Overview

The revival of science during the European Renaissance included a renewed interest in the workings of the human mind. In the eighteenth century, there were two main schools of thought in the field that became known as "psychology": associationism, or empiricism, and the doctrine of mental faculties. Associationism was championed by such scientists as George Berkeley, David Hume, and David Hartley. This theory held that an individual developed mentally as simple sensations and ideas were associated by the mind into more complex concepts. The opposing theory was the doctrine of mental faculties. Immanuel Kant was among its chief advocates. The doctrine of mental faculties compartmentalized the mind into intellect, emotions, will and other attributes, each of which functioned more or less independently. Both concepts have contributed to our understanding of human nature.

Background

Psychology as an experimental science did...