William James
By Erika Lehan
Date of BIrth and Death
- Born on January 11th, 1842, New York City, NY
- Died on August 26th, 1910, Tamworth, NH at age 68
Family
- William was born into a wealthy family that contained four other siblings
- James married Alice Howe Gibbens and they had five children of their own
Educational Background
William James first attended Lawrence Scientific School where he was into such topics as chemistry and physiology, he went on to study at Harvard Medical School and then took a year break after that. After earning his medical degree, he became a lecturer at Harvard University. Initially a lecturer in physiology, James went to teach psychology and philosophy.
Contributions
James was the first American psychologist who went on to write the first psychology textbook. For William, the study of psychology was to study the functions of consciousness, or the ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment, a view that became known as functionalism. He believed that mental processes evolved over time and that us humans develop useful habits.
Sources
"Thinking about Psychology" Textbook
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James#Family
http://www.worldcandycake.com/?p=159