Why do we do the things we do?
Well, it depends on who
you ask.
7 Perspectives of psychology
Neuroscience/Biological
Believes behavior is influenced by:
our brain chemistry, abnormalities in
the brain, hormones, chemical
imbalances
Michael Gazzaniga (split brains)
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
Believes behavior is influenced by:
Childhood experiences that have been
repressed (pushed) into our unconscious
mind
Ideas set forth by
Sigmund Freud
Evolutionary
Believes behavior is influenced by:
Improving our chances to survive
(reproduce), genes passed down by
ancestors
Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the
fittest (adaptation)
Humanistic
Believes behavior is
influenced by:
YOU, and your motivation to
reaching your fullest potential
One’s self esteem, self image,
understanding you have the power of
choice!
Abraham Maslow
(hierarchy of needs)
Behavioral
Psychology is only valid if you can OBSERVE the
behaviors
Believe behavior is influenced by:
our environments
•
Albert Bandura (Social Learning Theory; learning by
observing others and modeling)
•
Ivan Pavlov (Classical conditioning; learning by
association)
•
B.F. Skinner (Operant conditioning; learning by rewards
& punishments)
Socio-Cultural
Believe behavior is influenced by:
society, socio-economic status, religion,
community, our culture
Ideas set forth by Stanley Milgram
Cognitive
Believe behavior is influenced by:
how we encode, process (interpret),
store, retrieve information & problem
solve, think, analyze
All mental processes!
Ideas set forth by
Jean Piaget
Review
Biological
(Neuroscience)
Behavioral
Behavior can be understood by
describing underlying biochemical
and neurological causes
Interested in directly observable
behaviors that are the result of
external stimuli
Brain,
neurochemicals,
genes
Reinforcement or
punishment
Cognitive
Cognitive psychologists study
thoughts and processes (language,
thought, and memory)
Our thoughts
Humanistic
Views behavior as a product of free
will and opposed the determinism
of behaviorism and psychoanalysis
I choose
Psychodynamic
(Psychoanalytic)
Human behavior is primarily
determined by unconscious
processes. Stresses the importance
of early experiences in determining
later behavior problems
Events from distant
past; unconscious
Social-Cultural
Human behavior is largely the result
of our social environments.
Environment
Evolutionary
Belief that our thoughts and
behaviors are the result of
evolutionary selection pressures
Natural selection