modern approaches to psychology

biological/neuroscience approach

mental processes and behaviors are the result of biological processes

evolutionary approach

mental processes and behaviors can be understood in terms of what evolutionary value those ways of being hold or held in our ancestral past

psychodynamic approach

thoughts and behaviors are powerfully influenced by beliefs and interpretations outside of our conscious awareness, and will continue ot be our automatic responses until they are addressed on a conscious level

behavioral approach

behavior is primarily influenced by learning from observable outcomes

cognitive approach

behavior is shaped by the ways we take in, perceive, interpret, categorize, and retrieve information using our brain

humanistic approach

behavior is determined by what choices we perceive to be available to us and our respective, individualized values

• operates under the assumption that we start as blank slates but with an inborn drive to participate in/interact with the world around us in a constructive way

sociocultural/ecological approach

behavior is partially shaped by factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, and cutural and subcultural values

eclecticism

most psychologists take ideas from multiple perspectives to answer questions about behavior and mental processes