Seven Perspectives Of Psychology

According to (Pastorino, E. & Doyle-Portillo, 2012), psychology is defined as “the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.” (pg. 3). Scientific study is done by using the scientific method. The Scientific method is defined as “a systematic process used by psychologists for testing hypotheses about behavior.” Behavior is the way a person responses to an experience. This can be a physical or an emotional response. The mental processes of people are studied by psychologists to try and understand the mental reasoning behind the behavior of a person does after an experience.

The common thread that ran through all of the families he studied was a deliberate, staunch dismissal of of the patient’s perceptions.” Not only does this research support Ericsson’s theory that dismissal is a type of lie, simply ignoring veracity, but also capitalizes on the ethos of a published psychologist. Scientific research done by a published doctor is compulsory and not debatable. Furthermore, the majority of Hughes’s rhetorical appeals is to pathos which can become argumentative because different events or statements produce a spectrum of effects in a disparate audience.

Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter & Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectives that are used to study people’s behavior, and mental processes. These perspectives are the biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and the sociocultural perspective.

It is impossible not to impose out own interpretations of the patient’s actions, no matter if one tries to be more objective, to see more signs of disease, or to view his actions as a movement of muscles. Once the psychiatrist has developed a relationship with the patient, it is impossible to be entirely neutral. The way the patient and his actions are interpreted is a key component.

Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behavior, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective (view) about human behavior, there may be several different theories within an approach, but they all share these common assumptions and principles. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behavior. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to do through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis for each perspective which consist of the psychodynamic, humanist, cognitive and behavioral approaches where I will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each approach separately.

Psychology has six main perspectives dealing with human behavior. The first perspective, biological perspective, presumes that biological factors, such as genes, hormones, and the nervous system, all affect human behavior and their mental process. The evolutionary perspective emphasizes how behavior and mental phenomena are a result of evolution through natural selection and adaptations of organisms in order to survive in their environment. The psychodynamic perspective focuses on unconscious conflicts within a person as the main determinant of behavior and mental life. The behavior perspective focuses on observing behaviors and how they are learned. The cognitive perspective describes how people process, think, and store information. The humanistic

Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to achieve through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis of each perspective which consists of the psychodynamic,

When the news report flashes across the television informing millions around the world of the murder of a family of six, it is obvious that the initiate reaction of the civilians would be terror and hatred. This hatred, a fierce, in-tolerant force behind these people that would instantly choose the worst for whomever the suspect may be. Often, this is the reaction of the people whereas there are a few of those individuals who may decide to view this case differently. These would be psychologists. A psychologist may approach this story with a view inside of the perpetrators mind. Was he biologically, psychodynamicly, behaviorally or cognitively provoked to do such a thing? What would make someone do something

The four major perspectives of Psychology are: Biological, Learning, Cognitive, and Sociocultural. First, is the biological perspective which relates to bodily events that affect the behavior, feelings, and thoughts. During the biological perspective electrical impulses shoot along the nervous system and hormones flow through the blood stream alerting the internal organs to slow down or speed up. The biological perspective affects the nervous system, hormones, brain chemistry, heredity, and evolutionary influences. A child who has been exposed to abuse may also grow up to abusive which is an example of the biological perspective. Second, is the learning perspective which the environment and experience affect the behavior of humans or animals. The environment either rewards or punish that maintains or discourage behaviors. Behaviors are based on acts and events taking place within the environment. Environmental influences, observations and imitation, beliefs, and values affect the learning perspective. A violent role model can influence a child to behave aggressively is an example of the learning perspective. Third, is the cognitive perspective which is the psychological approach that emphasizes mental process in perception, memory, language, and problem solving. The cognitive perspective shows how thoughts and explanations affect their actions, feelings, and choices. The cognitive approach is one of the strongest forces in psychology. A violent person may be quick to

Psychology tends to be a difficult Human Science due to the varying natures of the human mind. Every brain is both unique and not, and varying theories attempt to explain why humans come to different conclusions. But are these conclusions valid? How is it possible that, given access to the same facts, there are disagreements between experts in various disciplines? People will resort to different meanings and sections of a certain area of knowledge and fall upon which they stand behind, such as morality or legality in a court case. Some may feel that people simply interpret the given facts differently with different ways of knowing. Observers will get different results with reason than they will with emotion as they are used for different reasons.

“Without society, there cannot be a self” (132). That said, the way one presents himself should be examined in terms of the interplay between both the individual and the culture he is immersed in. Symbolic statements used by the self, for example, are often constrained or shifted to convey a meaning that aligns with the institution such a self belongs to. With this in mind, I observed the office doors of the 3rd floor Psychology Department in the Brogden Psychology Building by taking photos of such doors to examine how such statements can reflect one as an individual and as a member of a subculture.

The purpose of this essay is to outline and evaluate at least three psychological perspectives of human behaviour. The three approaches that will be summarised are humanistic, social learning theory and the Biological approach. They will also be criticised and compared to one another. A brief description on psychology will occur, and there will also be a short summarisation on some key early influences of psychology, from its origins in philosophy.

The psychological perspective views the illness as being caused by underlying conflicts that are rooted in our brains. “Freud believes that events in our childhood can have a significant impact on our behavior as adults. He also believed that people have little free will to make choices in life. Instead, our behavior is determined by the unconscious mind and childhood experiences.” (McLeod 2007) Through this thinking, DID is something that is caused by some underlying cause that the person is unaware of. With DID, it is brought on by a certain event or experience and not something that makes its appearance out of nowhere without a cause. People can deal with DID in adulthood and it may not have anything to do with their childhood. One of the

The psychodynamic approach to psychology is the study of human behaviour from the point of view of motivation and drives. The original beliefs of this approach were created by Sigmund Freud in the 1800s. Although it is now generally seen negatively in the common view, sometimes comically, it has provided the inspiration for a few of the current leading approaches to psychology.

Authored by Keith E. Stanovich, How to Think Straight About Psychology is a known work of the psychology world which was published in 1986. Beginning courses in psychology use his text frequently. Stanovich primary purpose for writing the text is to bring attention to his observation that the public’s understanding of psychology is different from psychology as a modern science. Psychology as a modern science explains the underlying functions that shape human attitudes and behavior. To the people who misunderstand this, the field of psychology is not a real science, but a pseudo-science instead. How to Think Straight About Psychology describes people’s several false impressions of psychology and it gives its readers a factual understanding of the field as a modern and scientific psychology while explaining how this science works.