American functionalism and the contributions of James, Dewey, and Angell

American Functionalism

Over the last 120 years, there have been a number of different philosophies introduced that were explaining the underlying causes of human behavior. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a transformation in these ideas through functionalism. To fully understand these different concepts requires examining American functionalism and how the ideas of James / Dewey / Angell impacted this school of thought. Together, these different elements will offer the greatest insights as to how they influenced modern psychology.

What was American functionalism?

Functionalism is when there is a focus on the way a particular thought, desire or pain will impact the entire cognitive system of an individual. For example, when someone is in a state of desire they will be acting out certain behaviors to exhibit these emotions. To further illustrate these feelings a person can begin showing desire by becoming increasingly needy. When someone is experiencing these internal states, they will begin to become a part of the emotions and feelings that are being acted out. It is at this point that they will develop, these different states working together as a larger cognitive function. ("Functionalism," 2006)

How do William James (the Principles of Psychology 1890), John Dewey (the Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology 1896), and James Angell (the Province of Functional Psychology 1907) relate to this early school of psychological thought?

William James was focused on several different ideas to include: pragmatism, functionalism and a theory on emotion (i.e. The James Lange Theory of Emotions). Pragmatism is when the truth of different ideas can never be proven. Instead, there is a focus on its usefulness and monetary value. In the case of functionalism, James is focusing on the entire event and its impact on the person's behavior. The James Lange Theory of Emotions believes, that there are specific triggers which will cause someone to react a particular way. The combination of these factors established a basic foundation for looking at the entire impact of specific ideas and events on the individual's cognitive system. (James, 2005, pp. 45 -- 132)

John Dewey was able to take these ideas and theorized that the social environment will have an impact on: the activities of the mind and ultimately individual behavior. At the heart of his beliefs, was the view that psychologists should move away from stimulus-based responses and towards understanding the entire neural pathway. This is when psychologists can comprehend how certain thoughts are impacting the behavior of the person. These principles are illustrating how Dewey was building off of the ideas from James to expand the role of functionalism. (James, 2005, pp. 179 -- 268)