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History of Psychology (387 BC to Present)

387 BC Plato suggested that the brain is the mechanism of mental processes.

335 BC Aristotle suggested that the heart is the mechanism of mental processes.

1774 AD Franz Mesmer detailed his cure for some mental i llness, originally called mesmerism and now known ashypnosis.

1793 Philippe Pinel released the f irst mental patients from confinement in the f irst massive movement for more humane treatment ofthe mentally ill.

1808 Franz Gall wrote about phrenology (the idea that a person's skull shape and placement of bumps on the head can revealpersonality traits.

1834 Ernst Heinrich Weber published his perception theory of 'Just Noticeable DIfference, ' now known asWeber's Law.

1848 Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierces his brain. His personality was changed but his intel lectremained intact suggesting that an area of the brain plays a role in personality.

1859 Charles Darwin published the On the Origin of Species, detailing his view of evolution and expanding on the theory of 'Survival ofthe fittest.'

1861 French physician Paul Broca discovered an area in the left frontal lobe that plays a key role in language development.

1869 Sir Francis Galton, Influenced by Charles Darwin's 'Origin of the Species,' publishes 'Hereditary Genius,' and argues thatintellectual abilities are biological in nature.

1874 Carl Wernicke published his work on the frontal lobe, detail ing that damage to a specific area damages the abili ty to understandor produce language

1878 G. Stanley Hall received the first American Ph.D. in psychology. He later founded theAmerican Psychological Association.

1879 Wilhelm Wundtfounded the first formal laboratory of Psychology at the University of Leipzig, marking the formal beginning of thestudy of human emotions, behaviors, and cognitions.

1883 The firs t laboratory of psychology in America is established at Johns Hopkins University.

1885 Herman Ebbinghausintroduced the nonsense syllable as a means to studymemory processes.

1886 Sigmund Freudbegan performing therapy in Vienna, marking the beginning ofpersonality theory.

1890 The term "Mental Tests" was coined by James Cattell , beginning the special ization in psychology now known as psychologicalassessment.

1890 Sir Francis Galtondeveloped the technique known as thecorrelation to better understand the interrelationships in his intelligencestudies.

1890 William James published 'Principles of Psychology,'that later became the foundation for functionalism.

1890 New York State passed the State Care Act, ordering indigent mentally il l patients out of poor-houses and into state hospitals fortreatment and developing the first institution in the U.S. for psychiatric research.

1892 Foundation of theAmerican Psychological Association (APA) headed by G. Stanley Hall, with an initial membership of 42.

1895 Alfred Binet founded the first laboratory of psychodiagnosis.

1896 Writings by John Dewey began the school of thought known as functionalism.

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1896 The f irst psychological clinic was developed at the University of Pennsylvania marking the birth of clinical psychology.

1898 Edward Thorndikedeveloped the 'Law of Effect,' arguing that "a stimulus-response chain is strengthened if the outcome of thatchain is positive."

1900 Sigmund Freudpublished 'Interpretation of Dreams' marking the beginning ofPsychoanalytic Thought.

1901 The British Psychological Society was founded.

1905 Alfred Binet'sIntelligence Test was published in France.

1906 TheJournal of Abnormal Psychologywas founded by Morton Prince.

1906 Ivan Pavlov published the first studies onClassical Conditioning.

1911 Alfred AdlerleftFreud's Psychoanalytic Groupto form his own school of thought, accusing Freud ofoveremphasizingsexuality and basing his theory on his own childhood.

1911 Edward Thorndikepublished first article on animal intelligence leading to the theory ofOperant Conditioning.

1912 William Stern developed the original formula for theIntelligence Quotient (IQ)after studying the scores on Binet's intelligencetest. The formula is

1912 Max Wertheimerpublished research on the perception of movement, marking the beginnings ofGestalt Psychology.

1913 John E. Watson published 'Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It' marking the beginnings ofBehavioral Psychology.

1913 Carl G. Jungdeparted from Freudian viewsand developed his own theories citing Freud's inability to acknowledge religion andspirituality. His new school of thought became known asAnalytical Psychology.

1916 Stanford-Binetintelligence testwas published in the United States.

1917 Robert Yerkes (President of APA at the t ime) developed the Army Alpha and Beta Tests to measure intelligence in a groupformat. The tests were adopted for use with all new recruits in the U.S. military a year later.

1920 John B. Watson and Rosal ie Rayner published the Li tt le Albert experiments, demonstrat ing that fear could beclassicallyconditioned.

1921 Psychological Corporation launched the first psychological test development company, not only commercializing psychologicaltesting, but allowing testing to take place at offices and clinics rather than only at universities and research facilities.

1925 Wolfgang Kohler published 'The Mentality of Apes' which became a major component of Gestalt Psychology.

1927 Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, published her f irst book expanding her father's ideas in the treatment of children.

1929 Wolfgang Kohler criticizes behaviorism in his publication on Gestalt Psychology.

1932 Jean Piagetpublished 'The Moral Judgment of Children' beginning his popularity as the leading theorist in cognitivedevelopment.

1932 Walter B. Cannon coined the term homeostasis and began research on thefight or flight phenomenon.

1935 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was published byHenry Murray.

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1936 Egas Moniz published his work on frontal lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness.

1938 Electroshock therapy was first used on a human patient.

1939 Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Test was publishedwhich eventually became the most widely used intellectual assessment.

1939 The Canadian Psychological Associated was founded.

1942 Carl Rogerspublished 'Counseling and Psychotherapy' suggesting that respect and a non-judgmental approach totherapyis thefoundation for effective treatment of mental health issues.

1942 Jean Piagetpublished 'Psychology of Intelligence'discussing his theories ofcognitive development.

1942 Minnesota Mul tiphasic Personal ity Inventory (MMPI) was developed and fast became the most widely researched and widelyaccepted psychological assessment device.

1945 The state of Connecticut passed l icensure legislation for psychologists, becoming the f irst state to recognize psychology as aprotected practice oriented profession.

1945 TheJournal of Clinical Psychologywas founded.

1945 Karen Horney published her feministic views of psychoanalytic theory, marking the beginning of feminism.

1949 Boulder Conference outl ines scientist-practitioner model of clinical psychology, looking at the M.D. versus Ph.D. used by medicalproviders and researchers, respectively.

1950 Erik Eriksonpublished 'Childhood and Society,' where he expands Freud's Theory to includesocial aspects of personalitydevelopment across the lifespan.

1952 A study on psychotherapy efficacy was published byHans Eysencksuggesting that therapy is no more effective that notreatment at all. This prompted an onslaught of outcome studies which have since shown psychotherapy to be an effectivetreatment for mental illness.

1952 TheDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) was published by TheAmerican PsychiatricAssociationmarking the beginning of modern mental illness classification.

1952 Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) first used in the treatment ofschizophrenia.

1953 B.F. Skinneroutlined behavioral therapy, lending support for behavioral psychology via research in the literature.

1953 Code of Ethics for Psychologists was developed by theAmerican Psychological Association.

1954 Abraham Maslow helped to foundHumanistic Psychologyand later developed his famous Hierarchy of Needs.

1957 Leon Festinger proposed his theory of 'Cognitive Dissonance' and later became an influence f igure inSocial Psychology.

1961 John Berry introduced the importance of cross-cultural research bringing diversity into the forefront of psychological researchand application.

1961 Carl Rogerspublished 'On Becoming a Person,' marking a powerful change in how treatment for mental health issues is

conducted.

1963 Alfred Banduraintroduced the idea of Observational Learning on the development of personality.

1963 Lawrence Kolberg introduced his ideas for the sequencing of morality development.

1967 Aaron Beck published a psychological model of depression suggesting that thoughts play a significant role in the developmentand maintenance of depression.

1968 DSM II was published by theAmerican Psychiatric Association.

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1968 FirstDoctor of Psychology(Psy.D.) professional degree program in Clinical Psychology was established in the Department ofPsychology at The University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign.

1969 Joseph Wolpe published 'The Practice of Behavior Therapy.'

1971 First Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.) awarded (from The Universi ty of I ll inois - Urbana/Champaign).

1973 APA endorsed the Psy.D. degree for professional practice in psychology.

1980 DSM III published by theAmerican Psychiatric Association.

1983 Howard Gardner (professor at Harvard University) introduced his theory of multiple intel ligence, arguing that intel ligence issomething to be used to improve lives not to measure and quantify human beings.

1988 American Psychological Society established.

1990 The emergence of managed care prompts theAPAto become more political, leading to the idea ofPrescribingPsychologistsand equity in mental health coverage.

1994 DSM IV published by the American Psychiatric Association.

1995 First Psychologists prescribe medication through the U.S. military's psychopharmacology program.

1997 Deep Blue, the supercomputer at the time, beats the World's best chess player, Kasparov, marking a milestone in thedevelopment of artificial intelligence.

1998 Psychology advances to the technological age with the emergence of e-therapy.

1999 Psychologists in Guam gain prescription privileges for psychotropic medication.

2002 New Mexico becomes the first state to pass legislation allowing licensed psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medication.

2002 The push for mental health parity gets the attention of the White House as President George W. Bush promotes legislation thatwould guarantee comprehensive mental health coverage.

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