A Brief History of Psychology

If you're taking an introductory psychology course this semester, you're likely in for a crash course in what psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus called psychology's long past and short history. While the underpinnings of the discipline date back thousands of years, psychology did not emerge as a separate field until the founding of Wilhelm Wundt's lab at the University of Leipzig in 1879. Since that time, psychology has undergone dramatic changes and transitions, with numerous theoretical views arising and vying for dominance.

In order to understand the wide range of topics studied by modern psychologists, it is important to understand a bit about past thinking and research. You can brush up on your knowledge and get a quick overview in this brief history of psychology.

Related Reading

• Timeline of Modern Psychology
• 10 Influential Psychologists
• Psychology Schools of Thought

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