1. Psychological
Perspectives

2. Do Now
Quiz Time!

3. 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.

4. ___ 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.

5. ___ 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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?

19. Processing: Stations on Levels of Analysis