Charles Darwin

While Charles Darwin may have started out to explain the science of nature, he succeeded in influencing the course of psychology along the way. Charles Darwin's works had impact on the way that psychological study was performed, and he influenced the content of psychology as well. Charles Darwin inspired the development of three branches of psychology, human developmental psychology, comparative psychology, and functionalism. Paper Masters can compose a custom written research paper on Charles Darwin that follows your guidelines.

Darwin's Research

Charles Darwin was methodical in his research and documentation of his observations and thinking. He used careful observation and systematic detail to explain his theories and define them. Even though Charles Darwin first began to suggest the theory of evolution in 1841, he continued to research his hypothesis for an additional eighteen years before finally structuring his theory into On the Origin of Species. This observational method stimulated the use of strict documentation and descriptive studies in psychology.

Darwin and Human Development Psychology

Charles Darwin directly contributed to the field of human development psychology through his published work Biographical Sketch of an Infant. In this comprehensive journal Darwin documented the development of his oldest son. It was a revolutionary work in child psychology, the first published volume of its kind. In it, Darwin documents the similarities between his son's development and the development of the human species. Indirectly, his evolution theory contained certain components of great interest to developmental psychologists. Darwin's cousin, Sir Frances Galton, took up the study by focusing on the premise of inheritance. His area of research concerned how specific beneficial characteristics were passed on from one generation to another.