文档介绍：—CHAPTER 20
Contemporary Psychology
Contemporary psychology reflects its long, diverse the current relatively peaceful coexistence of psy-
history. In this text we have seen that at various chologists holding dissimilar views. During the 1920s
times the philosophies of empiricism, sensationalism, and 1930s, when several psychological schools ex-
positivism, rationalism, romanticism, and existen- isted simultaneously, open hostility often arose be-
tialism have been employed in efforts to understand tween members of rival schools. Today the schools
humans. We have also seen that one or more of are gone and a spirit of eclecticism prevails, reminis-
these philosophies became the basis for psychology’s cent of the functional approach to psychology that
schools of thought: voluntarism, structuralism, func- William James suggested. The eclectic chooses from
tionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psycho- diverse sources those ideas and techniques that are
analysis, and humanistic psychology. The method- most effective in dealing with a problem.
ologies most often used to study humans throughout
psychology’s history have been introspection, natu-
ralistic observation, and experimentation. Remnants Divisions of the American
of all these philosophies, schools, and methodologies Psychological Association
are found in contemporary psychology. Table lists the 52 divisions of the APA, which
give a clear indication of the diversity of psychology
The Diversity today (although 54 divisions are listed, divisions 4
of Contemporary Psychology and 11 do not exist, making a total of 52). Note, for
example, that divisions include Experimental Psy-
Psychology today is diverse, but psychology has al- chology (3), Psychology and the Arts (10), Military
most always been diverse. In psychology’s long his- Psychology (19), Psychopharmacology and Sub-
tory, there has never been a time when all psycholo- stance Abuse (28), Humanistic Psycho