Psychology approaches

the scientific study of general behavior and mental processes. description, explanation, prediction, influence - describe the behavior; why doing the behavior, predict what other behaviors would be showed, and how to influence the behavior. Empirical science (knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation)


7 perspectives/approaches (different views of behavior) - psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, biological, humanistic, socio-cultural, evolutionary

  • Psychoanalytic/dynamic = developed by Sigmund Freud, dying down, very controversial, study of unconscious motives and early childhood conflicts that determine behavior to not control urges; sex and aggression are the two primal unconscious urges ~ differs from person to person based on how willing they will act on those urges.

  • Behaviorism/Learning = psychology focused on observable behavior. Key people for behaviorism are Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner.

  • Cognitive = mental processes/the mind - memory, perception, language, development, problem solving all effect thought processes that affect behavior. Jean Piaget big in development.

  • Biological/Neuroscience = biology effects behavior (genetics, structures, hormones, etc) + newest, we are a product of biology

  • Humanistic = focused on the potential to be great, feel good, self actualization/full potential, client centered therapy, hierarchy of needs and especially free will, love, and relationships. Carl Roger believed in client centered therapy, Abraham Maslow came up with the Hierarchy of Needs

  •  Socio-cultural = ones culture and society influencing their sense of right and wrong/who you are based on cultural and socially acceptable norms. Pseudo-external = a society and cultures influence on an individual 

  • Evolutionary = focuses on Darwinism, inherited behaviors that have evolved over generations; difficulty to explain differences in people


Eclectic View of Psychology/Biopsychosocial- bits of different perspectives to form one’s viewpoint/eclectic, most common. Nature vs Nurture, our behavior is based on human nature or on how we were nurtured or raised?