Behaviorist, Humanistic, and Psychodynamic Perspectives of Psychology - Assignment Example

? Behaviorist, humanistic, and psychodynamic perspectives of psychology 26 August Questions about the human mind and behavior are critical to the birth of psychology. Since it was accepted as a scientific discipline, the landscape of psychology has evolved in the past 130 years through the development of several perspectives. Some schools of thought have disappeared in actual psychological practice, while others continued to be studied and applied to clinical and a host of other social, industrial, and educational settings. Each psychological perspective has its main points, strengths, and weaknesses, which enrich the study and practice of psychology. This essay explores three early perspectives of psychology: Behaviorism, Psychodynamic, and Humanism. They will be described and compared to one another using their claims regarding human nature and personality, as well as what psychology should study as a scientific discpline. The psychodynamic perspective of psychology asserts that human behavior is significantly a product of the unconscious. The psychological processes inside a person define and drive human conduct (Coon & Mitterer, 2010, p.27). Psychodynamic theories developed from Sigmund Freud’s work on the unconscious and mental processes (Weiten, Dunn, & Hammer, 2012, p.35). Freud argued that the unconscious is a reservoir of primitive aggressive and sexual drives, and that these drives shape human behavior (Nevid, 2009, p.9). He also believed that childhood experiences determine human personality throughout their adulthood (Nevid, 2009, p.9). He stressed that abnormal behaviors come from childhood conflicts that were not properly resolved (Nevid, 2009, p.9). He discussed defense mechanisms that people use to deal with anxiety and guilt (Weiten et al., 2012, p.38). An example is rationalization, where people provide false but possible excuses to explain inappropriate behavior. Many of Freud’s concepts and processes are still applied today through modern psychoanalytic therapies (Weiten, 2011, p.6). Dream analysis and talk therapy are mainstays in clinical settings. Many psychologists continue to analyze their clients’ dreams, in order to unearth their underlying causes of anxiety. The idea of the unconscious also helps explains numerous behaviors, such as phobias and problematic behaviors. Furthermore, defense mechanisms help people and psychologists understand the many healthy and unhealthy ways that people do to avoid knowing the causes of their problems (Weiten, 2011, p.6). They signify that unresolved conflicts have to be exposed and discussed in the open, so that proper resolutions are determined and applied (Weiten, 2011, p.6). Behaviorism asserts that scientific psychology should study only those behaviors that can be observed. John Watson proposed that the study of the unconscious should be discarded, because people cannot observe the states of the human mind (Weiten, 2011, p.7). B.F. Skinner supported Watson, where he stressed that if a dog eats food after seeing it, observable behavior says that he is hungry. Psychologists need not be concerned then of the underlying unconscious causes of this feeling of hunger. Skinner provided a simple explanation for behavior. He said that organisms repeat behaviors that produce positive outcomes and do not repeat behaviors that result in negative effects (Weiten, 2011, p.8). By working with rats and pigeons, for instance, he showed that he can influence behavior through conditioning responses (Weiten, 2011, p.8). Behaviorism is now combined with other perspectives to change deviant behaviors and to promote positive actions. Some cognitive-behavioral therapies, for instance, use reinforcement strategies to promote positive behaviors and to remove negative ones, such as drug addiction and alcoholism. An example is linking illegal drugs to negative emotions, so that addicts will stop feeling that taking drugs is a pleasurable experience. Another instance is rewarding clients for their milestones in quitting drinking or smoking. These actions condition people toward forming new habits, and with new habits, they can have new and better behaviors and attitudes in life. Humanism resists the idea that the environment or unconscious alone drives human behavior, and it argues that humans have distinct qualities that enable them to control the development of their personality and destiny (Weiten, 2011, p. 9). Humanist psychologists believe that humans are rational and free beings. They have the potential for personal growth that sets them apart from other animals (Weiten et al., 2012, p.51). For example, a behaviorist may explain that a teenager is a delinquent because he has linked his negative actions with the attention he gets from his parents, which he finds pleasurable. A humanist will explain delinquent behavior as a product of blocked opportunities in fulfilling self-development. Two of the most influential humanists are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Rogers believed that personality has a single construct, the self-concept. The self-concept is a set of beliefs about one’s nature, features, and potentials (Weiten et al., 2012, p.51). He believes that experiences that undermine people’s self-concepts lead to anxiety and other psychological problems (Weiten et al., 2012, p.52). Maslow provided the Hierarchy of Needs, which explains the needs that shape human motivations and actions. Humanist concepts continue to shape psychology through promoting positive self-image and self-actualization in school and workplace settings. Psychologists that support humanism treat clients as free and rational beings (Weiten et al., 2012, p.51). They want them to realize that they can change their attitudes and behaviors through making better choices in life. Humanist psychologists also believe that people should strive to meet both basic and self-fulfillment needs (Weiten et al., 2012, p.51). They advise their clients to find and refine their talents and to nourish their dreams, because these actions will help them realize their fullest human potential. This paper explores the differences and similarities of these perspectives, starting with their ideas of human nature and personality. Psychodynamic theorists believe that human free will is an illusion, which it shares with behaviorism (Nevid, 2009, p.11). Psychodynamic and behaviorist perspectives offer a deterministic view of human personality, but they differ on what drives the latter. Psychodynamic theorists assert that unconscious sexual and aggressive drives form human nature, and that personality is already formed by the time people are five to six years old (Weiten et al., 2012, p.38). Behaviorists, on the contrary, argue that inner states are not important to driving human actions. The effects of the environment on organisms are the ones that will impact what they will or will not do (Weiten, 2011, p.7). In other words, the environment drives human nature. Humanism disagrees with this deterministic view. It argues that people have free will, and that they use their rationality to make decisions about their actions (Nevid, 2009, p.11). It asserts that people have unique traits and skills, as well as distinct frames of reference, which compel human behavior (Nevid, 2009, p.11). Human personality is not a product of the subconscious or the environment, but what people want it to be (Nevid, 2009, p.11). At the same time, humanism realizes the importance of how people interact with their environment, because these interactions also shape human actions (Nevid, 2009, p.11). These perspectives also differ in what they think psychology should study. Psychodynamic psychology emphasizes that the unconscious is important in studying human behavior (Weiten, 2011, p.6). Aberrant human behaviors cannot be understood through studying what humans actually do. Instead, psychologists can only gain insight on human behavior and personality through uncovering people’s unconscious drives and their unresolved childhood conflicts (Weiten, 2011, p.6). Behaviorism contradicts psychodynamic psychology and stresses that the study of the unconscious should not be the focus of psychology (Weiten, 2011, p.8). As a science, psychology should only be concerned of observable states of humanity, and since the unconscious is intangible, it is not worthy of scientific inquiries (Weiten, 2011, p.8). Humanism disagrees with these two perspectives because it highlights the role of conscious drives in shaping human actions (Nevid, 2009, p.11). These decisions may not tangible too but they produce evident effects on human behaviors. Hence, these perspectives disagree on what psychology should be about because of their fundamental differences in their conceptions of human nature, motivations, and behaviors. Behaviorism, Psychodynamic, and Humanism are some of the early perspectives of psychology that seek to explain human behavior. They have different ideas of human nature, which affect their beliefs about human personality and destiny. Behaviorism and psychodynamic perspectives argue that people have no free will, since either the environment or their unconscious drives, respectively, shape their personalities and conduct. Humanism opposes these views because it claims that people have free will and are rational beings. Since humanity is hinged on distinctly human traits, they are the supreme masters of their personality and future. These perspectives are all important to studying psychology because they reveal different insights on how psychologists see and interpret human motivations and behaviors. References Coon, D., & Mitterer, J.O. (2010). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage. Nevid, J.S. (2009). Psychology: Concepts and applications (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage. Weiten, W. (2011). Psychology: Themes and variations (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage. Weiten, W., Dunn, D.S., & Hammer, E.Y. (2012). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage. Read More