The first laboratory dedicated to the new science of psychology was founded by Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879. But psychology’s roots go back further than that. Philosophers and scientists have long been interested in understanding how the mind works. Early schools of thought like Structuralism and Functionalism developed into contemporary perspectives, each defined by different sets of interests, prompting different kinds of questions.
Credits: Aristotle, The National Library of Medicine; Descartes, The National Library of Medicine; Edward Titchener, The National Library of Medicine; Wilhelm Wundt with his colleagues (Friedrich Sander, Otto; Klemm; Ottmar; Dittrich; Wilhelm; Wirth; and Hartmann), circa 1910, © INTERFOTO/Alamy INTERFOTO/Alamy; William James, Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy; Sigmund Freud, Photo by Time Life Pictures/Mansell/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; John Watson, © Underwood & Underwood/Corbis; Carl Rogers, Courtesy Everett Collection; Gustav Fechner, Science Source/Photo Researchers, Inc.; George A. Miller, Princeton University, Office of Communications, John T. Miller; Charles Darwin, The National Library of Medicine; Lev Vygotsky, RIA Novosti/Alamy; Plato, © Vladimir Korostyshevskiy/Dreamstime.com