PERSPECTIVES OF PSYCHOLOGY These eight perspectives often complement

PERSPECTIVES OF PSYCHOLOGY These eight perspectives often complement each other and together provide a fuller understanding of behavior.

BIOLOGICAL (Neuroscience) perspective n Focus: How the body and brain enable emotions and sensory experiences n Sample Questions: How are messages transmitted within the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives?

Biological Perspective All of your feelings and behaviors have an organic root. n In other words, they come from your brain, body chemistry, neurotransmitters, etc… n Let us imagine for a second that your dog died (sad but it will happen). You become depressed. You stop eating and sleeping. What would a psychologist from this school say is going on and how might they help you?

EVOLUTIONARY perspective n Focus: How the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes n Sample Questions: How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Why do men and women have different mating strategies?

Evolutionary Perspective Focuses on Darwinism. n We behave the way we do because we inherited those behaviors/traits. n Thus, those behaviors/traits How could this behavior ensured Homer’s ancestors survival? must have helped ensure our ancestors survival. n

BEHAVIOR GENETICS perspective n Focus: How much our genes and environment influence our individual differences n Sample Questions: Does nature (genetics) or nurture (environment) play a more prominent role in our development?

PSYCHOANALYTIC/ PSYCHODYNAMIC perspective n Focus: How behavior springs from unconscious drives and childhood conflicts n Sample Questions: How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual or aggressive drives or unfulfilled wishes and childhood trauma?

Psychoanalytic Perspective Focuses on the unconscious mind. n We repress many of our true feelings and are not aware of them. n In order to get better, we must bring forward the true feelings we have in our unconscious. n If a man has intimacy issues and cannot form relationships with others. What do you think someone from this school may think? Perhaps they may delve into the man’s unconscious and discover that he was bullied when he were younger. The bullying may have caused fear in getting close to others.

BEHAVIORAL perspective n Focus: How we learn observable responses n Sample Questions: How do learn to do things or not to do things through reward and punishment? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior?

Behavioral Perspective Focuses on observable Pretend that you behaviors while putting fail psychology feelings to the side. class. You become depressed. In turn, you begin to binge n We behave in ways and gain weight. because we have been conditioned to do so. What do you think a n To change behaviors, behaviorist may do? They would probably ignore we have to recondition the fact that you are the client. n depressed and just focus on your overeating. Maybe make you run a mile every time you eat over 2000 calories.

HUMANISTIC perspective n Focus: How each individual has great freedom of choice and a large capacity for personal growth n Sample Questions: How does a human being reach their full potential as a person?

Humanistic Perspective Peaked in the late 1960’s and 70’s…. so it focused on spirituality and free will. n We have to strive to be the best we can through “selfactualization”. n Happiness is defined by the distance between our “selfconcept” and “ideal self”. n

COGNITIVE perspective n Focus: How our thought process works and how we store and remember information n Sample Questions: How do we use information in remembering? Problem solving? Reasoning?

Cognitive Perspective Focuses on how we think (or encode information) n How do we see the world? n How did we learn to act to sad or happy events? n Cognitive Therapist attempt to change the way you think. n You meet a girl… Hopes are high!!! She rejects you…don’t even get digits. How do you react to the rejection? Some learned get back on Some learned to give up and the horse live a lonely life of solitude. And try again.

SOCIAL-CULTURAL perspective n Focus: How thinking and behavior vary across situations and cultures n Sample Questions: How is our society different from other societies in the world?

Social-Cultural Perspective Says that much of your behavior and your feelings are dictated by the culture you live in. n Some cultures kiss each other when greeting, some just bow. n Does your culture place value on individual or the group? n