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general psychology

Firouz meroei milan

Approaches and Schools of Psychology

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Approaches and Schools of Psychology:

• Not all psychologists look at psychology the same way.

• Some believe that you are who you are purely because of your genetics.

• Some believe that experiences play a much bigger factor.

• Psychology is a broad field that aims to answer questions from many different perspectives.

• We are going to look at the different schools and approaches to psychology.

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Lesson 2: Approaches and Schools of Psychology:

• By the late 1800’s, psychology was beginning to emerge as a separate scientific discipline.

• Biologist Charles Darwin came up with the theory of natural selection.

• Psychology branched into two schools of psychology (structuralism and functionalism) and from there several approaches to psychology.

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Structuralism: Wilhelm Wundt• Wilhelm Wundt – Credited as the

founder of scientific psychology because in 1879 he set up a research laboratory in Germany.

• The lab was dedicated to the scientific study of conscious experiences and sensations.

• Introspection – the process of looking inward to identify how one feels, thinks, or acts.

• he replicated his studies in different conditions with similar results.

• Wundt helped found the School of Structuralism which aimed to focus on the structure of the mind and indentify the basic elements of consciousness.

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Functionalism: William James:• William James was a

psychologist that felt that Wundt was asking the wrong questions.

• James was more interested in the function or purpose of behavioral acts.

• School of Functionalism – Researchers that focused on how we adapt to our environments. (stream of consciousness)

• Main Goal: Explain human behavior

• Also wrote first psychology textbook

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Gestalt Psychology:• Max Wertheimer – founded Gestalt Psychology• The whole is more than the sum of it’s parts

• Example: A beautiful painting• A painting is more than just colors and line – its an

experience• So, each person has a completely different experience when viewing the world – must be

sensitive to this during therapy.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Behavioral

• Behavioral Approach – Focuses on measuring and recording observable behavior. (behavior results from learning)

• Pavlov and his dogs, Watson and Baby Albert, Skinner and his rats. (rewards, punishments, and associations)

• All these men believed that psychology should be the science of behavior.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic

• Psychoanalytic Approach – Focuses on unconscious internal conflicts to explain mental disorders, personality, and motivation.

• Sigmund Freud developed this approach and focused on unconscious desires (Freudian slips, life and death instincts, libido, early life experiences.

• Psychodynamic Approach – Those that varied Freud’s ideas but kept with the roots of psychoanalysis.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Humanistic

• Humanistic Approach – Emphases the importance of people’s feelings and view human nature as naturally positive and growth seeking.

• Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs) and Carl Rogers (Unconditional Positive Regard) led the charge.

• This approach came out the 60’s and 70’s.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Biological

• Biological Approach – Examines how complex chemical and biological processes within the nervous and endocrine systems are related to the behavior of organisms.

• Much research is being done today using this approach – Brain based research.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Cognitive

• Cognitive Approach – Emphasizes the importance of receiving, storing, and processing information.

• It also focuses on thinking, reasoning, and using language to understand human behavior.

• Cognition – thinking and memory.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Evolutionary

• Evolutionary Approach –Attempts to explain behavior patterns as adaptations naturally selected to increase reproductive success.

• This approach uses Darwin’s theory of natural selection as a basis.

• Darwin wrote Origin of Species.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Socio-cultural

• As time progressed more people were traveling and visiting other cultures.

• Psychologists soon recognized the difference in cultural gestures, body language, and spoken language.

• Socio-cultural Approach – Examines the cultural differences in an attempt to understand, predict, and control behavior.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Eclectic

The most widely used psychological approach today is eclecticEclectic – No one perspective can best explain all human behaviorSo…Eclectic psychologists use a combination of all the approaches