Psychological Perspectives

Do Now Quiz Time!

Check the statements with which you agree ___ Even the most subtle behaviors tell you something about a person. ___ Our behaviors are a product of our history as a species. ___ Nothing makes you angry; you choose to become angry. ___ Consciousness is the same thing as nervous system activity. ___ You cannot fully understand a person without knowing where they came from. ___ Many of our activities are designed to propagate our genes. ___ Our actions are caused by events in our environment. ___ Criminals sometimes leave evidence because they really want to get caught. ___ The language you speak influences the way you process other information. ___ You really can’t know what goes on in someone’s mind, all you can know is how they act.

___ It is important for each individual to develop a clear sense of who he/she is. ___ People make rational choices by weighing the alternatives. ___ You can change behavior with rewards and punishments. ___ We don’t often realize the real reason we do something. ___ Our behavior reflects our thoughts. ___ People process information much in the same way that computers do. ___ Men and women behave differently due to ancient environmental pressures. ___ To understand behavior, you have to understand how the nervous system works. ___ Much of our behavior is genetically determined. ___ People from collectivist and individualist societies differ in terms of what they find morally acceptable.

___ You can discover a lot about your unconscious mind by interpreting the symbols that appear in your dreams. ___ To be happy, you need to live up to your fullest potential. ___ Humans share several important behaviors with apes. ___ Ultimately, each person is responsible for his or her actions. ___ Sometimes people behave irrationally because they think irrationally. ___ Growing up in a remote tribal village engenders different social skills than growing up in a large city. ___ Many times it’s the behavior that’s the problem. ___ To understand emotions, you must understand hormones.

Your preferred If you chose items perspective is 1, 8, 14, 21 7, 10, 13, 27 3, 11, 22, 24 12, 15, 16, 25 4, 18, 19, 28 2, 6, 17, 23 5, 9, 20, 26 Psychoanalytic Behavioral Humanistic Cognitive Biological Evolutionary Cultural

Review: Levels of Analysis Neural (brain as cause) Evolutionary (natural selection as cause) Learning/Behaviorism (prior experiences as cause) Social (other people as cause) Cultural (broader culture as cause) Cognitive (individual knowledge and beliefs as cause) Developmental (age related changes as cause) Categories Biological (neural, genetic, evolutionary) Experiential (learning, cognitive, learning, social, cultural) Developmental

Perspectives Perspectives (different than fields in psychology or levels of causal analysis) Lenses through which to analyze any psychological issue Biological the application of the principles of biology, in particular neurobiology, to the study of mental processes and behavior Evolutionary (Darwin) An approach to psychology that tries to explain traits and behaviors in terms of adaptations Behaviorism (Skinner, Thorndike, Pavlov) an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior Cognitive (Chomsky, Piaget) An approach to psychology that emphasizes internal mental processes and systems Humanistic (Rogers, Maslow) A theoretical view of human nature which stresses a positive view of human nature Sociocultural (Bandura, Erickson) An approach to psychology that emphasizes cultural or social contexts in determining behavior Psychodynamic / psychoanalytic (Freud, Jung) An approach to psychology that emphasizes subconscious processes Developmental, trait, and learning mechanisms are incorporated into these perspectives

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: We are complex systems that respond to hereditary and environmental influences Biological Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Neural structures, biochemistry, and inborn responses to external cues Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Sociocultural Question for Study: How do heredity, the nervous system, and the endocrine system produce behavior and mental processes? Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 28

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: We undergo predictable patterns of change throughout our lives Biological Developmental What Determines Behavior: Interaction between heredity and environment Cognitive Psychodynamic Humanistic Questions for Study: What are the patterns that characterize developmental change? What are the genetic and environmental influences underlying these patterns? Behavioral Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 29

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: People are information-processing systems Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Mental interpretation of our experience Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Question for Study: How do mental processes, including sensation, perception, learning, memory, and language, influence behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 30

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: We are driven by dark forces of the unconscious Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Unconscious needs, conflicts, repressed memories, and childhood experiences Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Question for Study: How does the energy generated in the unconscious mind motivate our actions and account for mental disorders? Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 31

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: Emphasizes human growth and potential Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: The influence of self-concept, perceptions, and interpersonal relationships, and on need for personal growth Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Sociocultural Question for Study: How can humanistic theory be applied to enhance mental health through counseling and therapy? Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 31

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: Behavior is primarily shaped by learning Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Stimulus cues and our history of rewards and punishments Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Questions for Study: What are the “laws” that associate our responses with stimulus conditions? How can they be applied to improve the human condition? Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 33

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: People are social animals, so human behavior must be interpreted in social context Biological Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Cultures, social norms and expectations, social learning Psychodynamic Humanistic Questions for Study: Under what conditions is the social and cultural situation predictive of behavior? How are social influences different across cultures? Behavioral Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 34

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological Developmental Cognitive View of Human Nature: Behavior is developed and adapted over time Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral What Determines Behavior: Natural selection Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Question for Study: How do behavior and individual differences develop and change? Trait 34

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: Individual differences result from differences in our underlying patterns of stable characteristics Biological Developmental Cognitive Psychodynamic What Determines Behavior: Each person’s unique combination of traits Humanistic Behavioral Question for Study: How many fundamental traits are there? How can we use trait patterns to predict behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 34

Psychologists often have different interests when viewing the same event. Example: Marissa is terribly afraid of heights. Biological: What physical processes occur in her body when she experiences this fear? Behavioral: How did she acquire this fear through learning? Evolutionary: What might be adaptable about a fear of heights? Cognitive: What patterns of thought occur when Marissa is in an elevator? Psychodynamic: What childhood traumatic event may have caused Marissa to develop this fear? Socio-cultural: How does Marissa’s expression of fear relate to her culture? Humanistic: How does Marissa’s fear impact her sense of self?

Processing: Stations on Levels of Analysis