List of psychological schools


The psychological schools are the great classical theories of psychology. Each has been highly influential; however, most psychologists hold eclectic viewpoints that combine aspects of each school.

Most influential ones

The most influential ones and its main founders are:
  1. Behaviorism: Watson
  2. Cognitivism: Aaron T. Beck, Albert Ellis
  3. Functionalism : William James
  4. Humanistic/Gestalt: Carl Rogers
  5. Psychoanalytic school: Sigmund Freud
  6. Systems psychology: Gregory Bateson, Felix Guattari

    Complete list

list below includes all these, and other, influential schools of thought in psychology:
  1. Activity-oriented approach
  2. Analytical psychology
  3. Anti-psychiatry
  4. Anomalistic psychology
  5. Associationism
  6. Behaviorism
  7. Behavioural genetics
  8. Bioenergetics
  9. Biological psychology
  10. Biopsychosocial model
  11. Cognitivism
  12. Cultural-historical psychology
  13. Depth psychology
  14. Descriptive psychology
  15. Developmental psychology
  16. Ecopsychology
  17. Ecological psychology
  18. Ecological systems theory
  19. Ego psychology
  20. Environmental psychology
  21. Evolutionary psychology
  22. Existential psychology
  23. Experimental analysis of behavior - the school descended from B.F. Skinner's work.
  24. Functionalism
  25. Gestalt psychology
  26. Gestalt therapy
  27. Humanistic psychology
  28. Individual psychology
  29. Industrial psychology
  30. Liberation psychology
  31. Logotherapy
  32. Organismic psychology
  33. Organizational psychology
  34. Phenomenological psychology
  35. Process Psychology
  36. Psychoanalysis
  37. Psychohistory
  38. Radical behaviorism - often considered a school of philosophy, not psychology.
  39. Psychology of self
  40. Social psychology
  41. Strength-based practice
  42. Structuralism
  43. Systems psychology
  44. Transactional analysis
  45. Transpersonal psychology