Implications for Psychology

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Implications for Psychology
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1. Reductionism and brain research

• Continuity in nature
• New brain structures evolved gradually from older
  ones
• Our faculties already present in some animals
• Reflex arc
• Reflexology
• Pavlov en Bechterev

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2. Animal behavior

• Continuity
• Our mental life already present in animals
• George Romanes
• Anthropomorphizing
• Interpret animal behavior from our point of view

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Path to more objective approach

• Anthropomorphic interpretation
• Gradually erased from research practice
• Path to behaviorism

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Behaviorism

• Object of psychology not consciousness
• But observable behavior
• Again continuity
• No mental processes in animals leads to
• no mental processes in man
• Observable behavior defines all of psychology
• John Watson

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3. Biogenetic law

• Essential idea with profound influence on
  psychology
• Important protagonist German biologist Ernst
  Heackel
• Idea stems from Embryology
• Ontogenesis Development of the individual
• Phylogenesis Development of species/ group of
  species

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Biogenetic Law

• Ontogenesis repeats phylogenis
• The development of the individual is a highly
  accelerated repetition of the development of the
  species
• Individual development is caused by the
  development of the species

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History as cause

• Individual starts off as single cell hence life
  also started unicellular
• Young embryo has characteristics of a sponge, so
  life passed through sponge like phase
• Individual passes through phase with gills, hence
  so did life
• Important
• By study of embryo one can study evolution as a
  whole
• Biogenetic law avoids problem of gaps in the
  fossil record

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Biogenetic law and psychology

• Biogenetic law often used in psychology
• The individual repeats the history of human
  nature or culture
• Examples
• Darwin
• George Stanley Hall
• Study of sexuality

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Darwin in the Zoo

• Child afraid for big animals
• Back to ape-man for an explanation
• Fear of ancestors for big animals has been
  inherited
• Fear now part of our genetic substance
• Again Lamarck inheritance of acquired
  characteristics

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Hall Developmental psychology

• Development of child follows development of human
  history
• Infancy animal period
• Child Beginning of social relations
• Play
• Adolescence Tribal relations
• Practical use
• Youth clubs to channel deviant behavior

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Biogenetic law and childhood

• Discovery of the child as a separate category
• Stage theory
• Development/ growth vs Education as active
  management
• Freedom Regulation
• Back to earlier notions
• Rationalism Empiricism

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Another field Sexology

• In 19th century ever more interest in sexuality
• History of sexual behavior
• Sexuality in children
• Austrian sexologist Lindner
• Biogenetic law
• Sucking and sexual lust
• Influences Freud and psychoanalysis
• For another lecture

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In conclusion

• Theory of evolution
• Had a large influence on psychology
• At the same time fiercely contested and
  criticized
• Redefines mans place in nature
• Dark theory
• Base processes rule our behavior
• Theory of evolution does not paint a pretty
  picture of man and nature
• Lack of meaning
• Even today many feel uneasy with emptiness of
  theory of evolution