1. Contemporary Psychological Perspectives

2. Psychological Perspectives
Method of classifying a collection of ideas
Also called “schools of thought”
Also called “psychological approaches”
To view behaviour from a particular perspective

3. Perspectives Perspective is a way of viewing phenomena
Psychology has multiple perspectives
Biological
Psychodynamic
behavioural
Humanistic
Cognitive
Cross Cultural
Evolutionary

4. Cognitive Perspective
Focus: On how people think and process information
behaviour is explained by how a person interprets the situation
How is knowledge acquired, organized, remembered, and used to guide behaviour?
Influences include
Piaget – studied intellectual development

5. Biological Perspective
Focus: How our biological structures and substances underlie a given behaviour, thought, or emotion
Behaviour is explained by brain chemistry, genetics, glands, etc.
Focus may be at various levels
individual neurons
areas of the brain
specific functions like eating, emotion, or learning

6. Social-Cultural Perspective
Focus: How thinking and behaviour change depending on the setting or situation
Behaviour is explained by the influence of other people present

7. Cross-Cultural Perspective
The study of psychological differences among people living in different cultural groups
How are people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour influenced by their culture?
What are the common elements across culture? Are these innate?
Keywords: cultural psychology

8. Behavioural Perspective
Focus: How we learn through rewards, punishments, and observation
View of behaviour based on experience or learning
Classical conditioning - Pavlov
Operant conditioning – Skinner
Founded by James Watson

9. Humanistic Perspective
Focus: How healthy people strive to reach their full potential
Behaviour is explained as being motivated by satisfying needs (safety, hunger, thirst, etc.), with the goal of reaching one’s full potential once basic needs are met.
Developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
behaviour reflects innate ‘actualization’

10. Psychodynamic Perspective
Focus: How behaviour is affected by unconscious drives and conflicts
Behaviour is explained through unconscious motivation and unresolved inner conflicts from one’s childhood.
Modern version of psychoanalytic perspective (Sigmund Freud)

11. Psychodynamic Perspective
View of behaviour is based on experience treating patients
Psychoanalytic approach (Sigmund Freud)
both a method of treatment and a theory of the mind
behaviour reflects combinations of conscious and unconscious influences
drives and urges within the unconscious component of mind influence thought and behaviour
early childhood experiences shape unconscious motivations
Keywords: psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud

12. Evolutionary Psychology
Influenced by Darwin and the emphasis on innate, adaptive behaviour patterns
Combines aspects of biological, psychological, and social perspectives
Behaviour is explained by how the behaviour may have helped our ancestors survive long enough to reproduce successfully.

13. Review
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