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''' WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910) Bold textANTICIPATOR OF THE FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOLOGy''' The man who grasped the significance of the biological utilitarian approach to Psychology is William James. Although he did not establish a school of psychology; produced no meaningful experimental research and he didn’t leave behind a dedicated group of students to carry on his work but he is often described as the father of American psychology. By the 1890s scientists were well acquainted with Darwin's basic idea that humans had evolved from simpler animals, and James related psychology to Darwin's theory. James argued that consciousness must have evolved because it was useful for something. Bold textBIOGRAPHY Bold textBIRTH William James was born in New York City on January 11, 1842 Bold textBACKGROUND His father was deeply interested in philosophy and theology and strove to provide his children with a rich education. The James children travelled to Europe frequently, attended the best possible schools, and were immersed in culture and art, which apparently paid off - William James went on to become one of the most important figures in psychology. Bold textEDUCATION •	James early schooling took place in England, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and United States. •	He earned his medical degree from the Harvard 1869.

Bold textDEATH Suffering from health problems and severe depression William James died of heart disease in 1910. '''CONTRIBUTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY HIS WRITINGS''' •	James book, Principles of Psychology, published in 1890, in two volumes, which took him almost 12 years to complete. •	Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY He began infiltrating physiological psychology into his courses at Harvard. By 1875, He began teaching psychology, beginning with “The Relations between Physiology and Psychology”. It has been said that James joked that the first psychology lecture he ever heard was his own. The same year, he established the first laboratory of experimental psychology in the United States. GOALS OF THE PSYCHOLOGY According to the James, psychology was not the discovery of the elements of the experience but rather the study of living people as they adapt to their environment SUBJECT MATTER OF PSYCHOLOGY He was concerned with the ongoing use of conscious experience. James said at the beginning of the principles that the psychology is the science of mental life both of its phenomenon and the conditions. In the terms of the subject matter the two key words are: 1.	Phenomenon 2.	Condition PHENOMENON: Phenomenon is used to indicate that the subject matter of psychology is to be found in immediate experience. CONDITION: Conditions refers to the importance of the body, particularly the brain in mental life. VIEWS ABOUT CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCE James argued that Consciousness cannot be broken into elements. He believed that conscious experiences are simply what they are, and they are not groups and collection of elements. The fact that some trained observers can analyze their conscious experiences in a psychology laboratory does not mean that the elements they report are present in the consciousness of anyone else exposed to the same experience. THE STREAM OF THOUGHT William James said that consciousness is not jointed. It flows in a river or in a stream that any attempt to reduce it to the element will distort it. Consciousness is always changing. We may think about an object or a stimulus on more than one occasion, but our thoughts each time will not be identical they will differ because of the effect of intervening '''experience METHODOLOGY IN PSYCHOLOGY''' James was quiet clear about what he believed to be about studying the mental life how ever James said: “Introspective observation is what we have to rely on first and foremost and always” By introspection he meant that careful self observation, an examination and reflection on the states of consciousness that characterize one’s mental life. He recognized the difficulties with the method - it was open to bias, one person’s introspection could not be verified by a second person. He believed that a careful self-reflection was essential to gain insight into the workings of the human mind. He did not ignore the new experimental psychology and gave a thorough description of reaction time methodology. He later created a phrase that he referred to it sarcastically as a brass instrumental psychology PRAGMATISM William was a leader of pragmatism, which is a philosophical movement based on experience, and used to apply to experience. He wrote a book called Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking. “Pragmatism is the meaning of the ideas that formed in their practical consequences” This led James and his students towards an emphasis on cause and effect, prediction and control, and observation of environment and behaviour, over the careful introspection of the Structuralists. Some aspects of Functionalism were clearly just "anti-structuralism," a reflection, perhaps, of James impatience with details and poor grasp of the German language. In particular, he felt that the structuralists were ignoring the whole and paying too much attention to the titbits. JAMES’ VIEWS ON EMOTION James theory of emotion published in an article in 1884 and later in his principles, he contradicted current thinking about the nature of emotional states. He reversed the order. He stated that the arousal of the physical response precedes the appearance of the emotion. For example, we see the wild animal we run and then we experience the emotion of fear to support this idea. James noted the introspective observation that if bodily changes such as, heart rate, muscle tension did not occur then there would be no emotion. JAMES’ CONCEPT ABOUT SELF The Principles of Psychology (1890) entitled "The Consciousness of Self’ James suggested that persons self is made up of three aspects: 	MATERIAL SELF The material self is every thing we call our own. e.g. body, a man's closest possessions and relatives. 	SOCIAL SELF Social self refers to the recognition; we get from the other people. One's self in a certain context may be markedly different from that in another milieu. We have many set of behaviors that are unexpected for some but necessitated in others. e.g. we behave differently with parent than with the acquaintance and lovers. 	SPIRITUAL SELF James sees the spiritual self as man's inner or subjective being, his psychic faculties or dispositions, taken concretely; not the bare principle of personal unity, or 'pure' ego, which remains still to be discussed.

 JAMES’ VIEWS ON “HABIT” According to the James “Habit” had also an adaptive function because they occurred more or less automatically, they enable the consciousness to focus attention or other more important functions. He describes that all living creatures as “bundle of habits”. Repetition of habits involves the nervous system as a result habits requires less conscious attention  SUMMING UP WILLIAM JAMES 'Bold text' In his life time, William James experienced the vast changes that characterized late nineteenth century. In the last decade, America had entered the twentieth century an industrialized power. Psychology in America also changed significantly during this time, from mental philosophy to an independent discipline with aspirations to be a science. Despite his reservations about the new psychology, William James was a prime mover in bringing about its emergence, trained in physiology; he saw how advances in that field could make a new laboratory psychology possible. His monumental Principles of Psychology stands at the transition point artfully blend the physiology, philosophy, and the new laboratory psychology. James was the acknowledged leader of the first generation of American psychologist because he affected the views of thousands of the students and inspired psychologist to shift the new science of psychology away from the structuralist view and towards the formal founding of the functional school of thought.