Who has had the greatest impact on the world of psychology?

Question

Don't even bother to answer if the best you can come up with is Freud. I wont discredit him, but I don't want to see 50 answers all the same.

Answer 1

I'd have to say Wundt. If it was not for him we would not have psychology.

Answer 2

"Greatest impact"? Well, Fritz Perls, in -"In and Out the Garbage Pail", said that Freud made the first great step, and that he, Perls, made the second, and that the third step was yet to be made.

I would tend to agree with this, but I would lay more stress on the contribution of those who gave us the term "Psychology", whose prefix "psyche" means self, soul, and mind.... which is clearly a reference to the Esoteric realms of Man.

Freud made many significant contributions, but some of them were only partial in nature, and needed to be completed. Perls helped complete some of Freud's concepts, but Perls, himself, knew that he was just scratching the surface of what needed to be done.

If really interested in the "next step", the title of the book I wrote in 1986, you might check out this . What has been missing in the study of Man has been a study of the Esoteric realms within Man. I have labeled the study of the Esoteric within Man using the term "Esochology". The Esoteric realms within Man have been ignored and denied for almost a century now, or since the early 1900's when Skinner, introduced the riduculous idea of "behaviorism" as a substitute for Psychology.

At some future point in history, Esochology will probably have the "greatest impact" upon understanding Man, and how and "why" Man operates.... and I suspect the field of "psychology" will cling to behaviorism until it becomes irrelevant.

Answer 3

Freud is the father of modern psychology even though most of his theories have been discredited. Hugh Hefner is probably second.

In 50-100 years I think Buddha will probably be the most important influence on western psychology (If we're still around).

Buddhism is not belief in a Deity. It's really a profound psychology in full harmony with science. It asks us to look at how we all make ourselves crazy with endless desires, fear, and judgments.

If we let it all go, life becomes a joy and celebration.

Answer 4

Jean Piaget probably has the greatest influence. A lot of education systems worldwide are based on his human development theories, and many of them have been proven to be rather accurate rather than discredited. Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, has most of his theories slammed by critics. Since children are our future leaders, I would say that Jean Piaget is the most influencial.

Answer 5

the Chinese of 3000 bce used civil service exams to test for job readiness so a case could be made for them, but John Watson and his brand of behaviorism is maybe the most impactive instrument of the last thousand years. But once the dust settles, the person with the greatest impact on psychology is you!

Answer 6

I personally like Paget and Erickson's stage of development, and wasn't Erickson who developed the looking glass theory. Freud did a lot for psychology, but an abundance of his work was for self satisfaction. The man had sex with a number of his patient, men and women and he was addicted to cocaine.

Answer 7

It depends what area of psychology your interested in. The field is way to big to answer with a name and one individual will have no impact on other areas. For example, in developmental you have Piaget, with therapeutic process you have Rogers, Pearls etc., with cognitive therapy you have Aaron Beck, Miechenbaum and others.

Answer 8

The greatest impact would have to be Dr. Kinsey as he opened the universe to the sexual underlyings of the human condition.

Answer 9

Tony Blauer!

Answer 10

Nobody