Question

Be able to broadly describe the focus of each of the following perspectives: psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, evolutionary, and biological

Answer 1

Psychodynamic Perspective: The psychodynamic perspective relies heavily on how the past has affected an individual’s psychological states. Psychologists who use this perspective believe that our unconscious mind is what controls the majority of our cognition and behavior. Another way of explaining this perspective is that psychodynamic psychologists believe that the reason for anything that an individual does has to do with something in their past. To overcome something in the present, the individual simply has to understand what has happened to them in the past. This is one of the simplest perspectives, however, it is one of the most controversial. In using the same example, a psychodynamic psychologist would explain that an introverted person limiting their social interactions is due to childhood embarrassment or anxiety with social interactions. Humanistic Perspective: The humanistic perspective was inspired mostly by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, who both emphasized their psychological viewpoint on free will and individual choice. The general humanistic perspective is also heavily based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory essentially states that for a person to reach their full potential, they need to gain each of the five steps or needs. They are physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. In general, the humanistic perspective looks at human behavior as a whole, and that we are in control and chose the majority of our behaviors. An example of how a humanistic psychologist would approach something is that they may say an introverted person may be choosing to limit their social circle because they find their needs are better met with a smaller group of friends. A critique of this perspective is that it is difficult to test with experiments and through the scientific method. Behavioral Perspective: Behaviorists and the behavioral perspective, in general, is heavily based on observable behaviors and actions; unlike some of the other perspectives, the behavioral perspective does not pay attention to cognitive processes because they are not observable. The behavioral perspective explains behavior through conditioning. Essentially, a behavioral psychologist will say that all behavior is learned. A behavioral psychologist would explain an individual’s introverted behavior through what they have rewarded or punished for in the past. Maybe the individual has been punished in the past for attempting to extend their social circle, or they were rewarded in some way for withdrawing from social interaction. Evolutionary Perspective: The evolutionary perspective is based on Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. So, an individual’s thoughts and behaviors are based on what would give them the best chance of survival; subsequently, the behaviors that give the best chance of survival are passed on to further generations. An evolutionary psychologist would explain an extroverted behavioral trait as an evolutionarily advantage. If someone is outgoing and extroverted, they could make friends and allies who could protect them and increase their chance for survival. Biological Perspective: To understand what the biological perspective is all about, you simply have to look at the name. Bio-psychologists base their explanations of human behavior solely regarding an individual’s biological processes. The three main causes of our thoughts and behaviors in a biological perspective are our genetics, hormones, and neurotransmitters. This means that our behaviors are not so much our choice, but a result of our genetic background, nervous system, and immune system. A psychologist looking through the biological perspective would explain an individual’s extroverted behavior as a result of their genetic makeup from their parents, and the subsequent effect of those genes on certain neurotransmitters in their brain.