Psychology is an exciting field that has seen a lot of changes since its early days. Some of the most famous psychologists are those who have produced the most noteworthy milestones in the field. Here are some of the most famous psychologists, and what each one is best known for.

1 Ivan Pavlov

Practically everyone has heard of Pavlov’s dogs. Pavlov wasn’t technically a psychologist, but he made one of the most important discoveries in the field, and had a major hand in establishing psychology as an area of study. Pavlov is the one who recognized that responses to stimuli could be learned, based on his studies of dogs.

2 John B. Watson

When Pavlov jump-started the field of psychology by recognizing the role of learned responses, he also kicked off behaviorism. Watson was the first behaviorist, arguing that psychologists can only base their theories on observation, and utilizing the study of animals in order to draw conclusions regarding human behavior.

3 B.F. Skinner

Another behaviorist, Skinner’s theories of operant conditioning and reinforcement have had a lasting impact on psychology. Any time you read or hear about the use of reward and punishment, you are seeing the effects of Skinner’s theories.

4 Sigmund Freud

What list of psychologists would be complete without Sigmund Freud’s name? Freud may be somewhat mocked today for his apparent preoccupation with sex, but his theories of psychoanalysis were extremely influential on the field.

A certain degree of neurosis is of inestimable value as a drive, especially to a psychologist. -Sigmund Freud

5 Carl Jung

Jung is another of the influential early psychologists. He worked with and was influenced by Freud, but eventually developed theories of his own. For instance, he rejected Freud’s focus on sex in favor of symbol and what he called the collective unconscious. His theories also led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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