Functionalism originated in the United States and initially coexisted with structuralism. Although functionalist beliefs diverged, their emphasis was always the same, on the usefulness of consciousness and behavior in adapting to the environment. The founder of the functionalist movement is commonly believed to be William James (1842-1910). In addition to James, two of the most influential members of the functionalist movement were John Dewey (1859-1952) and James R. Angell (1869-1949). The second paradigm of psychology was functionalism. As the name suggests, the main interest of this approach is in the function of mental processes, including consciousness. While not the creation of a single scholar, William James was clearly its most famous proponent. Functionalists tended to use the term function rather loosely. The term is used in at least two different ways. It can refer to the study of how a mental process works. Functionalism never really died, it became part of the mainstream of psychology. James was the first American psychologist, wrote the first general textbook on psychology, and remains one of the most highly regarded and famous psychologists. Although functionalism had no specific founder or leader, James is identified as its first spokesperson. The main contribution that functionalists made to learning theory is that they studied the relationship between consciousness and the environment rather than studying it as an isolated phenomenon. They opposed the introspective technique of the structuralists because it was elemental, not because it studied consciousness. Functionalists were not against the study of mental processes but insisted that they should always be studied in relation to... the center of the paper... theory, there are others that fall into this category too. Functionalism is one of the main proposals that have been offered as solutions to the mind/body problem. Solutions to the mind/body problem usually seek to answer questions such as: What is the ultimate nature of the mental? On a more general level, what makes a mental state mental? Or more specifically, what do thoughts have in common by virtue of which they are thoughts? References Olson M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to learning theories. (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Darwinian theory, functionalism and the first American psychological revolution Green, Christopher D... American Psychologist, February/March 2009, vol. 64 Issue 2, p75-83, 9p, 2 bw, DOI: 10.1037/a0013338, (AN 36872963)