University of Phoenix Material
Origins of Psychology and Research Methods Worksheet
Part I: Origins of Psychology
Within psychology, there are several perspectives used to describe, predict, and explain human behavior. The seven major perspectives in modern psychology are psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanist, cognitive, neuroscientific/biopsychological, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Describe the perspectives, using two to three sentences each. Select one major figure associated with one of the perspectives and describe his or her work in two to three sentences. Type your response in the space below.
Psychoanalytic- Austrian physician Sigmund Freud was the founder of the psychoanalytic school. He believed that a part of the human mind, the unconscious, contains thoughts, memories, and desires that lie outside personal awareness, yet still exert great influence, that a part of the human mind, the unconscious, contains thoughts, memories, and desires that lie outside personal awareness, yet still exert great influence. Today there are very few Freudian psychoanalysts left, but the broad features of his theory remain in the modern psychodynamic perspective. Which explore unconscious dynamics, internal motives, conflicts, and childhood experiences.
Behaviorist- research focused on learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape our behaviors.
Humanist- Humanistic psychology was instead focused on each individual's potential and stressed the importance of growth and self-actualization. Humanism also suggests that people possess personal agency and that they are motivated to use this free will to pursue things that will help them achieve their full potential as human beings.
Cognitive- Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people...