Psychological perspectives

Question 1

Psychodynamic perspective

Answer 1

• inner forces motivate behaviour
• innate instincts, biological drives, conflicts between personal needs and the norms of society
• main purpose of behaviour is to reduce tension
• human nature is not always rational and actions may be driven by motives that are not in conscious awareness
• Sigmund Freud

Question 2

Behaviourist perspective

Answer 2

• focuses on the idea that all behaviours are learned through interactions with the environment
• we do not know what is going on in the individual; we cannot observe internal processes
• focus on observable actions
• classical and operant conditioning reward and punishment
• Pavlov

Question 3

Humanistic perspective

Answer 3

• a way of evaluating an individual as a whole, rather than looking at them only through a smaller aspect of their mind
• holistic approach to mind, body, and behaviour with an awareness of social and cultural forces
• behaviour cannot solely be explained through drives or environment

Question 4

Cognitive perspective

Answer 4

• focus on how internal thoughts and feelings influence ones behaviour
• all the processes of knowing: attending, thinking remembering and understanding
• looks at processing info like a computer
• dominant perspective in psychology today

Question 5

Biological perspective

Answer 5

• genes, the nervous system and endocrine system cause behaviour
• behaviours are understood as the result of chemical and electrical activities taking place within and between nerve cells
• observable behaviour and external stimuli in the environment

Question 6

Evolutionary perspective

Answer 6

• mental abilities evolved and adapted same way as they did physically
• hunter - gatherer - mentality
• avoiding predator, finding mate
• long term observation, cannot conduct experiments

Question 7

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 7

• studies the cross-cultural differences in the causes and consequences of behaviours
• are psychological theories universal to all humans or limited to specific groups?
• important reposes to the criticism that psychological research has been based on a western conception of human nature