Famous Psychologists

Psychologists have certainly helped the way we see the human condition. This is especially true since the turn of the 20th century when the profession gained new ground in public opinion which was opened up by the discussion of mental health. A profession that was once pursued only by a few has now become a part of our human culture.

Sigmund Freud

Here are the most famous of the psychologists whose works have become the basis for much of our understanding in mental health and what makes us who we are today.

Sigmund Freud

Arguably the most famous of all the psychologists, the works of Sigmund Freud opened up new insight to the workings of the human mind. His efforts supported the belief that not all mental illnesses had roots in physiological causes. Plus, he offered evidence that differences in cultural background impacted our behavior and psychology as well. His works continue to inspire and influence people today in terms of our understanding of personality, human development and clinical psychology.

B.F. Skinner

Among psychologists, B. F. Skinner is arguably the most eminent and influential in the field of behaviorism. His views helped lead the thinking on therapy techniques which are still being used heavily today. Behavior modification is one of the pillars of Skinner's work that is still being used today.

Jean Piaget

The understanding of the intellectual development of children is largely the work of Jean Piaget. His research contributed immensely to the growth of cognitive and developmental psychology. In fact, many education reforms were made because of his work. Albert Einstein himself once described Piaget's work as "so simple that only a genius could have thought of it."

Albert Bandura

The cognitive revolution that happed in psychology in the late 1960s and 1970s was certainly due in part to the work of Albert Bandura. He stressed the importance of learning through observation, imitation and modeling. In other words, people do not have to rely upon experience, but instead have learned plenty through others by observing their actions. His book, the "Social Learning Theory" in 1977 was one of the landmark works that help broaden the views of psychology.

Ivan Pavlov

The famous Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov researched conditioned reflexes which helped to bring along the behaviorism theories of the 20th century. Instead of being introspective and subjective, Pavlov's experiments helped introduce objective measurements of behavior. The famous phrase about "Pavlov's dogs" helped seal his place in 20th century psychology.

Kurt Lewin

The father of modern social psychology, his pioneering work that used scientific methods along with experimentation to view social behavior helped revolutionize this aspect of psychology. As a theorist, Lewin's influence has been tremendous in regard to organizational development and group dynamics

The psychologists of today owe a great deal to the research that was carried on by their predecessors who advanced the field of psychology over the decades.

Written by Kevin Lepton

Published September 29, 2014