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General Psychology

General Psychology. Scripture. Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit – Those who recognize that they are truly sinners saved by grace. A humility which will lead to true confidence by recognizing the need for the savior.

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General Psychology

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  1. General Psychology

  2. Scripture • Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit – Those who recognize that they are truly sinners saved by grace. A humility which will lead to true confidence by recognizing the need for the savior.

  3. Critical Thinking • thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions • examines assumptions • discerns hidden values • evaluates evidence Do NOT Accept the Author’s Conclusions in your Textbook!!!

  4. What Is Psychology • Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Soft Science vs. Hard Science We are all Naïve Psychologists Why do you behave the way you do? Why do your friends? Homework – Participation points – Explain Behavior

  5. Breaking Down Terms • Psychology • From the Greek words • Psyche  Mind • Logos  The study of • Therefore, psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. • This science is interested in using the scientific method to understand how living things think, feel, and act.

  6. Most Psychologists Believe that There Are Lawful Patters of Behavior • Do we freely choose our actions, or are they determined beforehand by factors beyond our awareness and control? • Determinism • Human behavior is no different from any other physical action – that it, is caused by lawful patterns that can be understood and predicted. • Free Will • People have absolutely unlimited power of free choice.

  7. Probabilistic Determinism • Although psychological phenomena cannot be predicted with 100 % certainty, they do occur with a regularity that is not random and can be reasonably understood using scientific methods. • Is it possible to have free will without some form of determinism? If there was no predictability over any action how can one choose? • Is it possible not to choose – is the nature of not choosing a choice? Can you choose to believe in free will?

  8. Early Pioneers • Wilhem Wundt (1832-1920) • He was the world’s first psychologist. • He developed a method of studying known as introspection. • Trained observers would report on the contents of their own immediate states of consciousness. • The consciousness model was later renamed as structuralism by one of his students, Edward Titchener. • Structuralism sought to identify the components of the conscious mind.

  9. Early Pioneers • William James (1842-1910) • The first major American psychologist • Developed an approach to psychology known as functionalism • How the conscious mind helps humans survive and successfully adapt to their environment

  10. Early Pioneers • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • The founder of psychoanalysis • Developed an approach to psychology through clinical practice • Developed a theory that all human behavior is determined by hidden or unconscious motives and desires that are sexual in nature • Developed therapy techniques and personality tests designed to reveal hidden or unconscious thought

  11. Early Pioneers • John Watson (1878-1958) • The founder of behaviorism • Professed that psychology should study observable behavior • Underlying philosophy known as logical positivism • All knowledge should be expressed in terms that can be verified empirically or through direct observation • Sought to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior

  12. Early Pioneers • Max Wertheimer (1880-1943) • Developed Gestalt psychology • Studies how the mind actively organizes stimuli into meaningful wholes • Our perceptions are not to be understood as the mind passively responding to a simple combination of individual elements, but rather as the mind actively organizing stimuli into meaningful wholes. • Laws of grouping • Describe how people tend to group discrete stimuli together into a meaningful whole

  13. Perception

  14. Critiquing the Evolutionary Perspective Evolutionary psychologists take a behavior and work backward to explain it in terms of natural selection. Evolutionary psychology proposes genetic determinism and undercuts morality in establishing society. Where genders are unequal, gender preferences are wide, but when they are closely equal, preferences narrow down.

  15. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior depend on ones culture? • Culture--the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

  16. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior vary with gender?

  17. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Is psychology potentially dangerous?

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