Psychological Review is devoted to the publication of significant theoretical contributions in any area of scientific psychology, including systematic evaluation of alternative theories. Articles which are primarily surveys of the literature, problems of method and design, or reports of empirical findings are not appropriate. Psychological Review is also interested in articles that extend psychological knowledge in important directions, such as reexamining basic assumptions about behavior or the nature of mental processes, or making new discoveries about human experience.
Wilhelm Wundt, credited as one of the founders of psychology, established his first laboratory in 1879 (Figure 1). His version of experimental introspection involved training participants to observe and report on their own reactions to specific stimuli. His book,Volkerpsychologiein 1904, emphasized that psychologists should study culture. One of his students, Edward Titchener, went on to develop structuralism, a theory that focused on the contents of mental processes rather than their function.
Sigmund Freud, a highly influential psychologist, proposed psychoanalysis as a therapy for emotional and behavioral disorders. He believed that mental illness was rooted in childhood traumas and experiences, and that these traumas could be resolved through a process of reliving and discussing past events with a therapist. His ideas about the relationship between unconscious feelings and behavior revolutionized psychology. He is credited with creating the field of psychoanalysis. He was also an early proponent of the humanistic perspective, which emphasizes the potential for good that is innate in all people.
