Six Approaches toSix Approaches to

PsychologyPsychology

Psychoanalysis ApproachPsychoanalysis Approach• A system of viewing the individual as the product

of unconscious forces– Sigmund Freud– Carl Jung

• Advantages– Provides a framework for analyzing thought

processes below consciousness

• Disadvantages– Focuses on how people are only products of negative

unconscious impulses– Difficult to proof

Behaviorism ApproachBehaviorism Approach• Viewing behavior as the product of

learning and associations– B.F. Skinner– John B. Watson – Ivan Pavlov

• Advantages– Observable, measurable & scientific– Many experiments to support founding

• Disadvantages– Takes away “free will” & Ignores biology

HumanismHumanism• Believing that people are basically good &

capable of helping themselves• Each person in unique – Self• Free Will- make own choices

– Carl Rogers &– Abraham Maslow

• Advantages– It give people power over their own lives & behavior

• Disadvantages– No one is good all the time– Self-centeredness & Hard to verify –Not measurable

Cognitive ApproachCognitive Approach• Emphasizes the use of mental processes

to handle problems• How people understand, diagnose & solve

problems – Jean Piaget & E.C. Tolman

• Advantages– Analyzes how thoughts affect behavior– Good thoughts = Good behavior

• Disadvantages– Does not include feelings & emotions

Biopsychological ApproachBiopsychological Approach• Behavior as the result of nervous system

functions & biology• Nature vs Nurture

– Ivan Pavlov & Charles Darwin

• Advantages– Using biological aspects of behavior can help

develop treatment (drugs) for some disorders

• Disadvantages– Does not take in account environmental

influences

Socioculturalism ApproachSocioculturalism Approach• Behavior viewed as strongly influenced by

the rules and expectations of specific social groups or cultures– Albert Bandura

• Advantages– Helps to understand different cultures and to

understand social influences on behavior

• Disadvantages– Does not look at biology or self