Schools of Thought In Psychology

Schools of Thought At different periods over the modern history of psychology, specific viewpoints (schools) have been prominent. New schools of thought often emerge as reactions to previous schools. Today, few psychologists identify their outlook according to a particular school of thought. The majority of psychologists instead categorize their work according to their specialty area and perspective.

The psychodynamic perspective (Freud) Originated with the work of Sigmund Freud. This view of psychology and human behavior emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behavior and to treat people suffering from mental illnesses. What is the nature of humans? Conflict between Id (biological urges) and super ego (learned social principles) mediated by the ego (rational).

What Motivates Human Behavior What Motivates Human Behavior? Reality Principle: the acquisition of pleasure and avoiding of discomfort. The reality principle is based upon the tension between the id and the ego. The reality principle is a development of the ego. Through an understanding of how the world functions, the individual accepts that not all rewards occur immediately. This ability to defer gratification is a mark of maturity over the pleasure principle, which is the drive to avoid pain and prolong pleasure.

How do we become the Adults we do How do we become the Adults we do? According to Freud, personality develops during childhood and is critically shaped through a series of five psychosexual stages, which he called his psychosexual theory of development. How can we change is we wanted to? Personality is rigidly fixed by age 5. (phallic stage) Therapeutic approach was to help their patients uncover the hidden urges that drove behavior. Change requires, painful (cathartic), analysis.

Behaviorism is the view that psychology... Should be an objective science Studies behaviors without taking mental processes into account Ivan Pavlov (1849 – 1936) Automatic animation Most research psychologists agree that psychology should be an objective science, but NOT that it shouldn’t take mental processes into account. However Pavlov and Watson, whom you will meet later, shared a disdain for “mentalistic” concepts, such as consciousness. APA Learning Goal 1: Knowledge Base of Psychology John B. Watson (1878 – 1958) B. F. Skinner (1904 – 1990) Modules 20, 21 & 22

Behaviorist School 1920’s to 1950’s The behaviorist movement began in 1913 when J. B. Watson wrote an article entitled 'Psychology as the behaviorist views it,' Views Psychology as purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Watson said that psychology should rid itself of introspective studies of mental events that were not directly observable – imagery, memory, consciousness, et al. – and study behavior. What is the nature of humans? We are the product of our environment. When born our minds are 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate).

What motivates behavior What motivates behavior? Law of Effect (Thorndike, 1898) – we repeat behaviors that have lead to pleasant outcomes in similar situations in the past, and avoid behaviors that have lead to unpleasant outcomes in the past. Animals and humans do not differ in this.

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed and my own specific world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one of them at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- a doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors. (J. B. Watson, 1924).

How do we become the Adults that we do How do we become the Adults that we do? Classical and Operant Conditioning Sheldon Conditions Penny (3 mins.) How do we change if we want to?

The humanistic approach is often called the “third force” in psychology after psychoanalysis and behaviorism (Maslow, 1968). Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May What is the nature of humans? We are all striving to self-actualize.

What Motivates us? Human beings have an innate tendency to develop towards their full potential. However, this ability can become blocked or distorted by our life experiences - particularly those that affect our sense of value. How do we become the Adults that we do? Social interactions are key in the development of a human being. How do we change if we want to? Person centered Therapy - helps an individual feel accepted and better understand their own feelings - essentially helping them to reconnect with their inner values and sense of self-worth. This reconnection with their inner resources enables them to find their own way to move forward.

Cognitive Perspective 1950’s to Present Ulrich Neisser, Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, Albert Ellis Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of the mind as an information processor. Cognitive models of the mind includes perception, attention, language, memory, thinking (decision making and problem solving), and consciousness (Intuition).

Noam Chomsky vs. Skinner on Language Skinner – knowledge of language is due to operant conditioning. For example, when the child says ‘milk’ and the mother will smile and give her some as a result, the child will find this outcome rewarding, enhancing the child's language development (Ambridge & Lieven, 2011). Chomsky - Children (perhaps innately) are pattern seekers. When the child hears a sufficient number of instances of a linguistic construction (i.e. the plural form), she/he will detect patterns. in this case, that to plural a word you add ~s. They overgeneralize to irregular words like fishies.

What is the nature of human beings. We are pattern seekers What is the nature of human beings? We are pattern seekers. What motivates behavior? We are driven to understand the world around us. We do so be seeking out patterns (schema) that may be accurate and adaptive or inaccurate (prejudices) that are maladaptive. How do we become the adults that we are? There are innate abilities (i.e., to acquire language) but in general we are are what we learn?

How do we change if we want to How do we change if we want to? Albert Ellis – Rational Emotive Therapy (1962) Stinking Thinking - People learn irrational beliefs from significant others as children. Since these thoughts are learned, people have the power to change their thoughts and their behavior, as irrational thoughts can lead to self-destructive behavior.