PSY7105 positions doctoral psychology students to think like scholars rather than practitioners. The course grounds PhD students in the historical development of psychology as a discipline — tracing the emergence of behavioral, humanistic, existential, psychodynamic, cognitive, and other major schools of thought — then challenges students to engage critically with contemporary debates and apply their theoretical understanding to the development of a dissertation topic appropriate for their specialization. By course completion, students have a theoretical framework that will guide their original research contribution to the field.
History, theory, and doctoral research in psychology
Core topics
- Historical schools of thought in psychology: The intellectual history of psychology from its philosophical roots through structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism (Watson, Skinner), psychoanalysis (Freud, Adler, Jung), humanistic psychology (Maslow, Rogers), gestalt psychology, and cognitive psychology — understanding how each school emerged in response to its predecessors and the questions each sought to answer
- Contemporary theoretical frameworks: Current major perspectives including cognitive-behavioral, social-cultural, evolutionary, neuroscientific, positive psychology, and integrative approaches — and the ongoing theoretical debates that define current psychological science and practice
- Theory and specialization: Connecting broad theoretical frameworks to the specific knowledge base of the student's chosen specialization (clinical, counseling, industrial-organizational, school, general) — identifying which theoretical traditions are most influential in that area and why
- Independent research skills: Developing the capacity to engage with primary literature, evaluate theoretical arguments, synthesize competing perspectives, and build independent scholarly positions — skills essential for doctoral-level inquiry
- Dissertation topic development: Identifying a researchable dissertation topic that is appropriate for the specialization and grounded in established theoretical frameworks — the first concrete step toward the dissertation that culminates the PhD program
PSY7105 assignments include theory critique papers, scholarly literature syntheses, and dissertation topic proposals
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Frequently asked questions
Understanding history is understanding context. Every major theoretical framework in contemporary psychology emerged in response to a specific intellectual climate, a particular set of prior ideas it was critiquing or extending. A psychologist who doesn't understand why behaviorism arose — what it was reacting against in structuralism and mentalism, what problems it solved, and what limitations ultimately gave rise to cognitive psychology — lacks the conceptual map to understand why current theories take the forms they do or to recognize the assumptions embedded in their own theoretical orientation. For dissertation research specifically, theoretical grounding matters because a dissertation is not just an empirical study — it is an argument within a field of existing knowledge. PSY7105 ensures doctoral students can situate their original research within that field: explaining what gap exists, why it matters theoretically, and how their work advances understanding within a recognized scholarly tradition. Without this foundation, a dissertation risks being technically competent but theoretically homeless.