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Perspectives in Modern Psychology

The document discusses several major perspectives in modern psychology: psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, biological, cross-cultural, evolutionary, and humanistic. Each perspective emphasizes different aspects of human behavior and thinking and has contributed to the field's understanding of the human mind and behavior.

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Caissa Pena
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193 views

Perspectives in Modern Psychology

The document discusses several major perspectives in modern psychology: psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, biological, cross-cultural, evolutionary, and humanistic. Each perspective emphasizes different aspects of human behavior and thinking and has contributed to the field's understanding of the human mind and behavior.

Uploaded by

Caissa Pena
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Perspectives in

Modern
Psychology
Perspectives in Modern Psychology
 There are many different ways of thinking about human behavior.
 Psychologists utilize a variety of perspectives when studying how people think, feel,
and behave.
 Some researchers focus on one specific perspective, such as the biological perspective,
while others take a more eclectic approach that incorporates multiple points of view.
 There is no single perspective that is "better" than another; each simply emphasizes
different aspects of human behavior.
 The early years of psychology were marked by the domination of a succession of
different schools of thought.
 Earlier it included structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and
humanism.
 As psychology has grown, so has the number and variety of topics that psychologists
investigate.

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1. The Psychodynamic Perspective
 The psychodynamic perspective originated with the work of
Sigmund Freud. This view of psychology and human behavior
emphasizes the role of the unconscious, early childhood
experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human
behavior, as well as to treat mental illnesses.

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Freud conceived of the mind as being composed of
three key elements

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2. The Behavioral Perspective
 Behavioral psychology is a perspective that focuses
on learned behaviors.
 Behaviorism differed from many other perspectives
because instead of emphasizing internal states, it
focused solely on observable behaviors.
 While this school of thought dominated psychology
early in the twentieth century, it began to lose its hold
during the 1950s.
 Today, the behavioral perspective is still concerned
with how behaviors are learned and reinforced.

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3. The Cognitive Perspective
 This area of psychology focuses on mental
processes such as memory, thinking, problem
solving, language and decision-making.
 Influenced by psychologists such as Jean Piaget
and Albert Bandura, this perspective has grown
tremendously in recent decades.
 Cognitive psychologists often utilize an
information-processing model, comparing the
human mind to a computer, to conceptualize how
information is acquired, processed, stored, and
utilized.
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4. The Biological Perspective
 known as biological psychology.
 Sometimes referred to as biopsychology or physiological psychology,
this point of view emphasizes the physical and biological bases of
behavior.
 Researchers who take a biological perspective on psychology might
look at how genetics influence different behaviors or how damage to
specific areas of the brain influence behavior and personality.
 This perspective has grown significantly over the last few decades,
especially with advances in our ability to explore and understand the
human brain and nervous system.
 MRI scans allows researchers to look at the brain under a variety of
conditions.
 Scientists can now look at the effects of brain damage, drugs, and
disease in ways that were simply not possible in the past.
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5. The Cross-Cultural Perspective
 Cross-cultural psychology is a fairly new perspective that has
grown significantly over the last twenty years.
 These psychologists and researchers look at human behavior
across different cultures.
 By looking at these differences, we can learn more about how
our culture influences our thinking and behavior.
 For example, researchers have looked at how social behaviors
differ in individualistic and collectivistic cultures.
 In individualistic cultures, such as the U.S., people tend to
exert less effort when they are part
 In collectivistic cultures (such as China), people tend to work
harder when they are part of a group 8
6. Evolutionary Perspective
 focuses on the study of how the theory of evolution can
explain physiological processes.
 Psychologists who take this perspective apply the basic
principles of evolution (like natural selection) to
psychological phenomena.
 The evolutionary perspective suggests that these mental
processes exist because they serve an evolutionary
purpose—meaning that they aid in human survival and
reproduction.

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7. The Humanistic Perspective
 It was greatly influenced by the work of prominent humanists
such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
 The humanistic perspective emphasizes the role of
motivation in thought and behavior. Concepts such as self-
actualization are essential. Psychologists with a humanist
perspective focus on what drives humans to grow, change,
and develop their personal potential.
 Positive Psychology (which focuses on helping people live
happier, healthier lives) is a recent movement in psychology
with roots in the humanist perspective.

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