HISTORY AND APPROACHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

WILHELM WUNDT ( ) Father of Psychology Started the first laboratory to study humans in Leipzig, Germany Tried to apply scientific method to the study of the mind.

THINKING ABOUT THE MIND’S STRUCTURE: STRUCTURALISM Identify the basic elements of conscious experience. Used “introspection” or looking inward at one’s own conscious experiences. Structuralists believed that the task of psychology is to identify the basic elements of consciousness in much the same way that physicists break down the basic particles of matter. Wundt, Titchener (taste buds) and Alston (hot and cold nerve endings)

FUNCTIONALISM WILLIAM JAMES ( ) How humans function and adapt to their environment. Looked at human experiences as complete wholes. Wrote first college psych textbook (took 12 years) William James promoted a school of thought known as functionalism, the belief that the real task of psychology is to investigate the function, or purpose, of consciousness rather than its structure. James was highly influenced by Darwin’s evolutionary theory that all characteristics of a species must serve some adaptive purpose.

PSYCHOANALYTIC (PSYCHODYNAMIC) The basis of psychoanalytic theory is the concept of a dynamic unconscious mind. The unconscious as an area of great psychic activity, which influenced personality and behavior but operated with material not subject to recall through normal mental processes. Psychoanalysis focused on early childhood, postulating that many of the conflicts which arise in the human mind develop in the first years of a person's life.

CRITICISMS OF PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH Has been criticized in the way that it over emphasizes of importance of sexuality and under emphasizes of role of social relationships. The theory is not scientific, and can't be proved as it is circular. The psychodynamic perspective concentrates too much on the unconscious mind and childhood. As such it tends to lose sight of the role of socialization (which is different in each country) and the possibility of free will.

SIGMUND FREUD ( ) Freud divided the personality into three functional parts: id, ego, and superego Freud believed that there were a number of defense mechanisms that protect the conscious mind from those aspects of reality it may find difficult to accept. Freud made conscious recognition of these forgotten experiences the foundation of psychoanalytic therapy.

HUMANIST PSYCHOLOGY (HUMANISM) Humanism is a psychological approach that emphasizes the study of the whole person. Humanistic psychologists look at human behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving. Humanistic psychologists believe that an individual's behavior is connected to their inner feelings and self- concept. Two major assumptions of humanism:  people have free will.  people are basically good, and have an innate need to make themselves and the world better.

Carl Rogers ( )  Humans are basically good and will strive to reach perfection (self-actualization)  Personal growth is internal  We are in control of our destinies Abraham Maslow ( )  Humans have deep needs for beauty, goodness, justice and completeness.  Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”  Self-fulfillment=self-actualization

CRITICISM OF HUMANISM The humanistic perspective does recognize human experience, but largely at the expense of being non-scientific in its methods and ability to provide evidence.

BEHAVIORISM Approach that based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Major theorists include:  John B. Watson ( )-classical  Ivan Pavlov ( )-classical  B.F. Skinner ( )-operant

IVAN PAVLOV ( ) F irst demonstrated classical conditioning while experimenting on nervous stimulation of gastric secretions in dogs. h ttps:// /watch?v=hhqumfpxuzI

JOHN B. WATSON ( ) S tudied the impact of learning on human emotion. W hat we feel and do depends upon associations and connections we have made. C areful, structured parenting can prevent most psychological problems. h ttps:// h?v=Xt0ucxOrPQE

B.F. SKINNER ( ) Humans are products of learning and association. We are controlled by our environment, through our responses and consequences of these responses. (Rat video)

CRITICISMS OF BEHAVIORISM Behaviorism has been criticized in the way it under-estimates the complexity of human behavior. Many studies used animals which are hard to generalize to humans and it cannot explain for example the speed in which we pick up language. There must be biological factors involved.

COGNITIVISM Focus on thinking or mental processes. Our personalities are made up of internal phrases or thoughts we repeat to ourselves.

BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL Explain behavior in terms of the physical changes that take place. Focus on changes in brain chemistry and genetics

CRITICISM OF BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH The biological perspective reduces humans to a set of mechanisms and physical structures that are clearly essential and important (e.g. genes). However, it fails to account for consciousness and the influence of the environment on behavior.

SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACH Study the impact of specific social, religious, ethnic and racial identities on behavior. Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict It is impossible to fully understand a person without understanding his or her culture, ethnic identity, gender identity, etc.

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY Our most important characteristics arose from genetic mutations that made some humans fitter and better able to survive. Ex. snakes

EVOLUTIONARY THEORY OF GENDER DIFFERENCES Hypothesis that gender differences emerged because ancestral men and women faced different evolutionary pressures during the Pleistocene era. Implications: 1. Evolutionary pressures associated with hunting. 2. Evolutionary selection of dominance and aggression. 3. Evolutionary pressures created by childcare. 4. Evolutionary presses created by gender differences in parental investment. 5. Evolutionary pressures in mate selection.