Though psychology may not be the first word that comes to our minds when we think of science, it is most definitely classified as a type of science. Science uses the scientific method- using observations to make hypotheses, then testing numerous times to see if that hypothesis can have evidence/data-based proof- to find new data to better understand the physical, behavioral, and chemical processes that work together to form society. Psychology may not be able to find a clear set of data representing the entirety of human behavior and emotions, but it can most definitely find trends and patterns which can help better understand how human behavior impacts the cognitive processes. Not only this, but psychology consists of scientific processes like observing, researching, experimenting, and is entirely evidence and data-based. Moreover, psychologists do not make conclusions based on theories, but based on numerous successful trials and proven data. So though the basis of psychology does not consist of numbers, equations, or visual results, it is still internationally considered as one of the most influential scientific studies proven to help better understand the complexities of the human psyche. 

Science and pseudoscience are commonly mistaken as one and the same, but in reality are quite literally the opposite. Science is entirely based on evidence-based results which are then questioned and re-experimented on to then decide if a hypothesis can be considered as a fact. Pseudoscience uses theories and assumptions to generate "factual" results. Another major difference is that scientists can generate the same or similar results of a previous experiment numerous times, whereas pseudo scientists don't have high chances of generating similar results, being that their claims are based on theoretical concepts. Lastly, scientists encourage one another to discover mutations in data to better understand physical processes, whereas pseudoscientists discard unwanted sets of data in order to better "prove" their theories. So though pseudoscience and science can be mistaken for being one and the same, the base at which they sprout from consist of many significant differences. 

Psychologists and psychiatrists often work together to form a treatment plan which would help their patient succeed in conquering their mental health battles. Though they work together, there are still major differences between the two, which is interchanged can probably cost them their medical or psychological license. One of the major differences is that psychologists have graduated with their masters in psychology or gotten their doctoral or PsyED, whereas Psychiatrists usually have their bachelors in psychology then go to medical school in order to be able to prescribe medication for patients. Which takes me to my next major difference; Psychiatrists work with the patient to find a medical solution to their mental health struggle, whereas psychologists work with the patient to better understand which emotional and behavior patterns are affecting their moods. In other words, psychiatrists have the ability to prescribe medication, aiding to alter their patient's brain chemicals, whereas psychologists cannot do that. Though they have major differences, both the fields work together to form a successful treatment plan- a mixture of therapy and meds- for their patient. They both work on figuring out which emotions are leading to certain behavioral and physical patterns, the difference being that psychologists work more on the cognitive end, whereas psychiatrists use medicine and a chemical approach. In today's world, where mental health continues to be a growing struggle for many teens, both psychologists and psychiatrists are in high demand, further influencing their mutualistic treatment plan for a healthier mind. 

Galen was a well-known physician during the Middle Ages, and has had a lasting impact in the world of medicine and psychology. He was known to have expanded on Hippocrates' (the father of medicine) ideas of the four humors. Hippocrates believed that the reasoning behind illnesses was an imbalance between the four humors. He concocted that the four humors, blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile, each representing an element of life (blood-air, phlegm-water, black bile-earth, yellow bile-fire) had to be in balance in order for a human or animal to live a healthy life. When these elements were not at their normal, doctors' job was to figure out a medical treatment which would put the elements back in balance, also curing the patient's illness. Later on, Galen gave a thought to this ideology and concluded that if there was a relation between the humors and illnesses, then there must be a relation between our bodily elements and our moods. He expanded on the Hippocratian theory of the four humors and connected them to elements representing a certain mood or personality. He believed that when a certain element was higher than the other, the mood coinciding with  that element would be dominating. His elements included Sanguine (blood/air), Phlegmatic (phlegm/water), Melancholy (black bile/earth), and Choleric (yellow bile/fire). Sanguine represented the cheerful or optimistic mood, Phlegmatic, the sluggish or relaxed vibe, Melancholy, the sad or quiet feeling, and Choleric, the angry or short-tempered reactivity levels. To this day, Galen and Hippocrates' theories are used in modern-day medicine. Though the theory of the four humors has been long overlooked, scientists used their theories to conclude that chemical imbalances in the brain most definitely have an impact on our moods and emotions. It's crazy how modern medicine uses such ancient theories, but if we had to give props to the fathers of the psychological advancements, then they would have to be given to Galen and Hippocrates. 

Freud's theories about the unconscious had a long-lasting effect on how psychologists viewed the effects that the unconscious had on someone's actions, thoughts, behavior, emotions, and desires. Freud's most famous written works further educating society on his theories on the unconscious include, "The Interpretation of Dreams" and "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life". His first work explores the hidden meaning behind dreams. As given in the title, "The Interpretation of Dreams' ' connects the desires that our unconscious has to what we dream about. Freud believed that by hearing about someone's dreams he could analyze it and find out their uncconsious's greatest and darkest desires. To this day, many still believe that dreams are a constructed pathway to accessing what our unconscious wants and commands. His second work, "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life", went into depth on how our unconcious's hidden desires come out in little snippets of daily life. For instance, according to Freud's theories, sometimes when we say words we don't mean to say, forget names, or even blank out, our unconscious is signaling its desire. Our unconscious has ways to pop out in our daily life from dreams to unwanted phrases to emotional responses, and both of Freud's books depicted the unknown psycho hypnosis of the unconscious. 

Edward Thorndike, an American psychologist, in 1898 started to educate society on his "law of effect". It theorized that behavior patterns are a response to a particular conditioning. Thorndike essentially concluded that when a certain behavior is followed by negative physical simulations like discomfort or nausea, it is most likely to not be repeated. Whereas if a behavior follows through with satisfaction or euphoric delights, then it is most likely to be repeated. His study influenced a lot of what behaviorism stems from. Behaviorism states that human behavior is a response to certain conditioning patterns, and is repeated not by emotional stimulations, but physical or observable ones. In other words, just a definition to Thorndike's experiments, which focused on physical responses to behavior and how those responses affected the possibility of their repetition. Furthermore, in 1938, Skinner's work used that same formula but depicted its effect on animals. He concluded that the behavior of animal's strongly revolved around a reinforcement mentality. In other words, animals when rewarded for their behavior would be most likely to repeat it, whereas if that behavior caused them harm or some sort of physical discomfort, they would probably not repeat it. His theory strongly stemmed from Thorndike's research on behaviorism and how conditioning impacted behavior patterns and physical simulations. Both Thorndike and Skinner had long lasting effects on society's research on psychological development. 

B.F. Skinner believed that one's behaviors were a direct response to external factors such as the conditioning and reinforcement patterns. He did not think that the conscious had anything to do with the way people felt or behaved, but had everything to do with their environment. His theories and research later became one of the fundamental stems for behaviorism. 

Many individuals who are not well versed in psychology, often tend to confuse themselves between structuralism and functionalism, either believing that they are one and the same, or inter-changing their definitions. Structuralism to say the least, focuses on the different parts of the brain, and how the way that they are structured affect the way someone feels or acts. It focuses heavily on the consciousness of a person. Whereas functionalism focuses on how all the different parts of the brain work together in order to create a response stimuli to the person’s environment, which then affects how the person feels and behaves. In other words, the main difference between functionalism and structuralism is that functionalism theorizes that all the parts of the brain work together to create an environmentally- driven response, while structuralism looks at different parts of the brain and how they affect consciousness. 

Philosophy takes us way back to the middle ages, when philosophers like Wundt and Aristotle were leading theorists of human existence. They developed theories that provided a strong foundation to the sprouting of psychological research. Wilhelm Wundt is often known as the father of psychology, and his contribution has a lot to do with structuralism. He believed that each separate part of the mind had its own purpose, that then contributed to the thoughts and feelings of the person. His belief that psychology was a study of the human conscious, stemmed from Wundt's theory, that you could observe one's conscious thoughts and feelings through introspection (internal perception). His philosophical research answering the question of human existence and life's purpose led him to dive into how the conscious impacted human thoughts and feelings. Even though Wundt is generally considered as the father of psychology, some still believe that Aristotle deserves that title. Aristotle is a well-known, middle ages philosopher that is commonly mentioned in history and science textbooks. His proceedings dove into how the underlying philosophical phenomenon of human existence and purpose was impacted by psychological processes. His research concluded that psychology was a study of the mind and soul, which gave reason to how and why emotions and thoughts came into existence. He strongly believed that all humans were motivated by the urge to find happiness or "eudaimonia", and that all their conscious thoughts, emotions, actions were an attempt to get closer to the "euphoric delight". Both Wundt and Aristotle mastered the art of philosophy and turned too psychology to answer the how and why of conscious human tendencies like thought and emotion. Though philosophy has been part of society a lot longer than psychology, psychology's beginnings lay deep in the incompleteness of philosophically-developed theories and phenomenons. 



Behaviorism is known as the school of thought that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior. It was founded by John B. Watson and later developed by P.F. Skinner. It theorizes that psychological processes like thought and emotion do not trigger certain behavioral patterns, but conditioning and environmental components do. If behaviorism were still used in the modern day, if one were to get diagnosed with depression, their only remedy would be changing their environment triggering components in order to better instigate a lifestyle that opposes depression. Behaviorism, soon after founded, was overturned by new ideologies like functionalism, structuralism, socialism, and the development of constructs.