http://www.ccis.edu/courses/psyc101a/Major%20Perspectives%20in%20Psychology.htm Major Perspectives in 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. The major perspectives represent fundamental assumptions
that underlie the research questions and methods that are used in order to answer the
questions of psychology. Most all perspectives define psychology as the discipline
interested in studying human behavior and mental processes, but that covers a lot of
ground and the causes of behavior and mental processes are not always clear.
This outline will attempt to catalogue the major perspectives and give the reader a
sense of the underlying assumptions, the philosophical foundations, the research methods,
and the outcomes or practices that result from the efforts of researchers and practitioners.
Let's just begin with a list of the perspectives and a short description.
1.
Psychodynamic Perspective:
Probably the approach that has been most popularly associated with the discipline
of psychology for the past century is the psychodynamic, psychoanalytic perspective.
Sigmund Freud, who was medically trained in neurology, developed a theory of personality
that made the assumption that human motivation was propelled by conflicts between
instinctual, mostly unconscious, psychological forces. He called these intrapsychic
elements the id, ego and superego. (You know the drill)
This psychodynamic theory caught on like wild fire and due to its explanatory
power for human behavior, became very popular over the following century. Freud's
therapeutic method, called psychoanalysis, was developed to identify the underlying
conflicts between intrapsychic structures and resolve them by bringing them to
consciousness. Insight therapy was one term used to describe Freud's treatment approach.
Freud also contributed the first developmental theory of human personality. It suggests
that human development progresses through psychosexual stages. Each stage is
characterized by specific behavioral and psychodynamic developments and challenges.
Although Freud thought of himself as a scientist, and he was indeed very thorough
in recording his methods and outcomes, he did not practice scientific methods.
Psychoanalytic theory was developed through case study analysis, a qualitative, not
scientific, method.
http://www.ccis.edu/courses/psyc101a/Major%20Perspectives%20in%20Psychology.htm Other psychodynamic theories arose, like those of Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, Margaret
Mahler, and famous developmentalists like Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson, but all made the
same basic assumption: There is a dynamic mind, conscious and unconscious, that
influences the behavior of humans. Elements of the unconscious psyche interact to
produce motives for behavior and thought processes.
2.
Behavioral Perspective:
In an attempt to bring scientific method to bear on the understanding of human
behavior, John B. Watson, using ideas he had gleaned from the likes of Ivan Pavlov and
others, decided to declare that psychology should only concern itself with observable
behavior. A science of behavior was built on only observable behavior. Assumptions about
underlying psychological causes of behavior were not admitted. The unconscious was
declared fictitious and its study, a waste of time. Serious psychology would focus on
observable, controllable, behavior. The behavioral perspective gained great momentum in
the 20th century because it was a powerful tool in training, education, and industry. Critics
claimed that behaviorism was dehumanizing. John B. Watson and others conducted a
thorough explication of Classical Conditioning and B. F. Skinner, responding somewhat to
the critics of behaviorisms dehumanization, explained and expertly defended the processes
of Operant Conditioning.
3.
Biopsychological Perspective:
The biological perspective is a broad scientific perspective that assumes that human
behavior and thought processes have a biological basis. Biology includes investigations into
biochemistry of behavior associated with neurotransmitters and hormones, genetics and
heritability, and the psychophysics of sensation and perception. Physiological
psychology, neuroscience, psychoneuroimunology and psychopharmacology are all part of
the biological perspective. Because the biological perspective relies on scientific methods,
its scope of investigation is limited to variables that can be controlled. Research methods
are quantitative and seek to produce findings that can be replicated and that are
generalizable across populations.
Practical outcomes of biological psychology include the booming trade in
psychopharmaceuticals, an understanding of mental illness that provides viable remedies
for certain very serious disorders, and diagnostic brain scanning tools that are at the
leading edge of neuroscience.
http://www.ccis.edu/courses/psyc101a/Major%20Perspectives%20in%20Psychology.htm 4.
Cognitive Perspective:
In response to the empty organism theory of behaviorism, the cognitive perspective
developed explanations for human behavior that suggest that human behavior is at times
thoughtful and can be controlled by thought processes. Indeed, the cognitive perspective
suggests that much of human behavior is mediated by thought processes like memory and
attention, belief systems, attitudes and language. Cognitivists believe that humans bring
significant conscious processes into the mix and that much of human behavior is mediated
by conscious processes. Belief systems, value systems, thought processes, reason and
intelligence have a significant impact on why we do the things we do and act the way we
act. The cognitive perspective suggests that much of human behavior is significantly
influenced by cognitive processes and is thus amenable to our thoughtful control.
5.
Sociocultural Perspective:
The social/cultural perspective in psychology suggests that human behavior is
influenced by social context, environmental cues, social pressures and cultural influences.
Anyone who has attended a football game will recognize that human behavior is
susceptible to influence of the crowd mentality. We are all shaped by the context of our
environment and influenced by the perception of authority in our social order. Social
psychologists suggest that these forces are very powerful and explain a great deal about the
causes of human behavior and thought processes.