Major Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology

Psychoanalysis

- Early childhood experiences are the most important factors in personality development

- Memories of early childhood experiences are stored in the unconscious mind and continues to effect behavior throughout one's life

- (unconscious mind)

Behaviorism

- founded by John B. Watson

- believed psychologists should study observable behavior - which can be recorded and verified

Behaviorism (B.F Skinner)

- behavior is controlled by consequences

-animals and people tend to repeat behaviors that are followed by positive consequences

Humanistic

- founded in the 1950s by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

- believed that psychology should study the individual's unique subjective experience of the world

-has been applied to the study of love, altruism, and healthy personality development

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

-From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualization.

-Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.

Cognitive

- Favors the study of how the mind organized perceptions, processes information, and interprets experiences

- Infer the presence of cognitive process from observable responses without relying on verbal reports alone

Biopsychological

- stresses the relationship of physiological factors to behavioral and mental processes

- early research involving humans helped to map out the functions of the brain

(the brain, ADHD, etc.)

Sociocultural

- Favors the scientific study of human behavior in its sociocultural context

- Considers the impact of various factors (such as: culture, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation) on human behavior and thought processes)