APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

Approaches to Psychology

Approaches to Psychology

Introduction

Psychology refers to the study of the mind of individuals, which occurs by the study of behaviour. Psychology is folded in scientific methods, with the ultimate goal of understanding individuals and groups through forming basic principles and researches are made on special and specific cases, which eventual endeavour to benefit and help society (Glassman et. al, 2009, pp. 2-270). Psychologist focuses on imploring concepts such as cognition, emotion, perception, motivation, behaviour, attention, phenomenology, interpersonal relations and brain functioning (Russell , 2005). Psychology focuses on experience and behaviour of individuals; however, behaviour of human comprises of five major approaches to psychology namely, human, behavioural, psychodynamic, cognitive and biological approaches, where each of these approaches differ in terms of structure, assumptions and methods. The focus of my essay is on contrast and comparison on psychodynamic and behaviourist approaches to psychology.

Psychodynamic approach is a behaviour explained in terms of dynamics, which means the forces that drives the behaviour. Psychologists of psychodynamics assume that behaviour of an individual is determined unconscious forces, about which individuals are ignorant. It sis assumes that every manifest (surface) behaviour, thought, or occurrence conceals a latent (hidden) intention or motive (Shedler, 2010, pp. 98-109). Early experiences or instinctive biological drives or individuals behaviours are reflected by latent motives, predominantly before five years of age. It is fundamentally, the way in which children is treated by their parents during their early childhood, which shapes their adult behaviour. Psychodynamic approach was pioneered by Sigmund Freud, where he attempts to comprehend behaviour of humans in terms of ways the mind works, emphasizing on motivation and the role of past experience in shaping individual's personality.

Freud assumed that human behaviour is influenced by tripartite personality, which is three parts of the mind, namely Id, ego and superego. Id is present in humans since the time of their birth, which is and conscious and impulsive part of human personality. Id focuses on attainment of gratification, satisfaction and pleasure on immediate basis, at any cost. Ego is rational and conscious part of the human mind, which develops in human at the age of two, it acts on reality principles unlike Id, which is governed by pleasure principles. It focuses on working on pragmatic means for balancing the demands if the id in ways that are socially acceptable. Superego develops at the age of four, which exemplify in child, the sense of right and wrong, along with ways in which they want to idealize themselves.

Behaviour is regarded as a response to a stimulus. It is assumed that anything an individual do is determined by the environment, in which an individual dwells, which in return offer stimuli to which a person responds, and environments an individual have been priory that causes an individual to learn ways to respond to stimuli in specific ways. It is believed by behaviourist that individuals are born with innate reflexes and interaction with the environment leads to the learning of individual's complex ...