Objective Psychology

Between 1907 anx 1910, Vladimir Bekhterev also published a 3-volume book called “Objective Psychology.” This book was the first step in establishing the field of Objective Psychology, which is based on the principle that all behavior can be explained by objectively studying reflexes. Therefore behavior is studied through observable traits. This idea contrasted the more subjective views of psychology such as structuralism, which allowed for the use of tools such as introspection to study inner thoughts about personal experiences

Objective Psychology would later become the basis of Reflexology, Gestalt Psychology, and especially Behaviorism, an area which would later revolutionize the field of psychology and the manner in which the science of psychology is conducted. Without Bekhterev’s beliefs about how to best conduct research, it is possible that these important approaches to psychology may have never been established.