Practical examples of Functionalism in Psychology

On this page, we will discuss practical examples of Functionalism in Psychology. Although functionalism no longer exists as a school of psychology, its basic principles have been absorbed into psychology and continue to influence it in many ways. The work of the functionalists has developed into the field of evolutionary psychology, a branch of psychology that applies the Darwinian theory of natural selection to human and animal behavior. Evolutionary psychology accepts the functionalists’ basic assumption, namely that many human psychological systems, including memory, emotion, and personality, serve key adaptive functions. Evolutionary psychologists use evolutionary theory to understand many different behaviors including romantic attraction, stereotypes and prejudice, and even the causes of many psychological disorders.

Practical example of Functionalism in Psychology

Air Travel Example: There are several processes that make air travel work. First, a purchase of a ticket is necessary to be allowed to travel on the plane. Next, travel to the airport on preselected dates to travel to the chosen destination is necessary. The next step is presenting a ticket at the security checkpoint and passing through security. One with then board the plane. Next, there will be a safety announcement usually by the flight attendant or captain. Then, the plane taxies to the runway. The plane speeds up and, through aerodynamics, the plane takes off. The plane then travels to the destination, and then the plane slowly descends and eventually lands. These events are processes of air travel, and they make traveling on a plane function. Functionalism is all the processes in the mind to get from point A (the interpretation of reality) or (buying a plane ticket in the example) to point B (understanding) or (the plane landing) in the example. The processes of all the required events make the task of flying function. The processes of the brain offer the interpretation and understanding of the actions behind behavior. This delineates how to interact with, and adapt to, the outside world, which is functionalism.