According to William James, the true purpose of psychology was to study the function of behavior and mental processes in helping an organism adapt to its environment. He emphasized understanding the purpose or function of consciousness and mental activities rather than breaking them down into basic elements, as the structuralists did. James viewed consciousness as a continuous "stream of consciousness" that serves to ensure survival by enabling planning, adaptation, and interaction with the environment. His functionalist perspective focused on how mental processes operate to help an organism fit into its surroundings and preserve life. In essence, psychology's role is to understand how the mind functions to aid survival and adaptation, not merely to analyze its components

. James also argued that consciousness is an active process that influences behavior and is tied to bodily functions, such as in his theory of emotion where emotions arise from physiological responses. This pragmatic and functional approach marked a shift from earlier views that sought to dissect mental life into static parts, instead highlighting the adaptive and practical value of psychological phenomena