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Approaches to Psychology

Approaches to Psychology. Different Ways of Explaining Human Behavior Or Why Do We Do the Things We Do?. Psychoanalytic Approach. Developed largely by Sigmund Freud in early 1900s Behavior is determined by “primal drives” (hunger, thirst, procreation)

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Approaches to Psychology

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  1. Approaches to Psychology Different Ways of Explaining Human Behavior Or Why Do We Do the Things We Do?

  2. Psychoanalytic Approach • Developed largely by Sigmund Freud in early 1900s • Behavior is determined by “primal drives” (hunger, thirst, procreation) • And the experiences of early childhood, especially with mom and dad, especially trauma • We suffer anxiety due to conflict between our primal drives and society’s constraints • The reasons behind our behavior are often unconscious, unknowable without an analyst

  3. Behaviorist Approach • What’s going on outside, around us, determines what we do, choices we make • Life is merely a series of stimuli and human behavior is merely a series of responses to those stimuli • Our environment “teaches” us how to behave, reinforcing good and bad behavior through rewards and punishments

  4. Humanist Approach • People are in control of their own destiny • To be psychologically healthy, one must always strive for personal achievement • Self-concept, self-esteem are important Humanist psychological ideas • We have free-will in making our lives as rich and satisfying as possible – neither society nor early childhood trauma can stop us from being happy

  5. Socio-Cultural Approach • The particular values, beliefs and ideals of the culture into which we are born influence what we feel and what we do • To be “smart,” for example means something different to a Trobriand fishing culture than to a HS student in the U.S. • Social stratification (classism, sexism, racism, homophobia) affects the ability of some to achieve the same degree of psychological health as others • There is no “self” outside of the one constructed by society and culture.

  6. Cognitive Approach • Focus is on mental processes (perceiving, believing, thinking, memory) • Our perceptions of the world/reality influence our judgements • Problems stem from false perceptions of reality

  7. Biological-Genetic-Medical Approach • Genetic, medical and neurological factors explain human behavior and thinking • Hormonal changes, brain anomalies and neuro-chemical balances influence the way we think, feel and act • The mind-body split is erroneous – we are whole organisms: if our bodies are ailing or abnormal, so might be our minds and emotions

  8. Explaining Billy’s Behavior

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