Psychological Perspectives on Human Behavior

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to psychological perspectives on human behavior as discussed in the lecture notes.

Psychological Perspectives

Different ways of thinking about and explaining human behavior, emphasizing various aspects.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A perspective developed by Sigmund Freud, indicating that behavior is influenced by unconscious fears, desires, and motivations.

Freudian Concepts

Behaviors, thoughts, and perceptions are shaped by our past and primitive instincts.

Unconscious Mind

Part of the mind that contains motives and desires we are unaware of, influencing our behaviors.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies used by the unconscious mind to protect the ego, such as displacement and repression.

Psychoanalysis

A procedure developed by Freud for accessing repressed fears and conflicts through techniques like dream interpretation.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

A learning process where behaviors are influenced by rewards and punishments.

BF Skinner

Psychologist known for studying how behaviors are influenced by rewards and punishments through operant conditioning.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of how we think and perceive, influencing our reality and psychological disorders.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A therapy that aims to change maladaptive thought patterns to improve quality of life.

Maladaptive Thought Patterns

Unhelpful cognitive patterns that can lead to psychological disorders.

Humanistic Perspective

Focuses on subjective experience and the need for personal growth, emphasizing self-actualization.

Hierarchy of Needs

Model proposed by Abraham Maslow that outlines the progression of human needs from basic to self-actualization.

Neurobiological Perspective

Views behavior as a product of biological factors such as genes, hormones, and chemical processes in the brain.

Natural Selection

Charles Darwin's concept that traits aiding survival and reproduction are passed on to future generations.

Sociocultural Perspective

Suggests that social and cultural groups significantly influence individual behavior and mental processes.

Bystander Effect

A phenomenon where the presence of other witnesses reduces individual intervention in emergencies.

Diffusion of Responsibility

When individuals feel less responsible for a situation when others are present.

Cultural Norms

Rules and expectations of behavior within a given cultural or social group.

Socialization

The process by which individuals learn and adopt the skills, beliefs, values, and behaviors of their society.