Functionalism

Functionalism is an early school of psychology that focused on what the mind does and why, rather than chopping consciousness into building blocks like Structuralism did.

Why ask what instead of what-of?

Listing parts of consciousness misses the point. The interesting question is what cognition is for: how it helps an organism adapt.

Key figure: William James. More interested in real-life functioning and adaptation than in listing the mind’s components.