history of psychology

  • 300 BCE

    Zeno of Citium

    Zeno of Citium
    Zeno of Citium taught the philosophy of Stoicism, involving logic and ethics.
  • Period: 300 BCE to

    History of pyschology

    The history of Psychology so far
  • 100 BCE

    Dead scrolls

    Dead scrolls
    The Dead Sea Scrolls noted the division of human nature into two temperaments.
  • 50 BCE

    Instanity

    Instanity
    The term insania, insanity, was first used by Aulus Cornelius elsus.
  • 100

    Rufus

    Rufus
    Rufus of Ephesus believed that the nervous system was instrumental in voluntary movement and sensation.
  • Franz Mesmer

    Franz Mesmer
    1774 AD Franz Mesmer detailed his cure for some mental illness, originally called mesmerism and now known as hypnosis.
  • Franz Gall

    Franz Gall
    1808 Franz Gall wrote about phrenology (the idea that a person’s skull shape and placement of bumps on the head can reveal personality traits.
  • Ernst Heinrich

    Ernst Heinrich
    1834 Ernst Heinrich Weber published his perception theory of ‘Just Noticeable DIfference,’ now known as Weber’s Law.
  • Phineas Gage

    Phineas Gage
    1848 Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierces his brain. His personality was changed but his intellect remained intact suggesting that an area of the brain plays a role in personality.
  • Charlie D

    Charlie D
    1859 Charles Darwin published the On the Origin of Species, detailing his view of evolution and expanding on the theory of ‘Survival of the fittest.’
  • Paul Broca

    Paul Broca
    1861 French physician Paul Broca discovered an area in the left frontal lobe that plays a key role in language development.
  • Sigmund Freud

    Sigmund Freud
    Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, begins treating patients in Vienna, Austria.
  • Ivan of Russia

    Ivan of Russia
    Ivan Pavlov trains a dog to salivate on hearing the sound of a bell. Pavlov's dog becomes the first example of classical conditioning.
  • Carl Jung

    Carl Jung
    Carl Jung publishes The Psychology of Dementia Praecox. Jung begins to break away from Freud's ideas to develop his own theories of analytical psychology.
  • Max Wertheimer

    Max Wertheimer
    Max Wertheimer publishes his research on the phi phenomenon, which contributed to the development of the Gestalt school of psychology.
  • Carl Jung

    Carl Jung
    1913 Carl G. Jung departed from Freudian views and developed his own theories citing Freud’s inability to acknowledge religion and spirituality. His new school of thought became known as Analytical Psychology.
  • Daughter of Frued

    Daughter of Frued
    1927 Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, published her first book expanding her father’s ideas in the treatment of children.
  • Erik Erikson

    Erik Erikson
    1950 Erik Erikson published ‘Childhood and Society,’ where he expands Freud’s Theory to include social aspects of personality development across the lifespan.
  • U.S Military Pychology

    U.S Military Pychology
    1995 First Psychologists prescribe medication through the U.S. military’s psychopharmacology program.
  • New Mexico

    New Mexico
    2002 New Mexico becomes the first state to pass legislation allowing licensed psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medication.
  • Mental Health Coverage

    Mental Health Coverage
    2002 The push for mental health parity gets the attention of the White House as President George W. Bush promotes legislation that would guarantee comprehensive mental health coverage.