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psychological perspectives
- 1. Psychological PerspectivesPsychological Perspectives Prof. Abby Ngwako, M.Ed.Prof. Abby Ngwako, M.Ed.
- 2. • What is Psychology? • Activity: What would you do? • Roots of Psychology • Today’s Perspectives on Psychology 1.Neuroscience 2.Psychodynamic 3.Behavioral 4.Cognitive 5.Humanistic • Name that Perspective…
- 3. • Mental processes, which are comprised of our thoughts (cognition), senses (perception), and feelings (emotion), help us to understand and make sense of the world and who we are within it (Corcini & Wedding, 2000) • Why is it “Science”? • systematic method explains human behavior and mental processes • reasons behind behavior, mental processes or capacity • analyzing and conducting studies
- 4. reason why psychology needs to be “science”… More on Bystander Effect: http://psychology.about.com/od/socialpsychology/a/bystandereffect.htm
- 7. • behavior from perspective of biological functioning • Study of heredity & evolution • Influence behavior • Brain & nervous system
- 8. • Behavior motivated by inner forces & conflicts not aware or not in control (i.e. dreams, slips of tongue, etc.) • Origins linked to Sigmund Freud • Criticized but helps to understand & treat psychological disorders • Understand everyday phenomena ( i.e. prejudice & aggression) Source: Syracuse.com
- 9. • Focuses on objective, observable behavior • Rejected psychodynamic approaches • 1920s-John B. Watson first behaviorist • elicit desired behavior by controlling environment • B.F. Skinner -studied how people learn new behaviors, learning processes, treating mental disorders, drug addiction, etc.
- 10. • Focuses on how people think, understand & know about world • influences our behavior • Human thinking=computer (information processing) 1. Takes in information 2. Transforms 3. Stores 4. Retrieves • how people make decisions, patterns & irregularities in operation of minds
- 11. • naturally strive to grow, develop & be in control • Capacity to seek & reach fulfillment • Positive perspective • Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow • strive to reach full potential if given opportunity • Free will • Own choices • Self-fulfillment
- 12. most behavior inherited & adaptive Pavlov experiment with salivating dog Charles Darwin & theory of evolution rejects free will & believes environment determines behavior behavior determined by unconscious & childhood experiences. people are similar to computers in processing information Focus on memory, perception & attention each person is unique & has free to change at any time Sigmund Freud & controversial theories N=Neuroscience P=Psychodynamic B= Behavioral C=Cognitive H=Humanistic
- 13. most behavior inherited & adaptive Pavlov experiment with salivating dog Charles Darwin & theory of evolution rejects free will & believes environment determines behavior behavior determined by unconscious & childhood experiences people are similar to computers in processing information Focus on memory, perception & attention each person is unique & has free to change at any time Sigmund Freud & controversial theories N=Neuroscience P=Psychodynamic B= Behavioral C=Cognitive H=Humanistic N H P C N B P C B
- 14. • Corcini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (2000). Current Psychotherapies (6th ed.). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock. • Editorial Board (2011). Introduction to Psychology. Words of Wisdom, LLC. • Watson, J.B. (1924/1925). Behaviorism. New York: People's Institute Publishing Company
Editor's Notes
- Choices: N=Neuroscience P=Psychodynamic B= Behavioral C=Cognitive H=Humanistic Answers: N H P C N B P C B
- Let’s get started on the study of Psychology by first defining it. What is psychology? “Mental processes, which are comprised of our thoughts (cognition), senses (perception), and feelings (emotion), help us to understand and make sense of the world and who we are within it .” (Corcini & Wedding, 2000) There are many aspects to psychology but the 3 basic foundations lie in Psychoanalytic theory, Behavioral Psychology and Humanistic theory. We will discuss these further in a bit as well as other perspectives that exist today in Psychology. Why is it “Science”? I think there is much to be learned from human behavior. And often times we may think observing people everyday gives us enough knowledge to explain things from our own perspectives or our common sense. However, such methods can often times be incorrect or specific to each individual. So in order to truly understand why we do the things we do or why we think the way we do we actually have to scientifically, systematically and empirically test it to see what happens.
- Poll: Let’s say you are walking to work and you see a person on the sidewalk wincing in pain during the lunch rush… A. I would rush to find out if the person is okay and call for help. B. I would assume that someone else will help him since your lunch period is almost over and you have to get back to work. C. You think he looks like he’s drunk and do not assist as he probably just needs to sleep it off. D. None of the above, please explain in chat box. Based on common sense or from your personal experiences, you may think well if someone is in need of help even if there are crowds of people, I would still help. However research suggests that people are less likely to help when there are a lot of people around, the assumption is that we think someone else will step in and then no one ends up helping that person, this is called Bystander effect. However, throw in different cultures and you may find it is a whole new ball game. If you look at for example a collectivist culture, in which they value other individuals over themselves, such crowds may have no effect as to whether someone is willing to help another. So we can see how basing our conclusions on our own experiences or common sense can lead us to inaccurate conclusions, this is why in psychology it is necessary to actually analyze and conduct studies systematically to arrive to the correct outcome. And why Psychology needs to be a “science”.
- Here is a good illustration of the major thinkers of the past and the modern theorists in psychology. We will discuss a few throughout the class and talk further about some of them on the next slide as we go over the major perspectives in Psychology.
- Looking back to the psychologists who laid the foundations, while their theories may have been different they all shared a common goal: to explain and understand behavior using scientific methods. Seeking to achieve the same goal, the tens of thousands of psychologists who followed those early pioneers embraced—and often rejected—a variety of broad perspectives. The perspectives of psychology offer distinct outlooks and emphasize different factors. Just as we can use more than one map to find our way around a specific region—for instance, a map that shows roads and highways and another map that shows major landmarks—psychologists developed a variety of approaches to understanding behavior. When considered jointly, the different perspectives provide the means to explain behavior in its amazing variety. Today, the field of psychology includes five major perspectives. These broad perspectives emphasize different aspects of behavior and mental processes, and each takes our understanding of behavior in a somewhat different direction.
- THE NEUROSCIENCE PERSPECTIVE: BLOOD, SWEAT, AND FEARS When we get down to the basics, humans are animals made of skin and bones. The neuroscience perspective considers how people and nonhumans function biologically: how individual nerve cells are joined together, how the inheritance of certain characteristics from parents and other ancestors influences behavior, how the functioning of the body affects hopes and fears, which behaviors are instinctual, and so forth. Even more complex kinds of behaviors, such as a baby’s response to strangers, are viewed as having critical biological components by psychologists who embrace the neuroscience perspective (Editorial Board, 2011). This perspective includes the study of heredity and evolution, which considers how heredity may influence behavior and behavioral neuroscience, which examines how the brain and the nervous system affect behavior(Editorial Board, 2011). The picture represents the infamous Charles Darwin theory on evolution. While a controversial theory it starts the discussion on how not only have we evolved over time but how genes and heredity influence our behavior. Because every behavior ultimately can be broken down into its biological components, the neuroscience perspective has broad appeal. Psychologists who subscribe to this perspective have made major contributions to the understanding and betterment of human life, ranging from cures for certain types of deafness to drug treatments for people with severe mental disorders(Editorial Board, 2011). Furthermore, advances in methods for examining the anatomy and functioning of the brain have permitted the neuro-scientific perspective to extend its influence across a broad range of subfields in psychology.
- THE PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE: UNDERSTANDING THE INNER PERSON To many people who have never taken a psychology course, psychology begins and ends with the psychodynamic perspective. It is probably the most well-know when you think of psychology you probably picture a person lying on the couch in a psychologist’s office talking about their problems. Proponents of the psychodynamic perspective argue that behavior is motivated by inner forces and conflicts about which we have little awareness or control. They view dreams and slips of the tongue as indications of what a person is truly feeling within a seething cauldron of unconscious psychic activity(Editorial Board, 2011). The origins of the psychodynamic view are linked to one famous person: Sigmund Freud. Freud was a Viennese physician in the early 1900s whose ideas about unconscious determinants of behavior had a revolutionary effect on 20th-century thinking, not just in psychology but in related fields as well(Editorial Board, 2011). Although some of the original Freudian principles have been roundly criticized, the contemporary psychodynamic perspective has provided a means not only to understand and treat some kinds of psychological disorders but also to understand everyday phenomena such as prejudice and aggression. Other theorists that followed suit under Freud were Carl Jung and Erik Erickson.
- THE BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE: OBSERVING THE OUTER PERSON Whereas the neuroscience and psychodynamic approaches look inside the organism to determine the causes of its behavior, the behavioral perspective takes a very different approach. The behavioral perspective grew out of a rejection of psychology’s early emphasis on the inner workings of the mind. Instead, behaviorists suggested that the field should focus on observable behavior that can be measured objectively(Editorial Board, 2011). John B. Watson was the first major American psychologist to advocate a behavioral approach. Working in the 1920s, Watson was adamant in his view that one could gain a complete understanding of behavior by studying and modifying the environment in which people operate. In fact, Watson believed that it was possible to elicit any desired type of behavior by controlling a person’s environment(Editorial Board, 2011). This philosophy is clear in his own words: “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors” (Watson, 1924/1925). The behavioral perspective was championed by B. F. Skinner, a pioneer in the field. Much of our understanding of how people learn new behaviors is based on the behavioral perspective. As we will see, the behavioral perspective crops up along every part of psychology. Along with its influence in the area of learning processes, this perspective has made contributions in such diverse areas as treating mental disorders, curbing aggression, resolving sexual problems, and ending drug addiction(Editorial Board, 2011). The picture is of the infamous Pavlov experiment with the salivating dog. Conditioning the dog’s behavior to elicit the desired type of behavior.
- THE COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE: IDENTIFYING THE ROOTS OF UNDERSTANDING Efforts to understand behavior lead some psychologists directly to the mind or more specifically the brain. Evolving in part from structuralism and in part as a reaction to behaviorism, which focused so heavily on observable behavior and the environment, the cognitive perspective focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world(Editorial Board, 2011). Psychology was first considered a science in 1870 by Wilhelm Wundt, who founded the first psychological laboratory. In the early days they did experiments to explore areas like memory, sensory perception and essentially to discover how our brain works. The emphasis is on learning how people comprehend and represent the outside world within themselves and how our ways of thinking about the world influence our behavior. Many psychologists who adhere to the cognitive perspective compare human thinking to the workings of a computer, which takes in information and transforms, stores, and retrieves it. In their view, thinking is information processing. Psychologists who rely on the cognitive perspective ask questions ranging from how people make decisions to whether a person can watch television and study at the same time. The common elements that link cognitive approaches are an emphasis on how people understand and think about the world and an interest in describing the patterns and irregularities in the operation of our minds (Editorial Board, 2011). The picture on the slide is an example of Gestalt’s theory of visual perceptions. Biologically we all see the same picture (i.e. the patterns of light and dark received by eye) so we should all have the same mental experience. However, some people see this picture as… A vase against a black background Two black faces looking at each other against a cream background Even though the visual stimulus has not changed, others see both of the above, flipping back and forth However it’s important to note that we don’t see the 2 images at the same time, we perceive ONE AT A TIME and make interpretations (perception) based off of specific thoughts, ideas, memories, etc. at any given moment. Through this example, we can start to see that a simple picture can conjure differences in people in the way they think, understand and know about the world.
- THE HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE: THE UNIQUE QUALITIES OF THE HUMAN SPECIES Rejecting the view that behavior is determined largely by automatically unfolding biological forces, unconscious processes, or the environment, the humanistic perspective instead suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior. Humanistic psychologists maintain that each of us has the capacity to seek and reach fulfillment (very much considered a positive point of view compared to the Psychodynamic perspective). According to Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, who were central figures in the development of the humanistic perspective, people will strive to reach their full potential if they are given the opportunity. The emphasis of the humanistic perspective is on free will, the ability to freely make decisions about one’s own behavior and life. The notion of free will stands in contrast to determinism, which sees behavior as caused, or determined, by things beyond a person’s control. Most of you may be familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is the famous theory that relates to this perspective, see picture on slide if you are not familiar with it. Maslow’s theory contends that without achieving all of the needs below self-actualization, we can not achieve our full potential. The humanistic perspective assumes that people have the ability to make their own choices about their behavior rather than relying on societal standards. More than any other approach, it stresses the role of psychology in enriching people’s lives and helping them achieve self-fulfillment. By reminding psychologists of their commitment to the individual person in society, the humanistic perspective has had a significant influence on the field (Editorial Board, 2011).
- So let’s see if we can identify the right perspective for each of these examples, now that we understand what each perspective means. I have indicated a legend in the top right corner of the slide that tells you what each letter will stand for. This should help you further with your IP to choose a characteristic of your famous individual that fits into one of these perspectives. Choices: N=Neuroscience P=Psychodynamic B= Behavioral C=Cognitive H=Humanistic Answers: N H P C N B P C B
- So let’s see if we can identify the right perspective for each of these examples, now that we understand what each perspective means. I have indicated a legend in the top right corner of the slide that tells you what each letter will stand for. This should help you further with your IP to choose a characteristic of your famous individual that fits into one of these perspectives. Choices: N=Neuroscience P=Psychodynamic B= Behavioral C=Cognitive H=Humanistic Answers: N H P C N B P C B