The church is an authority on knowledge in the Middle Ages. During this period, there are different beliefs compared to modern beliefs; the earth is 6000 years old (1), the man is not an animal (2), the sun revolves around the earth (3), thinking takes place in the immaterial mind (4), the Greeks knew everything (5).

The

Wolff has several important characteristics:

• Proposes rational psychology; in this type of psychology, axioms had to be derived from fundamental disciplines.
• Proposes empirical psychology; in this type of psychology, the demonstrations of rational psychology had to be considered.
• Introduces introspection as a scientific method

Introspection refers to the study of the mind

Ancient Egyptian physicians knew the importance of the brain in behaviour as was shown by the Edwin Smith Papyrus. Plato believed the soul consisted of three parts and the brain was the most important part.

Aristotle, on the other hand, believed that thought was located in the heart because of the heart’s central location (1), its importance

Mental health treatment was seen as a medical treatment before the second world war, explaining why psychologists were not allowed to treat patients without supervision. After the second world war, there was an increased need for psychological help (e.g. shellshock patients) which led to a more psychological approach to mental disorders.

After the second world war, there

The scientific method is used because it allows for systematicity and accumulation of knowledge (1), it makes use of well-defined methods (2), it provides clarity (3), it is useful for predictions (4) and it makes knowledge revisable (5). However, there are several reasons why psychology might not be a science:

• Society does not always see psychology

There is a reciprocal interaction between psychological science and society. Aberrant cognition, affect and behaviour used to be explained by bizarre theories and the treatments were ineffective and inhumane. Each culture has a symptom pool and patients with psychological problems gravitate towards the symptoms that are thought to be a legitimate indication of a mental disorder. Clinical practice