Unit 0 Topic 0

Unit 0 Practice 1A: Concept Application – Psychological Perspectives


Psychodynamic Perspective

  • The psychodynamic perspective was first developed by Sigmund Freud

    • It originally was called the psychoanalytic theory and is still practiced today

  • The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences

    • Freud believed that people's personalities are shaped by unconscious motives, and that we could better understand our subconscious by analyzing our dreams, speaking openly about our expressions, and trying to access our repressed memories and feelings

  • One of the ways Freud observed this was by using free association, which is when a word or image triggers another idea, word or picture inside our head

    • For example, if I said the word large, what pops into your head?

  • This perspective is often used to explore deep-seated emotional issues, unresolved conflicts and the impact of early experiences on adult personality


Behavioral Perspective

  • The behavioral perspective came actually as a rejection to the psychodynamic approach

    • One major criticism with the psychodynamic approach was that it seeks to study something that is hidden and cannot truly be studied

  • Psychologists such as John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and eventually B. F. Skinner believed in an approach that would become known as behaviorism, which focuses on observable behavior

    • The behavioral perspective believes that psychology should be an objective science that focuses on studying observable behaviors without referencing the mental processes

  • Since our mental processes cannot be observed, behaviorism emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping behavior through reinforcement and punishment

    • It also looks at how we observe other individuals and model our behavior off of their actions and consequences

  • This approach is often used in therapy and education to modify behavior through reinforcement and other conditioning techniques


Sociocultural Perspective

  • The sociocultural perspective focuses on a person's experiences and influences in their life to better understand how culture shapes an individual

    • This approach observes how individuals' cultural norms, which are shared expectations and rules, often guide behaviors within a group

    • It also seeks to better understand how individuals' behaviors are shaped by other societal expectations and individuals

      • Ex. Many of us in the United States like to believe we're truly independent

      • But how does our family, religion, food, music, our neighborhood, our school, our culture, or society shape us? And how does that impact our decisions?

  • In one way, this approach can be measured when looking at interactions we have with people and things around us, but can be difficult to measure the culture itself

  • This perspective often provides insight into different behaviors across different cultures


Humanistic Perspective

  • The humanistic perspective emphasizes our potential as humans to grow as individuals

  • This was led by individuals such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, who believed that behaviorism was too limited in its scope and should instead focus on the potential growth of a person

    • This approach focuses on free will and is an optimistic approach that focuses on the differences of people and their growth and development

    • The humanistic perspective emphasizes free will and a person's desire to move toward self-actualization, which is when an individual is motivated to strive to reach their full potential

  • This perspective is often used in therapy to help individuals achieve personal growth and improve self-esteem


Cognitive Perspective

  • The cognitive perspective focuses on how we as individuals interpret, process, and remember information; essentially, this approach focuses on our inner thoughts

    • This perspective emphasizes how people process and store information and how that influences the person's behavior

  • But similar to the other perspectives, here we are faced with the challenge of trying to study our thought processes in an objective and observable manner, which is essentially impossible

    • Many of our thoughts may be and could be based on limited life experiences or our emotions

  • We can see this perspective is often used in cognitive behavioral therapy


Biological Perspective

  • The biological perspective seeks to understand the links between our biological and psychological processes

    • It focuses on the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, and the nervous system's role in influencing thoughts and actions; essentially how behaviors and mental processes are influenced by our nervous system

  • This perspective allows us to better understand different neurological conditions, mental disorders, and the effects of medication on behaviors


Biopsychosocial Perspective

  • The biopsychosocial perspective focuses on the interconnectedness of the biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding behavior and mental processes

    • Think of this as a combination of the sociocultural and the biological perspective

  • This perspective is often used in treatments as it encourages individuals to consider not just the biological aspects of a disease, but also the patient's emotional state and social environment


Evolutionary Perspective 

  • The evolutionary perspective looks at how natural selection and adaptation influence behavior

  • This idea was proposed by Charles Darwin, who argued that our behaviors and bodies were shaped through natural selection

    • This perspective can help us understand where certain behaviors such as fear responses come from