Psychology Perspectives (approaches to studying psychology)

1
Psychology Perspectives (approaches to studying
psychology)

• psychology
• Noun
• The scientific study of the human mind and its
  functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a
  given context.
• The mental characteristics or attitude of a
  person or group.

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Behaviorism

• View people and animals as controlled by their
  environment
• We are the result of what we have learned from
  our environment
• how environmental factors (called stimuli) affect
  observable behavior (called the response).
• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Only observable behavior should be studied, since
  it is the only thing that can be measured

3
Behaviorism

• Thorndike
• Skinner
• Watson
• Pavlov

4
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Perspective

• Behavior is determined by the unconsciousness
  mind and early childhood experiences
• We are motivated by impulse rooted in our
  unconscious mind
• Both a perspective and a therapy

5
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Perspective

• Freud
• Jung

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Humanism

• Looks at the whole person
• Looks at human behavior not only through the eyes
  of the observer, but through the eyes of the
  person doing the behaving
• Behavior is connected to inner feelings and self
  image
• We all are good, and strive to reach full
  potential (self actualization)

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Humanism

• Carl Rogers
• Abraham Maslow

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Cognitive

• Studies the mental act or process by which
  knowledge is acquired
• Memory, perception, attention
• Scientific approach that uses lab experiments to
  study behavior

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Cognitive

• Wundt
• Piaget

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Biological

• believes that most behavior is inherited and has
  an adaptive (or evolutionary) function
• explain behaviors in neurological terms, the
  physiology and structure of the brain and how
  this influences behavior
• Uses drug therapy to treat mental illness

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Biological

• Darwin

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Socio-Cultural

• based on the assumption that our personalities,
  beliefs, attitudes. and skills are learned from
  others
• culture, ethnic identity, gender identity,
  socio-economic status
• More recent approach to studying human behavior

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Socio-Cultural
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Conclusion

• No one perspective is the right or only
  perspective
• Each has strengths and weaknesses
• Most psychologist agree that we must use multiple
  approaches/perspectives to explain human behavior
• McLeod, S. A. (2007). Psychology Perspectives.
  Retrieved from http//www.simplypsychology.org/per
  spective.html