You may wonder what psychotherapy is and how it works. However, beforehand, it’s essential to understand psychology itself. Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes. By definition, psychology is a scientific discipline, although some may mistakenly believe otherwise. In reality, psychology is indeed a science, and this characteristic is crucial. The subject of psychology is the human being, a complex entity influenced by numerous variables and parameters. Hence, we need to apply the methodology of science to study such an intricate phenomenon.

Initially, psychology was part of philosophy until 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, marking the beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline.

There are three major schools in psychology: Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic, Behaviourism, and Humanistic approach.

Psychoanalysis was first developed by Sigmund Freud in the early 1890s, refined and expanded by Freud and his colleagues into the modern psychodynamic approach.

Behaviourism was pioneered by John B. Watson in America, based on learning theories, and later advanced by psychologist B. F. Skinner. It later integrated with Cognitive theory, forming the Cognitive Behavioural Approach, from which techniques such as CBT emerged.

The Humanistic approach, including the existentialist perspective, emerged as the third force movement against the first two schools. It was initially established by Abraham Maslow and further developed by Carl Rogers in America. Humanists, including existentialists, believed that psychoanalysis reduced human beings to products of instincts and childhood experiences, while Behaviourism viewed them as mechanical entities. Humanists argued that humans are fundamentally different from animals, possessing free will and the ability to choose their destiny. They emphasize human responsibility and the inclination towards kindness.