Historical roots of Psychology

Running Head : Psychology (History

Historical Roots of Psychology

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Psychology is a relatively new science , having emerged as a formal discipline only during the 19th century . It , however , came into existence due to the philosophical aim of understanding and explaining the nature of the mind and the soul . Physiology was later integrated into psychology when the latter sought to discover the causes and the cure for mental illness Historical Roots of Psychology

Psychology is considered as one of the youngest sciences - it

emerged as a formal discipline only during the 19th century . Ironically , the historical roots of psychology can be traced back to the ancient field of philosophy . Throughout history , philosophers and religious scholars have sought to understand and explain the nature of the mind and the soul . This objective , in turn , resulted in the institution of psychology as an official school of thought (MSN Encarta , 2008

Ancient Philosophers and Philosophies

Greek philosophers started venturing into psychological s from about 600 to 300 BC . They were said to be most interested in epistemology , a philosophical sub-discipline which studied the nature of knowledge and human existence . As a result , Socrates , Plato and Aristotle wrote extensively about s such as knowledge , beauty desire , free will and common sense (MSN Encarta , 2008 . The immense interest of the Greek philosophers in epistemology led to the creation of cosmology , the study of the universe as a whole , including its distant past and future (MSN Encarta , 2008 . They must have realized that...