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Namah American psychology’s psychobiological perspective ...

in time, the physical sciences had clearly psychology in Europe, psychology professors
established a systematic, ordered and in the United States were individuals trained
progressive truth to human understanding to be ministers. At the time, this was the only
which had firmly differentiated itself from way that one could obtain postgraduate
the previous establishments of ethical and education in the United States. Because of
conventional leadership. their religious training, the teachings of the
professors of psychology included physically
Formalised doctoral education in psychology unverifiable facts about God and human
also began to appear in Europe (18). This psychology. The new European-trained
field of psychology was initially known as psychologists quickly supplanted the old
psychophysics because of its study of one’s guard as they began to teach college-level
psychological reaction to physical stimuli, psychology courses with a focus on objective
such as one’s ability to distinguish between physical information. They also employed
differing weights. Psychophysics’ first physical empirical methods as they began
experimental text was published in 1860 to systematically conduct research on large
by Gustav Fechner under the title, Elements groups of people (22). Over time, the American
of Psychophysics (19). Following Fechner, psychobiological approach was manifested
Wilhelm Wundt firmly established the field in the military’s standardised intelligence
of experimental psychology by publishing testing and John B. Watson’s Behaviourism
Principles of Physiological Psychology in (23, 24), which only considered the external
1873-1874 (20). Wundt made the explicit aspects of the human being.
point of applying experimental methods to
psychological phenomenon. The majority The historical use of physical empiricism
of his research was limited to sensory and has resulted in a contemporary American
perceptual processes because he contended culture that still places great importance
that other aspects of human psychology on the objective experimental validity of
(e.g. culture) could not be studied in the psychology. This is exemplified by American
laboratory. Because of a lack of opportunity health insurance companies’ demands for
back home, many Americans obtained their empirical evidence of the efficacy of specific
doctoral degrees in psychology in Europe in forms of psychotherapy (e.g. Cognitive
order to bring their new-found knowledge Behavioural Therapy) for specific mental
back to the United States. illnesses (25). Psychology in the United States
to this day still acquiesces to the objective
The age of individualism and reason in laws of physical nature to establish its
the United States truth. Nevertheless, it slowly appears to be
allowing room for more subjective forms
In the United States, psychology went through of empiricism.
a similar process as it did in Europe by
doing away with psychological thought that The age of subjectivism and the spiritual
was not founded on the objective physical in the United States
sciences (21).Prior to the influx of formally
educated individuals trained in experimental Recent developments in American psychology

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