, rather than breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest elements the gestalt psychologist believed that you must look at the whole experience.
Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember, and learn. As part of the larger field of