Analyzing the Zeitgeist's Impact on Modern Psychology's Development

This essay evaluates the importance of Zeitgeist, or the spirit of the times, in the development of modern psychology. It begins by defining Zeitgeist and its influence on cultural and intellectual climates, particularly in relation to structuralism and functionalism in early psychology. The essay then explores the contributions of philosophers like Rene Descartes, focusing on his impact during the Dutch Golden Age and his dualistic view of mind and body. It also highlights the role of empiricism, emphasizing the importance of sensory experience in knowledge acquisition. The essay further discusses the contributions of Wilhelm Wundt, considered the father of experimental psychology, and his use of scientific methods and introspection. The essay concludes by summarizing the key events and philosophical influences that shaped the favorable Zeitgeist for modern psychology's emergence, including the contributions of empiricists and the emphasis on psychological and physiological aspects.

Evaluate the importance of
the zeitgeist in philosophy and
science to the emergence of
Modern Psychology

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Zeitgeist is referred as the spirit of times which is generally a perspective or time’s ideology
which is dominant. This was considered as the structuralism in the early days and then in the
later days it was considered as the functionalism. Whether the primary perspective of the day is
anything, the zeitgeist is considered (Burchill, 2020). It is significant because it gives opportunity
to learn about the past human behaviour which is most relevant to the intellectual development
of an individual. The report is based on the role of zeitgeist in the modern psychology which
helps in its emergence. It will also focus on the contributions of various philosophers and the
empiricists in the modern psychology.
MAIN BODY
Zeitgeist is a German word which has a specific meaning Zeit-time and Geist means spirit
which makes and overall meaning of the word as the spirit of time, the general intellectual, moral
and cultural climate of an era. Zeitgeist influences the culture which can be manifested in the
expectations, attitudes and the assumptions regarding the creative people and the innovative
things. Zeitgeist is considered to be an overarching and hugely powerful force. Zeitgeist has not
only contributed in bringing creativity but many undesirable traits along with this. Creativity is
basically associated with certain forms of psychopathology. They also led to unconventional
behaviours and in some situation’s creativity. Zeitgeist is considered as the dominant perspective
or ideology of a time. In the earlier days of psychology, the Zeitgeist was considered on the basis
of structure as well as function which was also known as structuralism and functionalism. The
Zeitgeist theory of history focusses on the role of the situational factors as technology,
economics and social influences (Li, 2020).
Zeitgeist is basically a term which stands for the prevalent social climate or the spirit of
particular generation or time. Zeitgeist can be unfavourable or favourable for psychology in
different times and specific circumstances. For instance, the human sexuality is considered as the
subject of psychological studies. When psychology is considered as the scientific discipline, it
was worth booming. The psychological research was sponsored by the government which lead to
opening of new departments in university which resulted in creation of new faculty positions.
That time, various research seminars and national conferences were held. The social climate has
positive impact on the psychology as a discipline. The main problem was the charge which was
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against the social sciences which becomes the tendency in moving from one problem to another
which is carried along by the Zeitgeist and does not produce a resolution. They must listen and
must be aware of the complexity and context-dependency of the problems for which the social
scientists are concerned. Zeitgeist are tracked as the ebb and flow of the impact of three cultures
i.e., social science, natural science and the humanities. This is why, it is referred to as a form of
supraindividual mind at work in the world and are developed in the cultural world view which
are responsible for pervading the ideas, emotions and outlooks of a specific culture in a particular
historic period. Zeitgeist is considered as the dominant perspective or the ideology of time. In the
earlier time, the zeitgeist was considered as structuralism and then in the later days it was started
considering as functionalism.
Zeitgeist is considered as the tool for sociological analysis. This is also considered as the
hypothesis for pattern in meaningful practices which is specific to a time period historically by
linking different realms of social groups and life and helps in extending across the geographical
contexts. Zeitgeist is held together by developing coherence between the set of ideas. The term
zeitgeist was developed as a tool for sociological analysis that can capture these and other
cultural phenomena. Two opposing zeitgeist helps in defining a period. The analytical potential
of Zeitgeist was reduced to the social groups which lead to many questions regarding the
material and social carriers of cultural phenomena. This make zeitgeist a conceptual variable
among others which lead to making the it a research object which is evaluated regarding the
different set of properties (Dubrov and Tatarko, 2018). This plays a major role in the philosophy.
This is regarded as the branch which is mostly known as the sociology of knowledge. This
considers the people’s beliefs of groups while the philosophy restricts to the beliefs of
philosophers or the impact of the philosopher’s beliefs on others. This makes philosophy a
complicated stuff. The main idea was given by Rene Descartes which analyses the intellectual
influence over the period which was known as Dutch Golden Age. The big ideas of Descartes
were discarding the belief in all things which are absolutely uncertain and also emphasizes the
understanding which can be surely known. After this, Descartes was recognised as the father of
analytical geometry. This was considered as one of the leading influences in the scientific
revolution which was a period of revelation, intense discovery and innovation that is rippled
through Europe between the Enlightenment eras and Renaissance (Roberts, 2017).
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Empiricism in terms of philosophy under which the concepts originate in the experience and also
the concepts are about or applicable to things which can be experienced or that all the beliefs
which are acceptable rationally or the propositions are knowable or justifiable only through the
experience (Samier, 2018). This involves the implicit theory of meaning according to which only
the words are meaningful as they are able to convey the concepts. This was believed by the
empiricists that the concepts are nothing but the mental copies of items which are directly
experienced or complex combinations of concepts which are specified in the experiential terms.
In terms of philosophy, empiricism is the theory which states that the knowledge comes through
sensory experience and is considered as one of the most important view of epistemology and also
of skepticism and rationalism. This also focusses on emphasizing the role of empirical evidence
in the formation of ideas rather than the innate traditions or ideas.
Descartes also mentioned in his thesis one of the most lasting and deepest legacies that mind and
body are actually distinct whose thesis is known as ‘mind-body dualism’. This made him reach
to a conclusion that through arguing regarding the nature of mind which is actually a thinking
and a non-extended thing and is completely different from the body which is an extended and
non-thinking thing so it is possible for both to live without each other independently. This
discussion led to the most famous problem of the interaction of mind-body casual (Into, 2019). It
also focusses on the reasons for the movement of the bodily limbs. This can be explained by
considering the example of raising hand for asking question and also the ways in which the sense
organs of the body cause sensations in mind due to their different natures. But Descartes
responded to all these issues by discussing that the unity of mind and body with the each other in
forming human being.
The contribution of Wundt cannot be ignored as he separated psychology from philosophy
through analysing the mind workings in structured way by having the aim to measure and control
the objective. Wundt contributed to the psychology development by doing research in controlled
conditions carefully which is the experimental methods. This also led to the study of zeitgeist
which is the defining spirit or mood of history’s particular period by the use of ideas and beliefs.
Wundt’s objective was recording thoughts and sensations and analysing them into their
constituent elements in the same way in which the chemist analyses the chemical compounds for
gaining the underlying structure. Wundt also founded the school of psychology which was
known as voluntarism which is the process in order to organise the mind. This made Wundt
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considered as the father of experimental psychology. This also became him the first
psychologist. He wrote the first textbook of psychology named the Principles of Physiological
Psychology in 1873-74. Also, he set up the first laboratory regarding the experimental
psychology in 1879 (Simonton, 2019). Another contribution to Zeitgeist by Wundt’s can be seen
by using the scientific method for studying the structure of perception and sensation. It was also
showed by him that introspection could be used for studying mental states in the replicable
experiments in the laboratory. Therefore, Wundt’s contributed greatly through structuralism and
introspection towards the Zeitgeist.
CONCLUSION
The report focussed on the importance and the role of Zeitgeist in the emergence of the
modern psychology. Secondary research was done for achieving the objectives. The key events
were discussed which affects the creation of the favourable zeitgeist. It also shed light on the
philosophical influences which are identified by the various philosophers such as Descartes and
Wundt’s. The contribution of the empiricists was also focussed upon which helped in associating
the functions of mind, body and soul. It impacts the zeitgeist in many ways which were also
mentioned in the report. The psychological and physiological aspects were discussed.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Burchill, S., 2020. Critical Thinking: Part Two—Escaping the Zeitgeist and Building an
Intellectual Self-Defence. In Misunderstanding International Relations (pp. 27-51).
Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Dubrov, D. and Tatarko, A., 2018. Intergenerational Transmission of Values in Urban and Rural
Areas of Russia: The Role of Perceived Psychological Closeness. In Changing Values
and Identities in the Post-Communist World (pp. 117-130). Springer, Cham.
Into, A.P.B., 2019. CHAPTER EIGHT FREUD: A PRECURSOR BREAKING INTO THE
CONTEMPORARY ZEITGEIST DOUGLAS KIRSNER. Why Do Things Break?, p.100.
Li, R., 2020. Young Dewey and Zeitgeist in Psychology. In Rediscovering John Dewey (pp. 49-
73). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Roberts, R., 2017. The Off-Modern: Psychology Estranged. John Hunt Publishing.
Samier, E.A., 2018. Education in a troubled era of disenchantment: the emergence of a new
Zeitgeist. Journal of Educational Administration and History. 50(1). pp.41-50.
Simonton, D.K., 2019. 22 Creativity’s Role in Society. The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity,
p.462.
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