PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Ms Caroline Watters Marlboro High School
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Ms. Caroline Watters Marlboro High School
This Power. Point goes with the “Psychological Perspectives” Chart
Neurobiological Perspective • Definition: Studies links between body and behavior • Focus: How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences • Key Factors: Studies neurotransmitters, brain structures, and nerve functions
Neurobiological Perspective • View: Behavior is the result of biology (actions of brain and nerve cells) – Ex: Addiction • Advantages: Brain based disorders can be treated with medication • Disadvantages: Does not account for environmental factors
Evolutionary Perspective • People: Charles Darwin • Definition: Study of the evolution of behavior and the mind • Focus: How the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes • Key Factors: – Theory of evolution – Social Darwinism
Evolutionary Perspective • View: Behavior is a product of effective traits that have been passed on – Ex: Intelligence • Advantage: Explains enduring and changing patterns of behavior • Disadvantage: Does not explain rapid changes
Social-Cultural Perspective • Definition: Studies how culture influences behavior • Focus: How behavior and thinking vary across situations/cultures • Key Factors: – Elements of culture: Social organization, Customs and Traditions, Language, Arts/Literature, Religion, Forms of Government, Economic Systems
Social-Cultural Perspective • View: Behavior is learned using social norms, roles, and values • Advantage: Gives a basis for understanding behavior • Disadvantage: Does not explain why people violate social norms, roles, etc.
Behavioral Perspective • People: – Watson – Skinner • Definition: Studies behavior without references to mental processes • Focus: How we learn observable responses
Behavioral Perspective • Key factors: – Principles of reinforcement – Modeling of behavior • View: Behavior is the product of associations (learned) – EX: Cycle of Abuse • Advantage: Works well for treatment of simple behaviors • Disadvantages: Does not account for emotions/complex thinking
Cognitive Perspective • People: Adler • Definition: Studies how thought processes affect behavior • Focus: How we store. Encode, process, and retrieve information • Key Factors: – Short term memory – Long term memory – Amnesia
Cognitive Perspective • View: Behavior is the result of our thought processes and problem solving – Ex: Internal sentences • Advantages: Gives people a sense of control • Disadvantages: Takes emotion out of the behavior equation
Psychoanalytic (Psychodynamic) Perspective • People: – Freud – Jung • Definition: Freud’s theory of personality and therapeutic technique • Focus: How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts • Key Factors: – Hypnosis – Unconscious – Id, Ego, Superego
Psychoanalytic Perspective • View: Behavior is the result of our drives (sexual and aggressive) that are unconscious – Ex: Freudian Slip • Advantages: Takes into account early childhood experiences • Disadvantages: Negative view of human nature
Humanistic Perspective • People – Carl Rogers – Abraham Maslow • Definition: Views people as basically good and capable of helping themselves • Focus: How people, is taught good skills/coping strategies, can be successful • Key factors: Unconditional positive regard, self actualization
Humanistic Perspective • View: Behavior is the product of individual differences – Good environment +good choices = selfactualization • Advantages: Very empowering • Disadvantages: Can be considered naïve
Behavior Genetics Perspective • Definition: The study of the relative power and limits of genes and environment on behavior • Focus: How much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences • Key Factors: – DNA, Environment, Nature/nurture
Behavior Genetics • View: Behavior is the product of the interaction between genes and the environment – Ex: Adoption studies • Advantages: Melds old and new ideas in psychology • Disadvantages: Unclear on the amount each influences behavior
- Slides: 18