2. Current perspectives of Psychology:
Psychology is a discipline that asks and
answers the fundamental question, why do
we behave the way we do and think the way
we think?
The best way to characterize the different
approaches that are taken to answer the
question of psychology is to identify them as
major perspectives.
3. Cont..
A paradigm in psychology is a distinct
way of describing, observing,
understanding, and predicting any given
psychological phenomena.
The major perspectives represent
fundamental assumptions that underlie
the research questions and methods
that are used in order to answer the
questions of psychology.
4. Current approaches/ perspectives/
models
The major approaches to study Psychology
are following:
i) The biological approach/ model
ii) The psychodynamic approach/model
iii) The cognitive approach/ model
iv) The behavioral approach/ model
(v) Sociocultural approach/ model
(vi)The humanistic approach/ model
5. i) The biological approach/ model
According to this approach, the behavior of
people and animals should be considered
from the view of their biological functioning.
There is a physiological and genetic basis to
all behaviors
The role of brain, genes, neurotransmitters,
endocrine glands etc.
6. Cont..
Behaviors have their origins in specific
locations of the brain.
The study of brain and nervous system helps
us interpret perception, memory, emotions
and psychological disorders, etc.
An understanding of biochemical processes
will give an understanding of psychological
and social phenomena
Neurochemicals are chemicals involved in the
functioning of an organism's nervous system.
7. Cont..
• Root cause of abnormalities and disorders lies
in biology and requires medical intervention
8. ii) The psychodynamic
approach/model
The psychodynamic theory emphasizes
unconscious motivation. It has major
impact in the fields of personality,
psychological disorders and therapy
The basis of motivation and behavior
lies in inner forces; forces over which
humans have little control, which the
person is not aware of i.e., unconscious
determinants of behavior
9. Cont..
It provides a basis to understand everyday
life phenomena e.g. interpersonal
relationships, aggression, prejudice
It gives an entirely new perspective to the
understanding of behavior and mental
processes as well as mental illness
10. iii) The cognitive approach/ model
This approach includes the study of mental
processes, such as thinking, perception,
memory and problem solving. Cognitive
psychologists seek to explain how we
process information and how our ways of
thinking about ourselves, world and about the
future.
11. Cont..
Cognition, a term used to describe all the mental
processes involved in acquiring, storing, and
using knowledge. Such processes include
perception, memory, thinking, problem solving,
imagining, and language.
This shift in emphasis toward cognition had such
a deep influence on psychology that it has often
been called the cognitive revolution. The
psychological study of cognition became known
as cognitive psychology.
12. iv) The behavioral approach/ model
The behavioral approach concentrates
on observable behavior. It suggests that
an understanding and control of a
person’s environment is sufficient to
fully explain and modify behavior.
13. Cont..
John B. Watson was the first person that
advocated the behavioral approach. This is a
psychological approach that considers the
relationship between behavior and
environmental stimuli as the focus of study;
observable behavior is what psychology
should be studying, understanding, and
explaining.
This approach dominated psychology for
most of the 20th century
14. Socio Cultural approach/ model
The social/cultural perspective in psychology
suggests that human behavior is influenced by social
context, environmental cues, social pressures and
cultural influences.
Social psychologists suggest that social forces are
very powerful and explain a great deal about the
causes of human behavior and thought processes.
15. V) The humanistic approach/ model
The humanistic approach emphasizes that
people are unique and complex organism;
each person has a capacity to reach his or
her maximum potential. It is specially
important in the field of personality ,
motivation and psychotherapy.
It is the approach that focused on:
• The idea that people are in control of their life.
• The person or the self and personal growth
and development are to be emphasized
16. Cont..
It focuses on that
Human beings are capable of
shaping their own destiny.
They can think and design their course of
action and can follow it in the way they like.
People can overcome or minimize the
environmental, and inherent influences
17. Psychology today
All these five approaches have come to
dominate psychology in the 21st century.
These models add to our understanding
of why human beings behave the way
they do.
Psychologists with different view points
have different things to say; each
tackles the issue from different angle
and contribute different insights.
18. Psychology today
They are now more likely to have an
eclectic approach to study behavior
and cognitive processes.
Eclectic approach:
Use of different approaches to study the
same behavior.
19. Psychology as a science
Psychology is a science of behavior
including a person’s overt behavior and
his cognitive mental processes.
As a science, psychology shares goals
and scientific methods with other
sciences, such as biology, chemistry,
etc.
20. Cont..
“Scientific method is a systematic and
organized series of steps that scientists
adopt for exploring any phenomenon in
order to obtain accurate and consistent
results. These steps involve observation,
description, control, and replication”.
21. Cont..
Psychology employs the scientific
method for gathering knowledge and
information. It uses scientific procedure
that is essential to be adopted in order
to carry out psychological research;
otherwise the research will not be
considered authentic, reliable, or
scientifically valuable
22. Cont..
Psychologist begin with a body of knowledge
and then proceed to investigate. They use a
variety of methods for this purpose. These
research methods allow them to reach the
goals of description, explanation, prediction
and control.
Psychology is comprised of systematized
knowledge that is gathered by carefully
measuring and observing events.
Theories are used to summarize observation
and to predict the outcomes of future
observations.
