Perspectives of Psychology
Have you ever been curious about the mind and how it works? That is precisely what various psychologists and philosophers try to answer by studying human behaviors according to their daily encounters. While trying to understand human behaviors, psychologists have developed different perspectives. The difference emerges since attitudes are designed according to one’s point of view. On the other hand, an idea, which is a suggestion as to a possible course of action, creates the difference on the basis that the perspectives are developed on. Throughout the history of humankind, people have been curious about the human mind as they try to relate why people react to the same situation differently. Around the fifth century B.C, a hot debate emerged since people had varying ideas over the mind-body concept. People argued on whether or not the body was connected to the mind, which led to the emergence of two Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Most psychologists agree that no one perspective is correct, and hence all are considered relevant. Therefore, development in psychology is a significant step in understanding human behaviors as the continued research aid in developing the perspectives allowing psychologists to understand the human mind better.
The behavioral perspective was developed by a Russian Psychologist and is different from most of the other approaches since it views people and animals as controlled by the environment. It, therefore, argues that people are an outcome of what they have learned from the environment they are exposed to. Notably, this approach considers environmental factors as stimuli that affect the response, which is the observable behavior. In developing and proving this, Ivan Pavlov was able to condition dogs to salivate whenever they heard the sound of a bell. He did this by associating the sound of the bell with food as he would ring it before feeding them (Bugental, 2013). He believed that this was similar to how humans behaved, arguing that every action was determined by exposure answering why people behave differently to the same condition. This principle has been applied in several therapies, such as systematic desensitization of phobias and aversion therapy. Additionally, he noted that behavior occurs for a reason, and they are mainly shaped by positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment.
Psychodynamic, on the other hand, was invented by Sigmund Freud, who was a medical doctor. He noted that hidden and unconscious thoughts have a significant impact on our lives since they determine the present ailments and traumas. Notably, he believed that events in one’s childhood have a substantial effect on how they behave as adults. Therefore, he indicated that a person’s behavior is highly dependent on one’s unconscious thoughts and childhood experiences, thereby meaning that people have little free will when making choices in life (King, 2011). He compared the human mind to an iceberg whereby only a small amount is visible while the large part stays submerged and hidden. Yet, the hidden part plays the most prominent role in determining how strong the iceberg is. Since Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis, he developed three main methods of accessing the unconscious mind: free association, dream analysis, and slips of the tongue. He established that the unconscious mind consisted of three components; id, ego, and superego. He, therefore, utilized the defense mechanism to help his patients to resolve the inner conflicts.
Due to the change and development in the medicine and technology world, much has been discovered, leading to the growth of the neuroscience perspective. Even though the mind and body were considered separate for a long time, it has been proved that they closely relate to one another depending on how the mind process the information. This perspective, therefore, shows there is a close relationship between the brain and human behavior since they are intertwined by mental processes (Bugental, 2013). Using neuroscientific technology, the psychologists were able to identify that brain is a complex organ that controls learning, senses, memory, and emotions. It consists of billions of nerve cells, and therefore it determines the personal internal and external response to certain stimuli. Notably, a minor defect in any of the cells affects mental well-being and can change how one responds to the stimuli. The difference in the formation of these nerves answers the question as to why people react to the same situation differently.
According to the evolutionary perspective, it is believed that differences in our personalities arise as a result of evolution. The difference in human traits is explained at the species, group, and individual levels. They, therefore, clarify that individual differences occur since every person has a different goal that they strive to achieve. The psychologists who believe in the evolutionary perspective argue that mental processes exist since they are meant to serve an evolutionary purpose and therefore play a role in ensuring reproduction and human survival (Bugental, 2013). Notably, natural selection is the crucial determinant of human emotions and behaviors as the brain only evolves in response to a specific challenge to ensure survival. Notably, this is one of the perspectives that face major criticism as it is impossible to test its hypotheses; if this approach is applied, it would be possible to predict nearly all behaviors.
The genetic behavior approach analyzes the physical and biological bases of any conduct. It indicates that behaviors and responses are highly dependent on genetic influence. Additionally, any damage to the specific areas of the brain that define a gene highly affects one personality. This approach has grown significantly in the recent past since technology has advanced, making it easier to analyze the various systems of the body and the brain. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans aid the researcher in observing the brain under different conditions making it possible to understand the cause of specific reactions and how they are genetically related (King, 2011). By measuring these traits and determining how they relate and interact with each other, it is possible to decide how a person will react when exposed to a specific situation as the reaction depends on genetic formation.
Wilhelm Wundt was the first to institutionalize psychology by developing the first psychological laboratory. The idea was later adopted by various universities across Europe and America, where through exploration of the relationship between sensory and memory systems, a cognitive approach was developed. The whole idea was to improve the earlier discoveries by Aristotle and Plato (Myers, 2004). It argues that the only way to establish people’s reactions is by determining what is going through their minds. Therefore, the research on this field was mainly focused on how knowledge is acquired, thereby focusing on memory, perception, and attention. The approach relates people to computers, considering how they process the information as they both have input and output procedures (Bugental, 2013). Therefore, the perspective argues that memory has three stages which are encoding, storage and retrieval. Due to its applicability has been utilized in several situations such as cognitive therapy and eye witness testimony.
Lastly, on the perspective, social-cultural is the newest in development and has grown significantly in the last two decades. Psychologists and researchers interested in this field tend to study human behaviors while relating them to the different cultures that have been adopted across the world. While researching this, the researchers have identified how exposure to certain cultures affects people’s thinking and behavior, making it vary from those exposed differently. Among the traits of interest while studying culture and human behavior were individualistic and collectivistic cultures (Myers, 2004). On individualistic culture, it was noted that those who live or are exposed to this culture tend to put minor efforts into group work compared to those living in collectivistic cultures. This indicates that the life we live, which is highly determined by the culture around us, is an excellent determinant of our response to certain situations.
While comparing behavioral and social-cultural perspectives, it is clear that they both believe that human behaviors are highly dependent on external factors rather than internal factors despite their differences. Additionally, they believe that despite the connection of the body and mind, the response to a particular situation is determined by the exposure to the environment compared to the person’s reflex system (Bugental, 2013). On the other hand, there are significant differences between them since one relies on the environment to determine reaction while the other is dependent on culture (Coovert, & Thompson, 2014). Additionally, their contribution to psychology varies as they both focus on different parts of the body or mind and can only be utilized differently by therapists and psychologists.
Generalized anxiety is a disorder that leads to intense panic when one is exposed to certain situations. It leads to intrusive thoughts and concerns, making one worry about ordinary events. Even though it is helpful in some cases as it can alert one on dangers and thereby help them prepare, it can worsen over time, leading to the development of a more complicated disorder (Kring, & Johnson, 2018). Since anxiety is highly dependent on past experiences, the best approach to treatment is behavioral perspective as one will be exposed slowly to the condition, making them adapt to the condition around them, thereby eliminating the fear of this situation.
Understanding human behavior is essential, and hence there is a need to ensure its continued development. Since understanding human behavior is directed to psychology, there is a need to ensure that everyone has basic knowledge of psychology despite their profession. This helps improve the relationship among people as everyone can appreciate others’ differences by understanding that some are beyond our control. Additionally, understanding the history and perspectives of psychology help define the different angles of human behavior, understanding that despite the differences in the perspective, they all try finding an explanation as to why people react differently to the same situation. The difference in perspectives is a representation of the appreciation of the richness of human behavior
References
Bugental, J. F. (2013). Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology: Exploring the breadth of human experience. Springer Science & Business Media.
King, L. A. (2011). The science of psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Kring, A. M., & Johnson, S. L. (2018). Abnormal psychology: The science and treatment of psychological disorders. John Wiley & Sons.
Coovert, M. D., & Thompson, L. F. (2014). Toward a synergistic relationship between psychology and technology. The psychology of workplace technology, 1-21.
Myers, D. G. (2004). Psychology.