UNITF 5 unctionalism*

Structure 5.0 Introduction 5.1 Antecedents of Functionalism 5.1.1 Charles Darwin 5.1.2 Francis Galton 5.1.3 George Romanes and C. Lloyd Morgan 5.1.4 Herbert Spencer 5.1.5 5.2 The Founding of Functionalism 5.3 Functionalism: The Chicago School 5.3.1 5.3.2 James Rowland Angell 5.3.2 Harvey Carr 5.4 Functionalism: The Columbia School 5.4.1 Robert Sessions Woodworth 5.5 Criticisms 5.6 Contributions 5.7 Summary 5.8 Key Words 5.9 Review Questions 5.10 References and Further Reading 5.11 References of Figures 5.12 Web Resources Learning Objectives After reading this Unit, you will be able to: ●● Describe the functionalist movement of ; ●● Explain the subject matter of functionalism; ●● Discuss the contributions of John Dewey, James Rowland Angell, Harvey Carr, and Robert Sessions Woodworth in functionalism; and ●● Discuss the major contributions of the school of functionalism. 5.0 Introduction The development of the first truly American school of thought of psychology, functionalism, is largely credited to the work of William James,

* Dr. Saif R. Farooqi, Department of Applied Psychology, Vivekananda College, University of Delhi

BPCC 106_2nd Proof.indd 80 4/1/2021 3:09:10 PM considered to be the greatest American . Unlike those before Functionalism them, functionalists did not focus on the structure or composition of the mind; rather, they tried to study it in terms of its functionality. That is, functionalism looked at the mind as comprising numerous functions and processes that have consequences for an individual in the real world, and aimed to discern how these mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment. The perspectives of Wundt and Titchener had failed to shed light on such consequences of mental processes, but that was never their goal. Practical issues like these were not in line with their purely scientific attempts to the study of psychological phenomena. Functionalism as a new school of thought arose in response to the already existing experimental psychology and structural psychology, both of which were seen as very limited in terms of their focus of study. Both of these systems failed to answer something that was imperative to the functionalists. Functionalists were looking for answers to questions like “what is the function of the mind?” and “how does the mind do what it does?” Functionalists were typically interested in understanding how individuals’ behaviours and consciousness were functional in helping them adapt to their environment. That is, they focused on the utilitarian value of human consciousness and behaviour. This emphasis on functionality of mental processes and behaviours eventually led to the functionalists developing an increasing interest in applying psychological principles to day-to-day problems concerning how individuals adapt to and successfully function in different environments. The functionalist movement, thus, played a crucial role in the rapid development of applied psychology in America. As functionalists themselves admit, a single functionalism never truly existed in the same way that a single structuralism did. Rather, what were seen were multiple functional psychologies, each somewhat different from the others. Today, however, even these have ceased to exist. With the retirement of Harvey Carr from Chicago, functionalism as a school of thought all but disappeared. Functionalism was not just an opposition to existing perspectives. When functionalism is understood as a set of values and procedures that emphasizes adaptability and empirically established relationships, its influence can be seen on psychology even today. Box 5.1: the First School of Psychology: Structuralism or Functionalism? Functionalists have often opposed the idea of structuralism to be considered the first school