There are a number of such theories (Freud and Jung to name early ones) that sprung originally from German and Austrian universities, some concerned with understanding the mind others with altering personality. To your mind, which ones are the most persuasive?
Since you're limiting the question to Germans and Austrians, my vote is for the three founders of Gestalt psychology: Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler. As for psychoanalytical theories, my vote goes to Viktor Frankl's existential psychology.
Clearly, Freud and psychoanalysis, especially the sweet branching into Stream of Consciousness.
Do you believe, Adewale, that the 3 tier/parts of the mind is accurate?
Since you're limiting the question to Germans and Austrians, my vote is for the three founders of Gestalt psychology: Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler. As for psychoanalytical theories, my vote goes to Viktor Frankl's existential psychology.
Karl, no, I'm not limiting the question to German and Austrian, but I was simply introducing the subject by inferring where the main ideas of psychology originated from as a separate science.
Existential Psychology is indeed what I practised.
@Stanley Wilkin RE: "...no, I'm not limiting the question to German and Austrian...."
Okay, in that case:
Which one and only one psychological theory has the most resonance for me? There's none such, but some theories or approaches that capture something of significance for me are cognitive dissonance theory, gestalt theory, ecological theory (à la Gibson), evolutionary psychology, and more generally, contemporary cognitive science with its connectionist or computational models. (I stress "models" because I think that connectionist or computational metaphors for mental structure and processes can be useful and illuminating, even if the brain isn't literally a computer that happens to be made of meat. In any event, the functional descriptions of mental states and processes are promissory notes for the eventual neurophysiological descriptions.)
Dear Stanley,
All psychological theories were informed by philosophical ideas; and to appreciate them, one needs to delve into their foundations. For example, some of our friends here have mentioned psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was profoundly influenced by the writings of Schopenhauer. If you were to read one of Schopenhauer's main works, you will see very clearly that Freud is almost paraphrasing Schopenhauer. The idea of the "Will" is almost identical to that of the "Unconscious".
Another friend mentioned Gestalt Psychology, one of the most remarkable contributions to psychology. Much of Gestalt Psychology can be traced back to the writings of Plato and his ideas about the forms (Gestalts?). Hegelian thinking also influenced Gestalt ideas.
And, I will stop after this one...Existential ideas can go back a long, long time, but the amazing ideas of Kierkegaard solidify the profundity of this school of psychology, which is so pertinent to our times. Please look up my foundations of existentialism paper to delve deeper into this.
The key is to discover the philosophical roots of these schools and theories.
Let's continue the conversation.
Warm regards,
Micah
Micah, yes Freud,etc, developed their ideas from philosophical concepts, in fact emanating in Freud's case from Brentano, one of his lecturers at Vienna University (Brentano also taught Husserl) who developed ideas on intentionality and object desire as a way of describing mental life. While this appears very different in some aspects to Freud, whose psychology focused on an internal world and phenomena, Freud employed sexuality as the focus or form of intentionality-one caught up in instinct or metaphors of instinct. Freud, in fact, appears to have been influenced in this by his love of the Classics and his three tier/part system of the mind recalls ancient Greek ideas of urban life (oikos), country, and polis (where the community established public order)-his id in effect is Pan, or what the god represented.
Right on, Stanley! The connection with the Greek ideas is perfect! He was also fond of Dostoevsky, who had deep insight into the human psyche. Many of his characters play the roles of "the id," "the ego," and "the superego" (e.g., The Brother's Karamazov). Nietzsche also gave a great deal of credit to Dostoevsky for his insights. Psychology is philosophy in action, and literature is a perfect place to witness it. And Goethe's insights...gems! Freud and others borrowed from him extensively.
I think Freud wanting to be considered a scientist held on to the biological basis of behavior for that reason;, hence, sex played a major role in explaining his drive system. I still believe that Studies on Hysteria, co-authored with Breuer, is one of the finest works on trauma, dated but brilliant.
Going back to the classics, psychological theories are far more meaningful when we trace them back to their philosophical roots. Indeed, Wundt, the Father of modern Psychology, gave much credit to Kant's ideas and how such ideas influenced his thinking and the later experiments.
I resonate with those philosophical roots and find the relentless endeavor to make sense out of human behavior fascinating.
Best wishes, Stanley!
Micah
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