Perspectives

Of Psychology

Biological Perspective

Emphasizes physical causes of behavior Look for connections between events in the

brain and behavior/mental processes Study influences of genes on personality

traits, psychological health, and various behavior patterns

Evolutionary Perspective

Focus on evolution of behavior and mental processes

Believe that inherited tendencies influence people to act in certain ways

Cognitive Perspective

Emphasize role that thoughts play in determining behavior

Study mental processes to understand human nature

Study what we call “the mind” Involves information processing Believe people’s behavior is influenced by

their values, their perceptions, and their choices

Humanistic Perspective

Stresses human capacity for self-fulfillment and the importance of consciousness, self-awareness, and capacity to make choices

Considers personal experiences to be most important aspect of psychology

Believe we are free to choose our own behavior

People are basically good and desiring to be helpful to others

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Stresses influence of unconscious forces on human behavior

Modern focus more on conscious choice and self-direction not roles of unconscious sexual and aggressive impulses

Learning Perspective

Emphasizes effects of experience on behavior

Learning is essential factor in observing, describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling behavior

Behaviorists (part of learning)

Emphasizes the importance of environmental influences and focus on learning of habits through repetition and reinforcement

What one knows isn’t as important as what one does

No role for conscious

Social-Learning Theory (learning still)

People can change their environments or create new ones

People can learn intentionally by observing others

People’s expectations and values influence whether they will choose to do what they learned how to do

Behavior is learned from direct experience or by observing other people

Sociocultural Perspective

Studies influences of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status on behavior and mental processes

Psychology is enriched by awareness of these factors and by taking them into account when conducting research

Diversity that’s happening in our society is being reflected in the psychological perspectives