History of Psychology

By Chayton Labrie
  • 387 BCE

    Plato

    Plato
    Plato suggested that the brain is the mechanism of mental processes.
  • Period: 300 BCE to

    History of Psychology

  • Phillippe Pinel

    Phillippe Pinel
    Philippe Pinel relieved the first mental patients of confinement in the first mass movement for more humane treatment of the mentally ill.

  • Weber's Law

    Weber's Law
    Ernst Heinrich Weber published his perception theory; Weber’s Law.

  • Phineas Gage

    Phineas Gage
    Phineas Gage suffered brain damage when an iron pole pierced his brain. His personality was changed but his memory remained unscathed concluding that an area of the brain plays a role in personality.

  • "On the Origin of Species"

    "On the Origin of Species"
    Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species", detailing his view of evolution and expanding on the theory of survival of the fittest.

  • Langage Development

    Langage Development
    French physician Paul Broca discovered an area in the left frontal lobe that plays a key role in language development.

  • First American Ph.D

    First American Ph.D
    G. Stanley Hall received the first American Ph.D. in psychology.

  • Wilhelm Wundt

    Wilhelm Wundt
    Wilhelm Wundt founded the first formal laboratory of Psychology at the University of Leipzig, marking the beginning of the study of human emotions, behaviors, and brain functions.

  • Functionalism

    Functionalism
    John Dewey founded the school of thought commonly known as functionalism.

  • IQ Tests Made

    IQ Tests Made
    Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon develop a scale of general intelligence based on mental age.

  • Behavioral Psychology

    Behavioral Psychology
    John E. Watson published "Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It" marking the beginnings of Behavioral Psychology.

  • Rorschach Test Invented

    Rorschach Test Invented
    psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach creates a test based on a person's interpretation of inkblots.

  • Electroencephalogram Invented

    Electroencephalogram Invented
    Hans Berger invented a device that monitors electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the head.

  • First lobotomy in the United States

    First lobotomy in the United States
    Walter Freeman performs first frontal lobotomy in the United States at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

  • First Drug to Treat Depression

    First Drug to Treat Depression
    Tofranil was FDA approved to lessen depression.

  • Chlorpromazine

    Chlorpromazine
    Also known as Thorazine, was first used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

  • FDA Approves Lithium

    FDA Approves Lithium
    The FDA approves lithium carbonate to treat patients with bipolar mood disorders

  • Professional Degree Program

    Professional Degree Program
    First Doctor of Psychology professional degree program in Clinical Psychology was established in the Department of Psychology at The University of Illinois.

  • E- Therapy

    E- Therapy
    Psychology advances to the modern age with the appearance of e-therapy.

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico
    Becomes the first state to pass legislation allowing licensed psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medication.