Structuralism

Structuralism is one of the earliest scientific approaches in Psychology (along with Introspection and Functionalism). It was developed by E. B. Titchener, as an improvement and extension of his training with Wilhelm Wundt on Introspection, and as inspired from the advances in the fields of chemistry and physics during the 19th century.

Structuralism involves identifying and analyzing the structures of the mind. For example, Titchener analyzed the perception of taste according to the elements of the sensation of taste, which are sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness.

Structuralism was strongly criticized by William James when he developed the idea that the mind is like a stream of consciousness, constantly adapting to environmental cues, which implies that structures can't account for the continuous change that the mind undergoes.

Like Functionalism, in Structuralism, psychological research is severely limited to private conscious experiences, in contrast to the focus of the schools of psychology during the early 20th century.