Phrenology Essay

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Phrenology may be known to some as psychology’s greatest faux pas (Young, 1990, p.9). However, to others it is known as an important stepping stone to present Psychology and its teachings. Phrenology was a science dedicated to the theory that the brain is the organ of the mind composed of multiple distinct inmate faculties (Van Whye, 2015). Franz Joseph Gall is said to be the father of Phrenology that originated in the mid-1790’s. Gall’s great findings suggested that the shape of the brain is determined by the development of various organs and that “the skull takes its shape from the brain, the surface of the skill can be read as an accurate index of psychological aptitudes and tendencies” (Van Whye, 2015). Galls work is so both so popular and criticized because his was the first empirical approach both to the nature of the faculties and to their localizations (Young, 1990, p. 10) and because Gall and most phrenologists sought only the confirmations of Phrenology and not the contradictory evidence (Van Whye, 2015). In 1815 a review of Phrenology brought this new scientific idea to the english-speaking world and thus became the new scientific pursuit for the middle class men that attracted not the enthusiastic and the arrogant (Van Whye, 2015). Why was Phrenology so popular with the middle class and not the…show more content…
12). Phrenologists would run their bare finger tips, or palms of their hands over the head to distinguish any elevations or indentions (Van Whye, 2015). This new found science was so popular because Phrenologists would determine which behaviors and tendencies one was best at, eventually employers started demanding character references from local phrenologists to ensure that employees were honest and hard-working (Van Whye,
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