CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES

1. CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

2. DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES  DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS • Scenario: • Lisa, a straight A college student and track star, lined up to compete at the NCAA 5,000 meter regional finals –held later on the same day that she had to take her MCAT. Having spent the night studying for that all important exam, Lisawas operating on 3 hours of sleep. As the runners took off, she got off to a slow start and fell behind. Suddenly, she veered off the track, scaled an 8 foot fence, and ran away. Injuries she sustained ended her running career and postponed her dream of medical school. • Why did Lisaact this way? Each perspective explains her behavior a little differently.

3. BIOLOGICAL APPROACH – I was born this way Assumes the body and mind are related • Influence of hormones, genes, the brain, the central nervous system on the way we think, feel, & act • Our mental processes (thoughts, fantasies, dreams) are made possible by our nervous system –particularly the brain • CAT scans, PET scans, MRIs and EEGs study biological functions of brain How much of our personality is inherited? Is there a gene for suicide? Does mental stress cause physical illness? It is the view that all psychological disorders have a biochemical OR physiological basis. Studies have found links between genetic factors & mental disorders

4. BEHAVIORAL APPROACH – JUST RATS CAUGHT IN A MAZE • Behaviorism: emphasized the idea that psychology should focus on ONLY observable behavior • People act and react because of their experience; their learning histories. • Emphasizes importance of environmental influences & reinforcement

5. COGNITIVE APPROACH – I THINK THEREFORE I AM • How we think • Perceptions and thoughts influence our behavior • Assumes that connections exist between what people think, feel, and do • Believes that a lot of how we feel& what we do starts with what we think Someone who sees a cancer diagnosis as a personal challenge is likely to approach it differently than one who views it as a death sentence. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”

6. HUMANISTIC APPROACH – looking on the bright side • Focus on impact of self awareness & free will – emphasizing role of conscious rather than unconscious experience • Strive to achieve self actualization (fulfillment of human potential) - Self esteem and self concept most important • A parent or teacher who criticizes a child often enough will cause the child to doubt own feelings and abilities; judge themselves incapable.

7. PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACH • IT’S ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG • Views behavior as driven by powerful conflicts between unconscious thought and conscious behavior • Freud – father of psychoanalysis – believed people were riddled with conflicts between own needs & society’s expectations

8. SOCIO CULTURAL APPROACH – No man is an island • To understand human behavior  start with the culture in which people live • Culture influences how we think, feel, & act; about roles we play

9. EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH • It’s a Dog Eat Dog World • Focuses on the origins of behavior pattern and mental processes • Seeks to apply Darwin’s idea of natural selection to the mind • Believe key to understanding human nature is the in the behavior of our ancestors • Example: all human beings love, hate, and get angry • -believe we inherited our ability to communicate from ancestors because those skills helped them to survive – once we know how they evolved we can be more in control of them.

10. SOURCES • Harris, Lori A.. PhD., Cliffs AP Psychology. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2005. • Johnston, Joni E. Psychology, 4th Ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.