functionalism, in psychology, a broad school of thought originating in the U.S. during the late 19th century that attempted to counter the German school of structuralism led by Edward B. Titchener. Functionalists, including psychologists William James and James Rowland Angell, and philosophers George H.

Who developed functionalism theory?

It can be argued that all behavioural origins begin within the nervous system, prompting all scientists of human behaviour to possess basic physiological understandings, something very well understood by the functionalist founder William James.

When was functionalism founded?

In 1890, William James attempted to explain how consciousness functions with his book The Principles of Psychology. Because James's theories attempted to explain the function of consciousness rather than the structure, his approach was appropriately named functionalism.