The Diversity Nature of Psychology
Anna Van Norton
PSY/490
June 29, 2015
Dr. Edna Foster
The Diverse Nature of Psychology
Psychology is a diverse area of study; it is not an easy task. The field of psychology is so diverse and is always changing and evolving. Because of the always expanding of nature, there is not just only one theory that can explain and answer all of the questions that are associated with psychology. Psychology has always been defined by its diversity. It is the unique diversity that allows a psychologist to elaborate and expand on the areas of diagnosis, explanation and assessments of the discipline. This will focus on the influences that diversity has on psychology 's major concepts, identify two examples of sub-disciplines and two examples of subtopics found in psychology as well as examining how the sub-disciplines and subtopics talked about could be applied to other disciplines as well as venues in contemporary society. Diversity has influences on the major concepts in psychology in more ways than one. The humanistic, cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic perspectives represent different views of human behavior; these concepts provide a respected theory to human nature. The variety of these perspectives and their respective variations are reflective of the diverse thinking that is seen among humanity. There is not any individual that will look at an event in the same way as another individual, and the same can be noted for
Throughout this semester of Psychology 150 I have learned a great deal about several different concepts that I consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, find myself applying to my life. There are five different psychology topics I found that held the most relevance to my life. Some of these topics do not deal with myself exclusively, but they do affect the people I hold dear to me. The topics range from disorders to personality differences, and they all affect me in some way, both indirectly and directly.
When reviewing the five enduring issues that cut across the subfields of psychology, it is important to utilize these issues when studying the subfields because they affect the way psychologist interpret human functions on a psychological level. The five issues, person- situation, nature-nurture, stability-change, diversity-universality and mind-body, all involve decifering how a human develops or behaves. Although it is difficult to determine which is issue is the most important, I find the person-situation issue very important because a person's behavior can change drastically depending on the situation. The person-situation issue attempts to determine whether a humans actions are defined by their inner characteristics or their current circumstances.
In 10 Myths About Psychology, Ben Ambridge discusses many of the myths that are used in psychology. The first common myth is about gender. Many believe that women are better with grammar and men are more intelligent when it comes to reading maps. While this is true the difference between the two genders in each of these subjects is very minimal. However, many believe that there is a dramatic difference. Another interesting myth involves being a right or left brained learner. In school many are led to believe that one side of the brain involves creativity and the other works with equations. Depending on which side of the brain is more active dictates which type of learner a person is. This leads to the assumption that left-handed people
PSY 360 Week 1 Individual Assignment Cognitive Psychology Definition Paper Cognitive Psychology Definition Paper (12 points): This paper should be posted as a Word attachment in the Assignment Section and should be consistent with APA guidelines. Prepare a 700-1050-word paper in which you define cognitive psychology. Be sure to address the following topics in your paper. Identify at least four key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology as a discipline. Discuss the importance of behavioral observation in cognitive psychology. PSY 360 Week 2 Individual Assignment
Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to achieve through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis of each perspective which consists of the psychodynamic,
Psychology has six main perspectives dealing with human behavior. The first perspective, biological perspective, presumes that biological factors, such as genes, hormones, and the nervous system, all affect human behavior and their mental process. The evolutionary perspective emphasizes how behavior and mental phenomena are a result of evolution through natural selection and adaptations of organisms in order to survive in their environment. The psychodynamic perspective focuses on unconscious conflicts within a person as the main determinant of behavior and mental life. The behavior perspective focuses on observing behaviors and how they are learned. The cognitive perspective describes how people process, think, and store information. The humanistic
Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behavior, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective (view) about human behavior, there may be several different theories within an approach, but they all share these common assumptions and principles. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behavior. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to do through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis for each perspective which consist of the psychodynamic, humanist, cognitive and behavioral approaches where I will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each approach separately.
In this assignment, the four major paradigms of psychology are discussed. The reasoning behind the placement of the theories will be discussed thoroughly and efficiently. Each of the theories was placed on a spectrum that measured whether they were more influenced by heredity or environment. Some, as many can see, can fit into both sides of the spectrum. There are many factors that are involved in the process, and each are important variables in personality and the evolution of humanity.
* This paper will discuss the major schools of thought in psychology and examine their major underlying assumptions. The paper will also identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior.
This essay will begin by discussing the main assumptions of the cognitive, psychodynamic and biological approach to psychology. It will look at a study that supports each approach. In addition it will look at how the studies have been influential in psychology today. Finally it will include some of the different branches of psychology and why these are relevant to different health professionals.
The British Psychological Society states that ‘Psychology is the scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour’ (BPS). In this essay I will be discussing what is actually meant by this and whether psychology fits into both the traditional views of a science, as well as more contemporary perspectives. It is widely suggested that Psychology is a “coalition of specialities” meaning it is multi-disciplinary (Hewstone, Fincham and Foster 2005, page 4). I will therefore examine whether it could be considered wrong to think that all parts of the discipline should neatly fit into one view of a scientific approach.
Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter & Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectives that are used to study people’s behavior, and mental processes. These perspectives are the biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and the sociocultural perspective.
* Psychological Perspectives: general points of view used for explaining people’s behavior and thinking, whether normal or abnormal.
Authored by Keith E. Stanovich, How to Think Straight About Psychology is a known work of the psychology world which was published in 1986. Beginning courses in psychology use his text frequently. Stanovich primary purpose for writing the text is to bring attention to his observation that the public’s understanding of psychology is different from psychology as a modern science. Psychology as a modern science explains the underlying functions that shape human attitudes and behavior. To the people who misunderstand this, the field of psychology is not a real science, but a pseudo-science instead. How to Think Straight About Psychology describes people’s several false impressions of psychology and it gives its readers a factual understanding of the field as a modern and scientific psychology while explaining how this science works.
In this booklet you will find an overview of all the different approaches to psychology. This will consist of the key assumptions, examples of the relevant psychologists and examples of their work, as well as an exploration into the advantages and disadvantages that some of these approaches possess.