Psychological Approaches/Careers in Psych

Behavioral

Events in the environment (rewards and punishments) influence our behavior

Psychodynamic

Unconscious motivations influence our behavior

Humanistic

Individual or self-directed choices influence our behavior

Cognitive

How we store, process, and retrieve information influences behavior

Biological

Biological factors influence behavior

Socio-cultural

Ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status influence our behavior

Evolutionary

Primal survival instincts influence behavior

Clinical Psychology

Treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

• Work in clinic, private practice, hospital, etc.

• Usually have doctorate (PhD or PhysD)

Counseling Psychology

Help people cope with everyday problems and serious adversity

• Often work at schools or businesses

• Often have masters degrees

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Apply psychological principles to the workplace in order to increase worker productivity and quality of life and assess who to hire/promote

Psychometric Psychology

Use of tests to measure human abilities, attitudes, and traits

• Ex. IQ tests or personality tests