AP Psychology: Perspectives

All definitions and terms are taken from the Barron textbook for AP Psychology (updated edition).

Humanist Perspective

Humanists believe that we CHOOSE our behaviors based on needs (psychological, biological, emotional, spiritual, etc). For example, an introverted person to a humanist CHOOSES to act shy because they prefer engaging with a few close friends. That’s in contrast to a deterministic behaviorist, who might believe that introversion is caused by past conditioning and is an unconscious behavior.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Psychoanalysts (psychologists who align with this perspective) believe the unconscious mind is what determines our behavior. They look for impulses or memories pushed into the unconscious mind, below the surface of deliberate thought, to understand human behavior. A psychoanalyst might examine these things through dream analysis, word association, and other fringe therapy techniques.

Biopsychology/Neuroscience Perspective

Biopsychologists explain human thought and behavior strictly in terms of biological processes, such as genetics, hormones, and neurotransmitters.

Evolutionary/Darwinian Perspective

Evolutionary psychologists believe that human thoughts and actions are a result of evolution, and usually a past means of survival. For example, an evolutionary psychologist might believe that extraversion is a trait associated with survival, and thus some people evolved to have it. That’s because if you make more friends and are more social, you’re more likely to receive help in dire scenarios.

Behavioral Perspective

Behaviorists explain human thought and behavior in terms of conditioning. They look strictly at observable behaviors and at human responses to different stimuli. They also look at environmental conditions to understand behavior. (For example, thinking about behavior in terms of reward, punishment, and environmental factors.)

Cognitive Perspective

Cognitive psychologists examine human thought and behavior by examining how humans interpret circumstances in their lives, or the environment/events.

Social Cultural Perspective

Social-cultural psychologists look at how behaviors and thoughts vary among different cultures. They look at how a particular culture influences an individual’s behaviors—is behavior just the result of a broader group’s norms?

Biopsychosocial Perspective

This perspective acknowledges that thinking and behavior are likely a result of a combination of factors, ranging from biological to psychological to social.