Compare and contrast functionalism and behaviorism

Functionalism and Behaviorism are not necessarily contradicting thoughts, but the two arguments that psychologists have on what the focus of psychology would be.

In functionalism, psychologists like William James, John Angell and John Dewey believe that the mental processes of the human being should be the basis of psychology. They deal with the cognitive mind in terms of human memory, consciousness, emotions, and the like. According to them, these can be assessed and evaluated.

In behaviorism, psychologists like John Watson, Ivan Pavlov and Skinner believe that the human mind is a complex thing and cannot be assessed. For them, the more measurable parameter would be the external behavior of a human. This is because it is observable, objective and still connected to the human mind because these are the brain responses to stimuli.