ABSTRACT
Structuralism and functionalism were the first two schools to emerge; both were flourishing before the end of the 19th century. Edward Bradford Titchener developed the fundamental distinction, made earlier by William James and John Dewey and elaborated later by James Rowland Angell, between structuralism and functionalism; structuralism is curious about the “is” of the mind, whereas functionalism wonders about its “is for.” Structuralism holds that psychological wholes are compounds of elements; psychology’s task is to discover the elements and the manner in which they compound. Structuralism studies conscious content, whereas functionalism studies the operations of consciousness. Structuralism attempts analysis into elements, whereas functionalism is concerned with the nature and functions of mental processes. Functionalism at Chicago served as the bridge between structuralism and behaviorism; the concern with the adaptive properties of behavior characteristic of the functionalists was taken over as a major concern of the behaviorists.
