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A 3 page paper that discusses the origination of functionalism, the eclectic nature of this theory and the major beliefs of functionalism. The writer ends with personal comments regarding the usefulness of this theory. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MM12_PGfnctl.rtf
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the why rather than the what. These aspects are important to a counselor because it is through understanding the clients behaviors in relation to the environment that the counselor will
best be able to help the client. There are really no aspects this writer likes least. Functionalism is said to have been developed as a reaction to structuralism as
proposed by Titchener (Campbell et al, 2000). John Deweys paper on the reflex arc is typically credited as being the origin of functionalism (Goodwin, 1999). Other major early theorists were
William James, Edward Thorndike and Mary Calkin. American psychologists were more interested n the functions of consciousness rather than the structure of consciousness (Goodwin, 1999). Functionalism was greatly influenced by
both evolutionary theory and a strong pragmatic attitude. Dewey did not believe in the structuralists opinion that the reflex should be analyzed according to elements, instead, he said that
the reflex needed to be viewed as a "coordinated system that served to adapt the organism to its environment" (Goodwin, 1999, p. 214). James Angell would later clarify the difference
between these two theories by saying that structuralists tend to ask "what is consciousness" but functionalists ask "what is consciousness for" (Goodwin, 1999, p. 214). Angel described three concepts of
functional psychology: an emphasis on mental operations instead of mental elements; the mind as the mediator between needs and the external world; and a psychophysical psychology that promoted the significance
of the mind-body relationship for understanding mental life (Ballantyne, 2004). Dewey also argued that the stimulus-response reaction was not quite as simple and straightforward as theories would suggest (Campbell
et al, 2000). Instead, the response is greatly influenced by the outlook and motivation of the person making the response (Campbell et al, 2000). Dewey was very interested in education
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