FUNCTIONALISM & INHERITABLE TRAITS

FUNCTIONALISM

• Functionalist: a psychology who studied the function rather than the structure of consciousness.
• William James (1842-1910) taught the first class in psychology at Harvard University in 1975.
• James is often called "the father of psychology" in the United States.
• He wrote the forts textbook of psychology, "the principle of psychology" (1890).
• One major function: to help us survive as a species.

INHERITABLE TRAITS

• Understand how heredity influences a person's abilities character, and behavior.
• He concluded that genius or eminence is a hereditary
• But that doesn't include exceptional environment and socioeconomic advantage