The Theories Of The Field Of Psychology Essay

As a result to concluding the chapter “How to Think Straight about Psychology” by Keith E. Stanovich, the infinite doors into Psychology have opened. I was immediately engaged into the history and conflicts between the continuity of previous and modern day psychology. It was astounding to find the amount of distaste, backed by modern psychologists, on the workings of Sigmund Freud, who I had recently thought to be the foundation to all psychology. However, after reading on about the diversity of psychology, it became apparent that the extensive amounts of subjects within the realm of this study, make it difficult for scientist and the overall population to agree on one unified idea. Psychology has criteria that is ever changing, but limited to the time period of discovery.

Despite this earlier work, there was still no explanation of how the soul and body worked together, if at all. This was until Descartes (1596- 1650) who provided the fundamental writings on dualism with his work Meditiations on First Philosophy. Indeed, he is considered "the father of modern philosophy" and his Meditations lead to the school of dualistic ontology known as Cartesian Interactionist Dualism, which still inspires much thought and extension by modern philosophers today. Descartes defined the 'mind' as "all the feelings and sensations that he could describe, but which he could not locate physically". He then furthered this by saying that the mind is everything that is non-physical.

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,

When psychology first emerged as a science, the process of explaining the human mind and human behavior began. In this essay we will present a brief synopsis of what psychology is and introduce the reader to the primary biological foundations of psychology that are linked to behavior as well as introducing the reader to the major schools of thought in psychology. In Kowalski and Westen Fifth Edition of Psychology, psychology is define as “the scientific investigation of mental processes such as; thinking, remembering, feeling, and behavior. Understanding a person requires attention to the individual’s biology, psychological experience, and cultural context.”(Kowalski & Weston, 2009, p. 4). Each component is necessary in formulating who

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 essay I will be looking at different approaches and theories used in psychology.

Dualism, a philosophy most defended by Rene Descartes, Believed that there are two concepts to philosophy, regarding the mind and the body. Dualism, is possibly the oldest and the most intuitive of the philosophies of mind, however within the modern psychology, this philosophy is a minority view among psychologists. This theory states that the mental cannot exist outside of the body, and the body is unable to think. It refers to reality as two distinct kind of things - Mental and material things. Dualists often believe in different concepts regarding how these would relate to each other. Dualists fall into a variety of camps depending on how they would believe the mind and the body is related. Interactionists see that the mental events have effects or can cause the physical effects. Epiphenomena believe in a compromise

In order to totally comprehend psychology, one must first go back into its history and explore its origins. A question that I asked myself and became informed of throughout the course of this semester is: “How did the studies of Psychology originate? What period was Psychology created?” Because I was able to question myself, I became more involved and interesting not only in Psychology 445, but the overall studies of Psychology.

The study of human psychology comprises many elements to best understand human behaviour, through theoretical perspectives on aspects including behavioural, cognitive and personality psychology (Caponecchia, 2012). In the modern era, psychology has been recognised as one of the foundations during learning, with individuals having different abilities and learning rates, it is essential that tutors teach considering the individual differences students possess (Nezhad and Vahedi, 2011). Instructors have been shown to teach in their own preferred learning method, which may not necessarily be the most appropriate style for the students. This creates loss of motivation in the students and lower learning rates (Gailbraith and Saunders, 1987). Potentially, this is due to learners preferring to learn within their comfort zone whilst utilizing their dominant learning style (Partridge, 1983). Teachers need to be aware of the different teaching methods out there and have an understanding of them for ongoing refinement and success (Vaughn and Baker, 2001). There is also an importance in recognising individuals not just for their abilities but also for their personalities and motivation (Entwistle, 2013). Similarly, whilst undertaking any sort of leadership role, it is just as important to be self-aware of your own traits including emotions, goals and identity, in order to create positive relationships and maintain sustainable performance (Avolio and Gardner, 2005).

The different perspectives of psychology that allow us to create a complete picture have different approaches toward explaining behaviors. A Biological psychologist may attempt to explain aggressive behavior by explaining the neural pathways involved in transferring neurotransmitters that cause anger. According to Biological Psychology the brain is full of neurons that transfer the information around our brains; this allows humans to influence those by tampering with the genes that effect neuron transmission, or heredity temperament.

The understanding of aspects of the human mind that was produced in twentieth century is lacking what is needed to describe and explain psychological experiences. To get a complete and full understanding of any phenomena, each perspective must be looked at collectively and not individually. I do support an integrative approach to understanding the human mind. Cacioppo and Freberg (2013, pg. 33) suggested, “merging the seven perspectives mind” as an approach to understanding the human mind. The seven perspectives of psychology are biological, evolutionary, cognitive, social, developmental, clinical, and individual perspective and personality (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2013).

Dualism is prominently associated with Descartes, it centers on the idea that the body and are but two separable and distinct entities that can exist without the other, therefore the soul can survive the body. More specifically called substance or Cartesian dualism, stating that although the mind can exist beyond the body’s confinement, the body without the soul can’t produce thought. The mind is but non-extended because it can be broken apart into smaller elements, nonphysical substance whereas the body is extended and physical substance, therefore one can exist without the other. Written in the Principles of philosophy, Descartes argues the dividend between body and minds and its reciprocity and independent existence of each other. The

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 were 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.

Rene Descartes theory of dualism is the presumption that the human mind and body are two distinct entities that work together to create a person. He believed that they interacted through a structure within the brain known as the pineal gland (Alleydog, 2017). Descartes’ theory of the mind was that it was a “nonextended substance and that it was involved in diverse activities such as imagining, feeling and rational thought” (Britannica, 2017). However, Descartes believed the extended substance or matter, is affected by the human mind and can produce specific mental events. An example of this would be an individual’s willingness for their arm to raise which then causes their arm to raise. This is known as interactionism and is part of Descartes dualism theory

Prerequisites for the emergence of psychological doctrine have existed from ancient times. Even the ancient Greek philosophers have built that solid foundation, on which psychology arose. As Hermann Ebbinghaus has pointed out: "Psychology has a long past but a short history"(Landrum, 2016). Only with the beginning of the XX century, psychology became an independent science. At the turn of XX-XXI centuries, in connection with the increasing demand for application of psychological knowledge in different practical activities, the value of psychology has significantly increased. This demand has led to the emergence of a large number of psychological schools and theories, which sometimes complemented each other, but often contradicted each other. Consequently, different psychological branches have arisen. Gestalt psychology occupies the essential role among this