Positive Limitations Of Introspection

Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of introspection as a method for investigating psychological phenomenon

Our personality is shaped as the drives are modified by different conflicts at different times in childhood during psychosexual development. In comparison behaviourism believes the opposite. They believe that as Freud’s theories cannot be scientifically proven. Freud’s psychodynamic theory was to understand the unconscious mind and the reasons behind certain behaviors which later led him to investigate the meaning of dreams. The Behaviorist approach to psychology was to study observable behaviour and argued that the psychodynamic approach lacked validity and was not quantitative research.

One of the main strengths of the behaviourist approach is that it focuses only on behaviour that can be observed and manipulated. Therefore, this approach has proved very useful in experiments under laboratory conditions. On the other hand this has been criticized for suggesting that most human behaviour is mechanical, and that human behaviour is simply the product of stimulus-response behaviours.

Research performed by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener concluded that the only way to study thoughts is to introspect, or examine one’s own thoughts and feelings, to observe and record content of their personal minds and understand the sequence of their own experiences. This proved to be a difficult task, nonetheless. Wundt and Titchener believed that introspectors would need to be carefully trained. The training included being given a vocabulary to describe what they observed, taught to be as careful and complete as possible - reporting solely on their experiences, with as little personal interpretation as possible. Concerns grew with this style of research over the years. Investigators were forced to acknowledge that some thoughts are unconscious, which would mean that

The behavioral theory was backed by followers called behaviorists that stated that people are born as a ‘blank slate’ and that each behavior is learned in some way or another (Carroll, 2009, p. 25). Behaviorists believe that in order to understand behavior, it is necessary to measure and observe it first must be understood (Carroll, 2009, p. 25). Although they believe that behavior must be observed, the behavioral theory does not allow the inclusion of any feelings, emotions, or any other unmeasurable states that a human can produce (Carroll, 2009, p. 25). These states would throw off the data because not every person feels the same and it would be difficult to

Psychology, due to its complexity can be approached in a variety of ways. To help us understand the human mind, behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches have helped us understand the alternative outlooks in the science of mind and behaviour. Both approaches can be examined by the means of theoretical assumptions and methodology.

“This is because how people act is shaped by how people they perceive the situation, how they understand the stimuli, and so on,” (Cognition, pg. 13). This quote explains that studying the behaviors of the brain is somewhat of a difficult topic to study, since all individuals perceive information in their own way. When looking to describe the limitations of introspection and behaviorism it is important that you first understand what the words introspection and behaviorism stands for. Introspection is the ability to “observe and record the content of our own mental lives

Many ideas were shared between Watson, Tolman, and Skinner who all played a role in the forming of behaviorism. They did, however, differ on some of their beliefs as well as their methods of study. At this time, methods of studying psychology as well as psychology in general were in the developing stages. Watson was largely credited with the foundation of behaviorism, however, he was by no means the only one to make contributions. There has been some debate as to whether Watson’s contributions were enough to make him the “founder of behaviorism.” It is important to examine contributions from several of the early

Behaviorism is “the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes” (Myers, 2011, p. 6). John Watson believed that science is based upon observation. Therefore, Watson developed behaviorism based upon the idea that while you cannot observe a feeling or thought of a person, you can observe their reactions

a result of what has been learnt, which is to say that it is the

Although Watson was not the first to suggest an empirical and objective approach to psychological research he was the first to offer a coherent and organized program, and is often viewed as the catalyst for behaviorism, especially among American psychologists (Bewsbury, 2013). Perhaps the most famous behaviorist is B.F. Skinner (b.1904-d.1990). Skinner’s approach almost completely disregarded anything outside of observable behaviors, and his strict approach to looking at anything other than observable behaviors resulted in the development of the term radical behaviorism (Feist et al., 2013).

Introspection is a source of knowledge about our mental states. Introspection is the way humans examine and observe their own mental and emotional states. Even though usually accurate, sometimes the beliefs we form through introspection can be incorrect. Being in a dispositional mental state can cause false beliefs about our mental states. For example if someone is traumatized due to experiencing a violent relationship, they begin to think that every relationship will be an abusive

Behaviorism has often been described as too predictable, for neglecting the role of internal states including memory, emotions, thoughts, and motivation in individuals’ behavior. Similarly, behaviorism postulates that all behaviors can be observed when in fact subjective processes such as thinking, and feeling are subjective measures. The method of introspection is also rejected by proponents of behaviorism despite its importance in understanding individuals subjective experience of phenomena. For instance, how individuals perceive the experience of having a headache. Furthermore, the role of biological influences on individuals’ behaviors is neglected

At the turn of the twentieth century, Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener’s atomistic views were dominant in psychology (Lefrançois, 2012). Wundt’s structural approach focused on reducing mental processes to the smallest individual unit in order to understand the whole. Introspection was Wundt’s chosen method for discovery. In the United States and elsewhere, behaviorism and its proponents were also directing research. The behaviorists rejected introspection for stimuli and responses, focusing on observable behavior (Lefrançois, 2012).

The dictionary describes introspection as the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes. Kevin Woods stated, “Introspection are all about getting to know yourself at the core, uncovering your values and then deciding for yourself what’s the best action to take.” Your emotions and feelings play a major role in why we do things. If we listen to our feelings then we can find more things about us that we didn’t know. This could benefit us and help us appreciate more things and live but also may make us overthink some times. Karl Perera mentioned, “Introspection is good in small doses. If you are feeling very tired or have no energy and can’t find a solution as things keep rolling through your mind over and over then it is time to stop.” Overall, everyone connects with things differently; it is interesting to notice how you feel in certain situations.