What is Introspectionism?
Introspectionism, also known as structuralism or Wundtian psychology, was a school of psychology that emerged in the late 19th century and was influential in the early 20th century. It was founded by Wilhelm Wundt, who is often considered the "father of experimental psychology."
Introspectionism emphasized the use of introspection, or the examination of one's own mental states and processes, as a method for studying the mind. Proponents of introspectionism believed that by analyzing their own conscious experiences, they could uncover the basic elements of the mind and the laws that govern them.
Introspectionists typically used laboratory techniques to study mental processes, such as reaction times and sensory thresholds. They also attempted to break down complex mental processes into their component parts in order to study them in isolation.
However, introspectionism eventually fell out of favor as a dominant approach in psychology due to criticisms that its methods were too subjective and prone to error. Today, introspection is still used in some areas of psychology, but it is generally considered a limited method that should be used in combination with other approaches, such as objective measurements and behavioral observations.