A German doctor turned psychology into a science

The human brain has always been a source of admiration and admiration throughout history, but psychology did not develop into a separate science until the 19th century.

Until then, many viewed the study of the psyche as a branch of philosophy, while others viewed it as part of medicine, with an emphasis on the brain and nervous system.

It was the German physician Wilhelm Wundt – known today as the father of modern psychology – who made psychology an independent field of research.

Wundt was not the first to investigate people’s mental states. He was the first to call himself a psychiatrist, and founded an institute in which he conducted psychological research and experiments only according to recognized scientific methods.

Researchers flock to Leipzig

The Wundt Institute was founded in 1879 at the University of Leipzig, thus emerging from the shadows of other academic scholars for the first time.

In his lab, Wendt investigated, among other things, the mental structures underlying consciousness. His methods were based on experimentation and empiricism, and Wundt developed, among others: Introspection.

In this method, conscious experiences are broken down into smaller parts which are then examined. The goal is to use the sum of these elements to understand consciousness.

He. She Psychological Institute Such a success became such that researchers from all over the world came to Leipzig to check out the new science. One of his students was Armand Terry, a Belgian priest who was conducting doctoral research at Wundt.