Question

Which of the following schools of psychology was strongly influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection?

• A. Structuralism
• B. Functionalism
• C. Behaviourism
• D. Psychodynamic

Hint:

Think of "adaptation," "utility of consciousness," and "Darwin" as a single conceptual cluster that points directly to Functionalism and William James.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks us to identify the school of psychology that drew substantial inspiration from Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory of natural selection.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

• Functionalism, championed by William James, John Dewey, and James Rowland Angell, focused on how mental processes operate to help organisms adapt to their environments.

• This focus on the "utility" and "adaptive value" of consciousness was a direct application of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection.

• Rather than looking at static structures of the mind (as Structuralism did), functionalists wanted to know *why* the mind functions the way it does.

• Behaviorism focused on observable stimulus-response relations, and while it used animal models, its philosophical core was environmental learning rather than direct evolutionary adaptation of conscious processes.

• Psychodynamic theory focused on internal unconscious conflicts, heavily drawing from biological drives but not originating as a direct functional adaptation school.

• Thus, Functionalism is the school defined by its evolutionary, adaptive perspective on human mental life.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Functionalism is the psychological school of thought that was strongly influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection.