Fundamentals of Psychology

Fundamentals of Psychology

       The brain is a complex structure. Psychology is an attempt to study and better understand the brain in relation to one’s behavior. The science of psychology has evolved through time. Researchers have developed “schools,” or perspectives, of psychology. These include structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic, and cognitive. Researchers have also used a biological - based view to understand psychology called evolutionary psychology.

Structuralism

      Structuralism was considered the first school of psychology. Edward B. Titchener developed structuralism, basing it upon Wilhelm Wundt’s work in psychology. One of structuralism’s main points was that it focused on internal processes such as thoughts or feelings. Structuralism focused on the components of mental processes rather than the process itself. Another point of structuralism is that those who studied it believed that the mind and body were distinct from one another; the two were not to act upon one another (Pillsbury, 1934). Titchener believed that experiences could be broken down into smaller components. Structuralism used introspection in its research. Introspection is where subjects verbally reported what they were thinking at the moment (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). This is the process of looking in on one’s mind. Structuralism influenced the development of experimental psychology.

Functionalism

      Structuralism had its criticisms. From those criticisms, functionalism was formed. Functionalism attempted to explain mental processes into a more systematic manner by relating them to a physiological process (Carr, 1930). Functionalists focused on the whole situation rather than the smaller components (Pillsbury, 1934). Functionalists also believed that consciousness served a function (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Functionalism focused more on explaining the mind whereas structuralism focused on describing the mind. Functionalism influenced behaviorism and applied psychology as well as the educational system.

Behaviorism

         John Watson was influential in the development of behaviorism. Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner were also important in behaviorism. Pavlov’s experiments in classical conditioning and Skinner’s experiments in operant conditioning played a role in supporting the beliefs of behaviorism. In behaviorism, the focus is the relationship between external events and observable behaviors (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Observable behavior is the main factor in which behaviorism is based upon. Another belief is that behaviors are acquired through learning. Watson’s stance was that experimental observation was the method by which behavior could be studied. Behaviorists thought behavior could be understood without reference to thoughts or feelings. In fact, Watson did not believe that mental life existed in the same manner as his predecessor’s believed (Moore, 2011).

Psychoanalysis

         Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis has three basic components to its beliefs. First, a person’s thoughts and feelings determine his or her actions. Second, many thoughts and feelings occur in a person’s unconscious mind. Third, a person’s conscious thoughts may conflict with his or her unconscious thoughts.  Freud believed that a person has unconscious thoughts that are the basis for a person’s conscious thoughts. Freud also believed that the human mind was composed of three elements. These are the id, ego and superego (Renner, Morrissey, Mae, Feldman, & Majors, 2011). The id is a person’s unconscious that works to satisfy a person’s basic needs and desires. The superego is the ideals a person has acquired from external sources. The superego works to suppress the urges of the id and to make the ego behave morally. The ego mediates the demands of the id, superego and reality. The ego also prevents a person from acting on the urges of the id and works to achieve balance between moral standards and the idealistic standards of the superego.

Humanistic Psychology

         Humanistic psychology emphasizes the role of the individual rather than unconscious thought. Humanistic psychologists believe that people are innately good. They believe that a person’s mental problems result from a deviation from the natural tendency of being good. A humanistic psychologist focuses on an individual’s potential as well as his or her growth and self-actualization (Renner, Morrissey, Mae, Feldman, & Majors, 2011). Unlike the previous schools of psychology, the humanistic approach considers environmental factors as well as internal thoughts. Even today humanistic psychology influences therapy, education and healthcare.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology studies mental processes. This includes how people think, perceive, remember and learn. Cognitive psychologists study memory and decision making. Cognitive psychologists, like behaviorists, believe that organisms respond to the environment and have predictable output (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). However, unlike behaviorism, cognitive psychology focuses on both observable behaviors and internal mental states. Unlike psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology uses research methods. Cognitive psychology is experimental in nature. Cognitive psychologists use experimental procedures to study mental processes at work (Kowalski & Westen, 2011).

Evoultionary Psychology

     Evolutionary psychology focuses on biologically – based mechanisms that evolved in a species. Evolutionary psychologists believe that many human behavior tendencies evolved through time (Biological Foundations of Behavior: Evolution, Genetics, and The Brain). Neurons are the basic units of the nervous system. Neurons help coordinate functions of the body through electrical and chemical communication (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). There are three types of neurons: sensory, motor, and interneuron. Evolutionary psychologists believe these units contribute to the way a person responds through mental process.

Conclusion

Psychology has evolved and changed over time. According to many of the founders of psychology, many factors contribute to the way a person’s brain works. Whether it is biological in origin as the evolutionary psychologists believe or if mental processes are caused by a person’s unconscious as psychoanalysis psychologists believe, a person’s brain is a complex structure.

References

Biological Foundations of Behavior: Evolution, Genetics, and The Brain. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20,                          2012, from McGraw-Hill Higher Education: http://highered.mcgraw-  hill.com/sites/0072563303/student_view0/chapter3/

Carr, H. (1930). Psychologies of 1930. Clark University Press.

Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2011). Psychology (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Moore, J. J. (2011). BEHAVIORISM. Psychological Record, 61(3) , 449-464.

Pillsbury, W. B. (1934). The fundamentals of psychology (3rd ed.) . MacMillan Co.

Renner, T., Morrissey, J., Mae, L., Feldman, R., & Majors, M. (2011). Psychsmart. New York, NY: The McGraw - Hill Companies, Inc.

Plagiarism:

Using someone else's work without giving proper credit, is plagiarism. If you use my work, please reference it.