Psychology What is it? The scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings). Do our mental processes always match our behaviors? If you call me an idiot, I may feel sad inside. But I will still act tough. (but I will be crying on the inside, so be gentle).

Psychology’s Three Big Debates

Biology versus Experience (how much of each?) Am I the way I am because I was born that way or because of my surroundings? Nature v. Nurture Can I ever be like these people, or does nature give me limitations?

Stability v. Change As the years pass, do we change or remain the same? What aspects of ourselves stay fairly consistent as we become adults and which are more subject to change? Personality traits, physical appearance, sense of humor, tastes, etc…

Continuity v. Discontinuity Does growth occur gradually or in distinct stages?

History of Psychology Start of science of psychology = late 1800’s concept has been around a lot longer. trephination (cutting holes into a skull to let evil spirits out) in stone age. Aristotle (300s BCE) = knowledge through experience

Historical Waves of Psychology The science of psychology has gone through about 6 different waves since it started. Waves are different ways of thinking over time.

Wave One: Structure or Function? BIRTH OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY: Started with Wilhelm Wundt and structuralism first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany (1879) introspection

American William James and functionalism Wrote The Principles of Psychology (1890) James ( ) Mary Calkins Wave One: Structure or Function?

Both “schools” died out but influenced the growth of psychology

Wave Two: Gestalt Psychology Led by Max Wertheimer focused not on how we feel, but on how we experience the world. The whole of an experience can be more than the sum of its parts. Think for a moment of all the reasons that you love your mom or dad. If you add all those reasons up, do they equal your love for your mom or dad? It’s not that simple. Hopefully not!!! This may seem like one picture, but it can be perceived as 2 different faces. Can you find them?

Wave Three: Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud (in the early 1900’s). Most behavior stems from a hidden place in the mind -the unconscious. We protect ourselves from our real feeling by using defense mechanisms.

Wave Four: Behaviorism 1920s-1960s, focus shifted away from what was going on inside your mind. All that mattered was how you acted – observable behavior. How you feel/think was irrelevant. Change behavior through reinforcement/punishment John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in. I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant- chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief” John B. Watson, 1930

Wave Five: Humanism Psychological Science Develops Humanistic Psychology Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. Maslow ( ) Rogers ( )

Humanistic Perspective Focuses on positive growth Therapists use active listening and unconditional positive regard. Mr. Rogers would have made a great Humanistic Therapist!!!

Wave Six: Eclectic We are now in wave six….which is about variety. Psychologists pick and choose what theories to use depending on the situation and the client. Just like Ben 10 choosing the right alien to fight the bad guy depending the situation.

Wave Six is made up of about 7-8 different perspectives. Today, we are more likely to pick and choose from about 7-8 schools of thought to explain behavior. Thus we have: THE SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY

Biopsychology (Neuroscience) Perspective All of your feelings and behaviors have an organic root. In other words, they come from your brain, body chemistry, neurotransmitters, etc… Let us imagine for a second that your dog died. 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? OR If you could not remember the names of your parents and went to a psychologist who adheres to the neuroscience perspective, what might they say?

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

Behavior Genetics How much of who I am is due to my genetic makeup? How much is due to my environment? How does the interaction of my genes and my environment influence my life and my development?

Psychodynamic Perspective Our behavior comes from unconscious drives. Usually stemming from our childhood. We repress many of our true feelings and are not aware of them. In order to get better, we must bring forward the true feelings we have in our unconscious. What might a psychoanalyst say is the reason someone always needs to be chewing gum?

Behavioral Perspective Focuses on observable behaviors while putting feelings to the side. We behave in ways because we have been conditioned to do so. To change behaviors, we have to recondition the client. If you bit your fingernails when you were nervous, a behaviorist would not focus on calming you down, but rather focus on how to stop you from biting your nails.

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

Cognitive Perspective Focuses on how we think (or encode, store, process info) How do we see the world? How we tend to think in response to sad or happy events? Cognitive Therapists attempt to change the way you think. You meet a girl… Hopes are high!!! She rejects you How do you react to the rejection? Some may see it as her loss. And they try again. Some interpret it as evidence that they are worthless. They give up and live a lonely life of solitude.

Social-Cultural Perspective Much of our behavior and feelings are dictated by the culture(s) in which we live. Does our culture place value on individual (individualistic)or the group (collectivist)?

Social-Cultural Perspective Focus on how your culture effects your behavior. Even in the same high school, behaviors can change in accordance to the various subcultures.