Intro to Psychology
Mr. Morrissey
Name _________________________
Psychology Today
The various approaches to psychology eventually evolved into five major theoretical
perspectives, which now predominate in the field. These approaches reflect different questions
that psychologists ask about human behavior, different assumptions about how the mind works,
and, most important, different ways of explaining why people do what they do.
1.) The BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE focuses on how bodily
events affect behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Electrical
impulses shoot along the intricate pathways of the
nervous system. Hormones course through the
bloodstream, telling internal organs to slow down or
speed up. Chemical substances flow across the tiny gaps
that separate one microscopic brain cell from another.
Biological psychologists study how these physical events
interact with events in the external environment to
produce perceptions, memories, and behavior. They
also investigate the contribution of genes and other
biological factors to the development of abilities and personality traits. A popular biological
specialty, evolutionary psychology, follows in the tradition of functionalism by focusing on how
genetically influenced behavior that was functional or adaptive during our evolutionary past
may be reflected in many of our present behavior, mental processes, and traits. The biological
perspective has had a profound impact on nearly all areas of psychology.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
Continued
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Intro to Psychology
Mr. Morrissey
Name _________________________
2.) The LEARNING PERSPECTIVE is concerned
with how the environment and experience
affect a person’s (or a nonhuman animal’s)
actions. Within this perspective, behaviorists
focus on the environmental rewards and
punishers that maintain or discourage specific
behaviors. Behaviorists do not invoke the
mind to explain behavior; they prefer to stick
to what they can observe and measure
directly: acts and events taking place in the
environment. For example, do you have
trouble sticking to a schedule? A behaviorist
would analyze the environmental distractions
that could help account for this problem. Social-cognitive learning theorists, on the other hand,
combine elements of behaviorism with research on thoughts, values, and intentions. They
believe that people learn not only by adapting their behavior to the environment but also by
imitating other and by thinking about the events happening around them.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
3.) The COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE emphasizes what goes on in people’s heads—how people
reason, remember, understand language, solve problems, explain experiences, acquire moral
standards, and form beliefs. (The word cognitive comes from the Latin word for “to know.”)
Using clever methods, cognitive psychologists infer mental processes from observable behavior.
One of the most important contributions of this perspective has been to show how people’s
thoughts and explanations of events affect their actions, feelings, and choices. All of us are
constantly seeking to make sense of the world and of our own physical and mental states. Our
ideas may not always be realistic or sensible, but they continually influence our behavior.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
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Intro to Psychology
Mr. Morrissey
Name _________________________
4.) The SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE focuses
on social and cultural forces outside the
individual, forces that shape every aspect of
behavior, from how we kiss to what and where
we eat. Most of us underestimate the impact of
other people, the social context, and cultural
rules on nearly everything we do: how we
perceive the world, express joy or grief, manage
our households, and treat our friends and enemies. We are like fish that are unaware they live
in water, so obvious is water in their lives. Sociocultural psychologists study the water—the
social and cultural environments that people “swim” in every day.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
5.) The PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE deals
with unconscious dynamics within the individual,
such as inner forces, conflicts, or instinctual
energy. It has its origins in Sigmund Freud’s
theory of psychoanalysis, but many other
psychodynamic theories now exist.
Psychodynamic psychologists try to dig below the
surface of a person’s behavior to get to the roots
of personality; they think of themselves as
archaeologists of the mind. Psychodynamic
psychology is the thumb on the hand of
psychology—connected to the other fingers, but
also set apart because it differs radically from the
others in its language, methods, and standards of
acceptable evidence. Many psychological
scientists believe that psychodynamic approaches belong in philosophy or literature, rather
than academic psychology. But psychotherapists and laypeople are often attracted to the
psychodynamic perspective’s emphasis on such grand psychological issues as the power of
sexuality and the universal fear of death.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
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Intro to Psychology
Mr. Morrissey
Name _________________________
6.) The HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE, which gained
force in the 1960s, emphasizes free will, personal
growth, resilience, and the achievement of
human potential and self-fulfillment. Humanists
argue that psychology should focus on what
really matters to most people—their uniquely
human hopes and aspirations. Although many
researchers regard humanism as a philosophy of
life rather than a systematic or scientific
approach to psychology, this movement has had
considerable influence both inside and outside
the field. A contemporary research specialty
known as positive psychology follows in the
footsteps of humanism by focusing on the qualities that enable people to be happy, optimistic,
and resilient in times of stress. And humanism has had a direct influence on psychotherapy and
the human potential and self-help movements.
Summarize this perspective in one sentence:
Conclusion:
The differences among these schools of thought are very real; a psychoanalyst’s explanation of
your personality will not be the same as a cognitive psychologist’s, and neither account will be
the same as that of a biological, learning, or sociocultural psychologist. However, not all
psychologists feel they must swear allegiance to one approach or another. Many draw on what
they take to be the best features of diverse schools of thought.
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