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Psychology finds its initial roots in the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, many of whom attempted to divide the conscious mind, defining things like morality and purpose. Though their studies were perhaps to esoteric and religion-centric to be considered even psuedoscience, it was questions like theirs that would eventually seek scientific answers through psychology. However, until the 19th century, psychology was considered to merely be a branch of philosophy.

The roots of change can be seen as early as 1550, where a document now known as the "Ebers papyrus" contained a short, semi-mystical description of clinical depression. Though fraught with pre-scientific spells and the like, this represents a definitive step toward modern psychological thought. Some forty years after this, German-born Rudolph Goclenius is believed to have coined the term "psychology" itself, combining the Greek word root for "soul" with a suffix meant to imply "study thereof." That this "study of the soul" would someday be an area grappling entirely with non-divine issues is a rather ironic twist in history.

By 1879, things had changed significantly, as evidenced by the founding of Wilhelm Wundt's founding of a laboratory for the express purpose of studying mental states and behavior. Barely 10 years later, in 1890, William James published his landmark work, Principles of Psychology, effectively setting the terms for psychological discussion for years to come. Wundt's adherents went on to advance the cause of structuralism, examining the structure of mental processes, whilst James' students lived by the creed of fundamentalism, breaking processes into their component parts. Though practices like introspection were prevalent at this point, these early psychologists showed a major departure from those of previous generations: no aspect of metaphysics or religion found its way into their analysis; their work was, for all intents and purposes, scientific. Also, the American Psychological Association was formed in 1892.

Another major player of the 1890s era was Sigmund Freud, who's sexually-driven analysis of the so-called unconscious mind was at the core of his field, known as psychoanalysis. Working primarily for rich patients using questionable methods such as hypnotism and introspection, Freud nonetheless went on to have massive impact on the scientific community as a whole, and to this very day, psychoanalysis remains a viable approach to psychology.

Perhaps in response to the still

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