Jean Piaget: His Contributions to Psychology

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Piaget 1 Jean Piaget: His Contributions to Psychology By: Scott Lansing MVCC Piaget 2 I took a look at many individuals in the history of psychology and I choose Jean Piaget. I will take a brief look at his life. Describe his theories and what contributions he made to psychology as we know it today. Piaget 3 Biography Jean Piaget was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on August 9, 1896. His father, Arthur Piaget, was a professor of medieval literature with an interest in local history. His mother, Rebecca Jackson, was intelligent and energetic, but Jean found her a bit neurotic -- an impression that he said led to his interest in psychology. (Boeree, 1999) When he was young he collected shells which led to his interest in mollusks. He began publishing in earnest in high school on his favorite subject, mollusks. He then got a part time job with the director of Nuechâtel’s Museum of Natural History, Mr. Godel. His work became well known among European students of mollusks, who assumed he was an adult. All this early experience with science kept him away, he says, from “the demon of philosophy.” (Boeree, 1999) During high school his mother encouraged him to attend religious instruction; which he did not find interesting. Studying various philosophers and the application of logic, he dedicated himself to finding a “biological explanation of knowledge.” Ultimately, philosophy failed to assist him in his search, so he turned to psychology. (Boeree, 1999) He later attended the University of Neuchâtel. During his time there he began to develop a fundamental point. This became a centerpiece for his entire life’s work: “In all fields of life (organic, mental, social) there exist ‘totalities’ qualitatively distinct from their parts and imposing on them an organization.” This principle forms the basis of

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