8 Approaches To Psychology

Evolutionary Perspective

An approach to psychological inquiry that views human cognition and behavior in a broadly Darwinian context of adaptation to evolving physical and social environments and new intellectual challenges.

Psychodynamic Perspective

The psychological and psychiatric approach that views human behavior from the standpoint of unconscious motives that mold the personality, influence attitudes, and produce emotional disorder. The emphasis is on tracing behavior to its origins, as contrasted with the nosological approach, which concentrates on overt signs and symptoms of disorder.

Humanism Perspective

A perspective that begins with a presumption of the inherent dignity and worth of humankind and, as a scholarly or artistic discipline, focuses attention on the study and representation of human beings and human experiences.

Sociocultural Perspective

Any viewpoint or approach to health, mental health, history, politics, economics, or any other area of human experience that emphasizes the environmental factors of society, culture, and social interaction.

Behavioral Perspective

Suggests that keys to understanding development are observable and external stimuli in the environment.

Cognitive Perspective

How we perceive, process, and remember through thoughts, feelings, and behavior; example memory is cognition and problem solving is cognition.

Biological Perspective

an approach to abnormal psychology that emphasizes physiologically based causative factors, such as the amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease, and consequently tends to focus primarily upon biological therapies.

Biopsychosocial approach

Denoting a systematic integration of biological, psychological, and social approaches to the study of mental health and specific mental disorders.