Influences in the History of Psychology

Aristotle produced one of the earliest thorough writings on psychology, building on the works of preceding philosophers. The treatise, De Anima (On the Soul), focuses on bio-psychology, the study of psychology within a biological framework, rather than spirituality. In the text, the word "soul" could be more accurately rendered as "life-force." Aristotle believed that, like us, animals and plants had souls. Vegetative souls, which include the capacities for growth, feeding, and reproduction, exist within plants. Animals also possess a sensitive soul that includes the faculties of perception and mobility. Humans also have a rational soul, which consists of the faculties of reason and thought, in addition to the two mentioned above.

He separates the human mind into the passive intellect and the active intellect in a more thorough psychological investigation. Aristotle asserts that imitation of something that makes us feel content and happy, even on a surface level, is a trait of human nature. The delicate link that unites human psychology with human physiology may be the most notable aspect of his psychological observations. He made significant advancements over the pre-scientific psychology that came before him, ushering in an era of far more accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The need to reproduce (or "Libido"), which stems from the vegetative or plant soul, was the dominating motivation of all living things, according to Aristotle, who was one of the first to investigate the impulses that propelled life. Id and Ego, in addition to desire, also controlled how we act. For many years, Aristotle's contributions to psychology went uncontested, influencing the development of the field. Furthermore, many of his ideas still have an impact on contemporary psychologists.