Reactions Against Structuralism Came from the Behaviorist School of Thought

question 28

Essay

Reactions against structuralism came from the behaviorist school of thought and the Gestalt school of thought.What were their differing reasons for rejecting structuralism and how would the behavioral and Gestalt schools of thought analyze human behavior?
B.Watson objected strongly to the study of the "mind" or "conscious experience." He believed that the technique of introspection used by the structuralists was unscientific because there was no way to settle disagreements between observers.Watson chose to only study over behavior, which could be done objectively and measured precisely.The Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer believed it was a mistake to analyze psychological events into pieces, or elements as structuralists did.Like a melody, many experiences cannot be broken into smaller units as stated in the Gestalt psychology slogan, "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." Thus, the answer must include that both schools of thought rejected structuralism, but for different reasons.The behaviorists were not opposed to breaking aspects of behavior into smaller units, which they themselves did by breaking behavior into stimuli and responses.They just did not believe the analysis of covert behavior could be done objectively or scientifically, so only overt behavior was studied by the behaviorists.The Gestalt psychologists study covert behavior, like the structuralists, but rejected their idea of breaking the covert behavior into parts because they felt part of the mental event would be lost, since the whole event, like a melody, is more than the sum of its parts, or single notes.

---

Definitions:

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across a chemical synapse, from one neuron to another, influencing various bodily functions.

Ion

An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

Antagonist

An opposing force, molecule, or character that interacts in a way to inhibit or counteract an action.

Action Potential

A temporary reversal of electrical polarization of the membrane of a nerve cell or muscle cell, allowing for the transmission of signals.