Charles Darwin's Contribution To The Field Of Psychology

Improved Essays
Charles Darwin is one of the founding fathers of psychology. Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809, and died on April 19 1882 (“Wikipedia”). Darwin was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin who was an intellectual figure in the history of science. His father was a well respected, successful physician. Charles Darwin comes from a line of intellectual men and was expected to do great things. Darwin attended Shrewsbury school, then continued his studies at Edinburgh University where he studied medicine and then later studied theology at Cambridge University. Charles Darwin did not excel in school, the way his family expected him to, however at Cambridge University he became an advocate for natural history (“Encyclopedia of Psychology”). Darwin has made much significant contribution in the field of Psychology. In this paper I will provide information about Darwin’s life and his contributions to the field of psychology.

Darwin came from a family of men who made significant contributions to the world. His father was a prominent physician, his grandfather a respected scientist and his cousin Galton who is also a recognizable name in science. There was great expectation for
…show more content…
He knew his belief would contradict the religious beliefs, which was popular belief at the time. Darwin continued to research the topic of evolution for 18 years before his published his book on Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Every copy of this book was sold out on the first day of its release. Initially scientist did not support these concepts and theories, however in time Darwin was recognized for his hard work and his courage to go against popular beliefs. Even today Darwin’s theories are not widely accepted. Religion continues to argue against Darwin’s theories so throughout the history of time Darwin’s theories and Religious theories have been on opposite sides of a

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Darwin first interacted with Herschel’s work through Herschel’s ‘Discourse’. Since then, Darwin appears to hold the man in high respects, even after meeting him personally (2). William Whewell, a close friend to Herschel, has also contributed greatly to the system of science that Darwin embodies, termed the Herschel-Whewell system (2).The structure of Darwin’s description and formulation of natural selection can be seen to parallel this system. From Malthus, Darwin first begins to formulate natural selection from the ‘law’ that populations increase at a faster rate than their food supply…

    • 1511 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, on February 12, 1809. He died April 19, 1882 in Kent, England. Charles Darwin brought many interesting ideas to the world of science. He established the brilliant idea of evolution. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and geologist.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    His ideas that generated natural selection are the go to for modern evolutionary studies and provides a basis for scientists to better understand biology. The most interestingly significant thing about Darwin’s achievements is how far ahead of his time he was. With no understanding of genetics, Darwin formulated his theory. There is no doubt that Charles Darwin was a brilliant man and arguably contributed some of the most important information to science recorded to…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Charles Darwin was a British naturalist that changed the way people think of the world. He traveled to the Galapagos Islands and noticed species that he did not recognize. From his time at the Galapagos, he discovered the theory of evolution and natural selection. Charles Darwin was the son of wealthy parents. His father was a doctor, and wanted Charles Darwin to become one himself.…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Contributions of Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin was a British scientist best known for his contributions to the evolutionary theory and his theory of natural selection. Darwin came up with these theories in the late 1830s, but failed to publish them until the release of his book the Origin of Species in 1859. With pressure building from colleagues and scientists in the Far East, it is said that Darwin decided to rush publishing his findings. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was constructed during a period of industrialization that was taking hold in Britain and the United States. Society during this time was looking to science to answer questions that had troubled the world for centuries.…

    • 2013 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Charles Darwin was never a per se psychologist, but his studies and theories has led to some of the best findings of all time and has slowly shaped several fields of psychology. Darwin helped craft the theory of evolution through his examination of natural selection in nature and showed the world how different variations of animals came to be. While his opinion wasn’t very popular during his time it has become more accepted throughout the years with more facts and because of this, is on the verge of becoming law instead of theory. Darwin’s theoretical concepts, ideas that were astounding for his time, and perspective view of the world has shaped the way health professionals all over the world look at life today. Charles Darwin was an evolutionary…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Charles Darwin exposed his theory of evolution for the first time, criticism soon aroused. The period 's mindset highly motivated the struggles for acceptance of Darwin 's theory. In other words, by the 1800s, the notion of an old Earth filled with evolving species dating back from billions of years contradicted religious beliefs and was far beyond everything concluded by other scholars. Although his book soon attracted the attention and support of many scientists to his new “Darwinistic” set of beliefs, others did not sympathize with it. So Darwin had to face two biggest limitations: controversy probably generated as a result of religious concerns and on the other hand, the skepticism from fellow scholars.…

    • 1052 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Darwin’s theories contributed most to comparative psychology, which is the study of the behavior and mental processes of nonanimals, oftentimes to find out more about humans (McLeod, 1970). Since Darwin died shortly before psychology schools and systems were founded, he could not have been opposed to any schools or systems. I chose Darwin because his ideas are important in distinguishing the difference between the human and animal minds. This is relevant in psychology today because most psychologists focus on the human mind, so it is fundamental to understand what makes it so unique compared to nonhuman minds. I wanted to focus my biographical sketch on a comparative psychologist because I have always been drawn to stories of people who lack humanity and animals who show humanity.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Charles Darwin was a 19th century naturalist who shaped the way we view nature and humanity. His theories of evolution completely reassessed how we understand the natural world through his ideas on natural selection. Darwin himself was largely inspired by a few other naturalists who predeceased him, mainly William Paley and Thomas Malthus, and it was their work, as well as his travels around the world, that led him to form his own theories and to change how nature, humans and biology are seen for generations to come. Thomas Malthus was a leading economist and human ecologists during the Romantic period, and formed his principle of population that was largely defined by conflict, which eventually gave way to the development of evolutionary…

    • 1807 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Charles Darwin spent most of his life researching and trying to prove his theories. He wasn’t out for fame or fortune but knowledge. Many different aspects of life force people to thrive for something more. Some people stand for those occasions while others keep their heads down trying not cause trouble. Darwin and Gould are men who didn’t…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays