Where did psychology come from?

-- Christine Striker (mdsgirl2003@aol.com), June 02, 2004

Answers

Hi Christine, I wonder if you could narrow down your question for me. Do you mean where did psychology come from as an "academic discipline" (starting in the second half of the 19th century), "first formal psychological research" (probably at least ancient times), psychology as a "recognized psychotherapy profession" (around the early part of the 20th century), "first treatment of mental illness" (probably prehistoric), "first written psychological theories" coming out of literary, religious, philosophical, or medical writings (over 2000 years ago), or psychology as a "natural curiosity and aptitude to understand others and oneself" (from prehistoric time and also appears early in the lifespan)? The term Psychology is quite broad and includes many types of psychological ideas and activites. I hope this helps you narrow down you question, so you are more likely to get an answer to the specific question you have in mind. Paul

-- Paul Kleinginna (pkleinginna@georgiasouthern.edu), June 03, 2004.

You will find several previous answers to similar questions in the Origins/"Fathers" category.

-- Christopher Green (cgreen@chass.utoronto.ca), June 06, 2004.