By Me! Hunter Salada!By Me! Hunter Salada!

This is William JamesStaring into the distance…

Early Life

(Pre-College)

James was born into a very wealthy family on

January 11, 1842 in New York City He went to the best schools and explored Europe as a

child Wanted to be a painter (that didn’t work out) Developed back pains at a very early age Joined the army

The Father of American Psychology

College Life

Started out studying physiology Added Chemistry to that And then medical school He worked really hard

Early College

He left Medical School to go to Brazil and study with

Louis Agassiz, but couldn’t go due to back pain Went back to medical school He left again to go to Germany in search for help

with his back pain Came back to finally get his MD (but still had back

pain)

Indecision

Depression

After becoming extremely well educated he realized

he didn’t know what to do in life He became severely depressed James was considering suicide until he read an

article by Charles Renouvier which gave him hope when he had none

Hopelessness

Personal Life

His father was Henry James Sr. He had three brothers: Wilkinson (Wilky), Robertson

(Bob), Henry, and he had one sister: Alice James He married a girl he met in college and had five

children!

Family

PSYCHOLOGY!!!!!

yay

This book was James’s masterpiece James hated it Expresses many of his philosophical views as well as

psychological Published by Henry Holt (founder of the company

that makes most of your textbooks)

Principles in Psychology

This is the thought process in which you say that

truth is only truth for as long as it “works” It’s a lot like challenging the truth to only be

temporary James was the first to put it into a text

Pragmatism

You take a thing, and make it practical The idea of looking at something not by its little tiny

pieces, but by the grand scheme

Functionalism

The idea that you have a physiological reaction to an

event, and that is where your emotions come from So, your body reacts, and you look at how it reacts to

know your emotion

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

You have four selfs: Material- your clothes and other “things” you own Social- how you present yourself in public Spiritual- your emotions and views on things Pure Ego- The only “I” self. James thought it was like

your soul

Theory of Self