QofD 9/13 Of the six approaches to studying psychology which are due to nature and which are do to nurture. AKA: Which approaches believe you are born a certain way and which approaches believe you are a product of your environment?

Six Approaches to Psychology and the People behind them HOW IS IT RELEVANT TODAY?

Six Approaches to Studying Psychology Biopsychological Behavioral Psychoanalytical Humanistic Cognitive Sociocultural

Biopsychological/ Neuropsychological Def: Viewing behavior as the result of nervous system function & biology IOW: Your bodies reaction to stimuli in the environment Ex. What happens when there is “danger” Bio study physical processes that take place when you panic and when you relax

Advantages Understanding biological aspects of behavior can help in dev treatments for some disorders

Disadvantages It does little to explain social influence on behavior

Psychoanalytical Def: A system of viewing the individual as the product of unconscious forces IOW: People are controlled by their impulses Ex. Oh bother! P.A. try to understand what kinds of perceptions, thinking and memory go below our level of awareness &w/o our control

Advantages It provides a framework for analyzing thought processes below consciousness

Disadvantages Focuses on how people are only products of mostly negative unconscious impulses

Behavioral Def: Viewing behavior as the product of learning & association IOW: We are the end result of all the things we have been exposed to (product of our environment) Ex. Delinquent behavior Behavioral psychologist study what events in our past have shaped who we are today

Advantages It can help parents teach children appropriate behavior

Disadvantages It takes away our “free will”

Cognitive Def: Emphasizes how human use mental processes to handle problems or dev certain personality characteristics IOW: Cognitive = thinking Ex. OCD Cognitive psy believe that if we replace internal sentences w/ useful ones it can change our thinking processes

Advantages It analyzes how thoughts affect behavior Most popular form of psychology today

Disadvantages It downplays the role of emotions

Sociocultural Def: Behavior viewed as strongly influenced by the rules & expectations of specific social groups or cultures IOW: S.C. psy study specific social, race, religious groups & their affect on our behavior Ex. Suburban white girl vs N.A. boy on reservation Soc psy study how culture affects performance on tests, education, crime, and emotion

Advantages Helps psychologists to counsel people from different cultures & to understand social influences on behavior

Disadvantages It does not address physiological influences on behavior

Humanistic Def: Believing that people are basically good & capable if helping themselves IOW: We are born good & if all goes well we can reach perfection Perfect seed Humanistic psy believe that environment doesn’t force us to become anything; acts as a background for our internal growth

Advantages Give people the power over their own lives and behavior Self actualization: every human has the potential to become great in his/her own way (Rogers)

Disadvantages No one is good all the time, it may be a bit too good to be true