Diverse Nature of Psychology Essay

Major Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology INTRODUCTION In this assignment I will be describing the five major schools of psychological research. These are Behaviorism, Biological, Cognitive, Humanist and Psychoanalytical. I will then attempt to evaluate the pros, cons and practical applications of the Behaviorist and Psychodynamic approaches. BEHAVIORISM

Psychology is a term derived from two Greek words that translate to life explanation, which makes it an important element of daily life. The field of psychology can be described as a discipline that focuses on the study of mind and behavior. This discipline is characterized by several concepts and approaches that are used by psychologists in understanding human behavior. Since psychology is a broad field, psychologists not only use these concepts and approaches but also conduct scientific research that enables them to understand human behavior. Some of the most common psychological concepts that are used to modify or change an individual’s behavior include operant conditioning, positive and negative punishment,

Psychology explores human behavior and the human mental process figuring ways to improve the thinking and attitude of an individual’s existence. Sometimes, different techniques are used and tried to properly resolve the problem within the multitude of possible behavioral issues. Moreover, Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, developed many theories, psychodynamic therapy, for clinically treating people with mental health problems through their unconscious mind; Then, Sigmund Freud’s theories or therapy, rather, diverged into other types of therapies such as Biological Psychology or Cognitive Psychology. No doubt, there are various perspectives, both strong and weak, in the field of Psychology using different techniques on different

According to Zalenski & Raspa (2006), the first level of needs is physiologic such as the need for food, air, and water. The second level encompasses safety needs, which including security, stability, protection; freedom from fear, anxiety, and chaos. The third level of need is belonging and love. The fourth level is the need for esteem, which is affected by the environment and related to societal recognition. The fifth level is the need for self-actualization, which is about the unique potential in

This essay will aim to describe and evaluate the behaviourist approach while referring to other perspectives and the key debates within psychology. Behaviourism believes that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts or feelings (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2015).

Diversity is recognizing a person’s differences as far as religion, ethnic group, sexual orientation, etc. Diversity can be seen in a workplace, schools, restaurants, or any public area. “Often diversity courses aim to explain that racism not only entails attitudes but also affects the opportunity structure in U.S. society; thus, the content of such courses should decrease the extent to which students view inequality as the result of individual short-comings (Cole, E. R., Case, K. A., Rios, D., & Curtin, N.).” Yes, psychology is the study of the mind however; learning the many different diversities is also learned and taught in psychology.

I have always been intrigued by the mental processes of humans and animals. As a young child and into adolescence, as a student and teacher and as a caregiver, I have always been interested in psychology in one form or another. This essay will reflect not only the development of my interest in psychology, but the development of myself as a person.

Omnibenevolent: God is all good and all loving, and, therefore, would not want any bad stuff to happen.

The focus of this paper is the person-centered approach, which is the understanding of personality and human relationships in psychotherapy and counseling in the areas of client-centered therapy, education of student-centered learning, organizations, and other group settings. Even though psychoanalysis and behaviorism have made major contributions to psychology, it has influenced the understanding and practices of the humanistic movement, specifically with the therapies for the different mental disorders. Psychoanalysis understands the unconscious behavior, behaviorism focuses on the conditioning process that produces behavior. Humanistic psychology focuses on the person's potential to act as a whole person in a nurturing environment by

According to Herzberg, individuals are not satisfied with lower-order needs at work, for example, those associated with minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions. Theses individuals look for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. Motivation-hygiene theory, based on the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives lead to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate set of job characteristics lead to dissatisfaction at work. Moreover he found that job characteristics related to what an individual does is the nature of the work he performs, having the capacity to gratify such needs such as achievement, competency, status, personal worth, and self-realization, leading to satisfaction. However, the absence of such gratifying job characteristics does not lead to dissatisfaction. Instead, dissatisfaction results from unfavorable assessments of such job-related factors as company

The diverse nature of psychology begins with making a difference in a diverse setting. This involves the implementation of critical psychology concepts, subdisciplines and subtopics, motivation, behaviorism, and cognition. Moreover, these subdisciplines and subtopics may be applied to other disciplines in contemporary society. In addition, this paper will include the subdisciplines and subtopics to theoretical perspectives, and concludes with the psychological contribution in areas of work, education, health, and leisure.

I find it hard to choose one theoretical approach as I’ve learned to see the benefits of many. I’m drawn to an aspect that each approach tends to emphasize. Initially, I would say behavioral theory; because of its central focus on learned behavior. I believe we are defined by our actions, and most of our present behaviors or tendencies have been shaped by past experiences. This leads me to believe that are most memorable moments are those that shape us, and our most memorable moments are those packed with emotion. So, I cannot believe that solely are actions can change our behavior, our thoughts and feelings about the situation at hand take part in our actions as well. Our thinking can influence our feelings and thus change our behavior. Which is what cognitive theory focuses on. So I tend to value a more cognitive behavioral approach.

I chose Gestalt Psychology for my first perspective, it is how people experience objects and perceive things as a whole. Gestalt allows us to look at everyday objects and distinguish them from their surroundings. Without the Gestalt Theory people would see every atom that made up a whole object. As I look at my computer screen, I do not see every little atom, I see the screen as a whole. From this perspective, learning objects as a whole instead of each individual part is beneficial because it allows us to open our minds for new learning experiences. However, there may be things in life that do not provide enough visual clues to determine what it is supposed to be.

This research article was taken from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) Journal. This specific issue had a total of ten articles, and while they are covering different topics and studies, some of them do focus on similar ideas. Psychology is all about the study of the mind, and how it has different parts intended for unique functions. It seems like a good portion of the articles for this specific journal deal with emotions and how the body interprets them. One article deals with the stress of different generations, while another deals with an individual’s willpower against sugar. There is an article about self-esteem and how that varies during a lifetime, as well as an article on cooperation. The article that will be specifically discussed in this research paper also has to deal with how the body interprets things when it comes to a stressful situation, such as a crime. It looks at how reliable eyewitness testimony is after traumatic events, specifically in regards to lineups.

Psychology is definitely not what I thought it was. It is not just a therapist wanting to take your money and not do anything for it. Psychology is an exact science that uses the scientific method to figure out problems. Things like astrology and graphology are not a real science, they do not use true science to deduct things and find a true answer.