The GENERAL PART of the course aims to sketch the historical development of the psychological sciences, from its origins to the present day, with a critical and pluralist approach. Through an integrated historiographical perspective, the theoretical and practical-methodological issues of the main schools of the second half of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will be tackled, with a hint at the most relevant themes of contemporary psychology, both in terms of militant research and professional activity.

The MONOGRAPHIC PART proposes to delve into the epistemological and methodological issues of psychology, in a complementary way to the general part: definition of the main object of interest, historical evolution of the basic disciplinary instances, questions relating to the main methods and instruments of investigation, the many and varied objectives of the activity, etc. A critical comparison between the different theoretical and practical trends currently present in the field of psychological sciences will also be favoured.

GENERAL PART: Issues of historiography relating to the historical approach to psychology. The cultural context of the 19th century and the origins of psychology. Structuralism and functionalism. Reflexology and the cultural-historical school. Freud and psychoanalysis. Gestalt psychology. Behaviourism. Piaget and the Geneva School. The cognitivist movement. Psychology between cognitive science and biology. Other theoretical orientations and possible futures of psychology. Network-related innovations. Psychology as a profession: operational contexts and forms of activity.

MONOGRAPHIC PART: Transversal in-depth study of the conceptual issues and models of psychology, with a focus on the notions of the psyche, mind-body dualism, normal and pathological, illness, deviance and others, as well as methodological and procedural aspects concerning both the humanistic and/or experimental aspect of research and therapeutic practice, with reference to qualitative/quantitative, physiological, behavioural approaches, etc.

SEQUENCE OF TOPICS

The sequence of topics will roughly follow the order of the chapters in Legrenzi's manual, with thematic insertions taken from the anthology material and Ceccarelli's volume.

1st week. History: Historiographical approach to psychology, historical background and analysis of the socio-cultural context of its origins. Epistemology, guiding ideas: from the notion of 'soul' to that of 'psyche', mind-body dualism in philosophical debate, basic issues of experimental psychology. 

2nd week. History: Structuralism and functionalism. Epistemology, guiding ideas: pre-scientific approach to knowledge, laboratory and experimental method, structures and functions, introspection, subjective and objective features, sum of parts and emergent properties of systems.

3rd week. History: Reflexology and the cultural-historical school. Behaviourism. Epistemology, guiding ideas: behaviour, subjectivism and anti-subjectivism, reductionism and anti-reductionism. Anthology: WATSON'S idea of psychology as seen by the behaviourist.

4th week. History: Gestalt psychology. Freud and psychoanalysis. Epistemology, guiding ideas: experimentalism, field concept, gnoseology, art and psychology; conscious and unconscious, fundamental drives, illness and sanity. Anthology: KOHLER's insight; FREUD's History of psychoanalytic movement.

5th week. History: Piaget and the Geneva School. The cognitivist movement. Epistemology, guiding ideas: genetic epistemology, assimilation and accommodation, stages and phases of child development, description and explanation, knowledge of mental processes; mind, nature and culture.

6th week. History: Cognitive science and psychology. Network-related innovations. Epistemology, guiding ideas: empirical foundations, laws and theories, verificationism and falsificationism in the scientific approach to knowledge. Anthology: Gestalt and the semiotics of language in BUHLER.

7th week. History: Other theoretical orientations and possible futures of psychology. Epistemology, guiding ideas: antinomian structure and ends of psychology, uniqueness or multiplicity of research method. Anthology: Knowledge and reality according to NEISSER.

8th week. History and epistemology: monism, pluralism and methodological anarchism. Psychology as a profession: operational contexts and forms of activity. Methods in psychology: observation and experimentation, clinical method, differential method, interview and enquiry.

No

Priority should be given to functional knowledge and operational skills related to the following aspects.

1) Knowledge and understanding. The ability to grasp the main contents of the history of psychology, between human sciences, physiological sciences and medico-psychiatry.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding. Being able to trace the complex path of research and theoretical reflections on the main themes of psychology in the cultural history of western civilisation.

3) Making judgements. Ability to make comparisons between schools and theories in the history of psychology, identifying and evaluating the similarities and differences between them.

4) Communication skills. Ability to clearly communicate knowledge, ideas, problems and solutions on which the course focuses to specialists and non-specialists.

5) Learning skills. Ability to learn and engage in further or more advanced studies with some autonomy and awareness.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Not provided

Teaching

Lectures alternated with possible in-depth seminars and exercises on the topics presented during the lessons, including the analysis of texts of historical and scientific relevance.

Innovative teaching methods

Group discussion on course topics and content:
Problem-based learning. Development of subject-specific skills by working in small groups.
Community of Inquiry, COI:  active involvement of students in thematic participatory research contexts.

Attendance

No

Course books

GENERAL PART

LEGRENZI P. (ed), Storia della psicologia, Il Mulino, Bologna 2024 (7th edn) [BOOK: 259 pages] ISBN 978-88-15-38977-0

MONOGRAPHIC PART

Epistemological framing of disciplinary approaches, notions and methods:

CECCARELLI G., Psicologia. fondamenti epistemologici e metodologici, Edizioni Leardini, Macerata Feltria 2018 (2nd edn) [BOOK: 204 pages] ISBN 978-88-98064-32-8

Thematic insights and anthological excerpts:

FREUD S., Per la storia del movimento psicoanalitico, in ID., Opere. vol. 7, ed. by C.L. Musatti, trans. by A. Staude e R. Colorni, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 1975, 1989, pp. 375-438 [EXCERPT: 60 pages] [also available in the Moodle platform› blended.uniurb.it]

WATSON J.B., "La psicologia così come la vede il comportamentista", in ID., Antologia degli scritti, ed. by P. Meazzini, Il Mulino, Bologna 1976, pp. 53-75 [EXCERPT: 23 pages] [also available in the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it]

KOHLER W., La psicologia della Gestalt, Feltrinelli, Milano 1989 - Topic: Insight - EXCERPT, pp. 243-272 [30 pages] [also available in the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it]

BUHLER K., Lo sviluppo mentale del bambino. Compendio, Armando Roma 1979 - Topics: Gioco e creatività nel bambino - Disegni - La fiaba e la fantasia - EXCERPT, pp. 137-171 [35 pages] [also available in the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it]

NEISSER U., Conoscenza e realtà, Il Mulino, Bologna 1993 – EXCERPT: Introduzione, pp. 23-32; cap. 4 - Gli schemi, pp. 67-90 [34 pages] [also available in the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it]

Assessment

Written test consisting of open and/or closed questions.

The final assessment is expressed in thirtieths and is determined by the following grading scale

less than 18: insufficient level of competence.
18-20: sufficient level of competence.
21-23: fully sufficient level of competence.
24-26: good level of competence.
27-30: very good level of competence.
30 cum laude: excellent level of competence.

Students on courses other than Psychological Sciences and Techniques and Eramus students may, on request, take the examination in the form of an oral interview, subject to informing the lecturer when they register for the call.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

There are no differences with respect to the requirements for attending students.

Attendance

No

Course books

There are no differences with respect to the requirements for attending students.

In order to give non-attending students the opportunity to compensate for what is done during the lectures through self-study, the following materials are provided that refer to the same syllabus content to promote their full learning: presentations and handouts provided in class.

Assessment

There are no differences with respect to the requirements for attending students.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.