Psychological Models of Humans - Essay Example

?PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH In psychology, there are different methods that can be used during any research. These methods have different patterns in which they are applied. This is because they are used for different psychological approaches. Some of these research methods in psychology include the experimental method and the use of case studies. Experimental methods involve the use of laboratories to study some behavioural characteristics of human behaviours. The laboratories are preferred because control experiments can be conducted there. The experiments involve determining the relationship between variables used. The main assumption of this method is that stimulus and response are both objective. One of the places where this research method has been used is little Albert experiment conducted by Watson and Rayner. This experiment was used to condition phobias into a child who was stable. The main strength of this method is that it is very reliable because variables can be conditioned in order to get the objectives. Rat was used as the control variable. Environment was controlled, including his espousing to neutral stimuli, his reactions and then pairing this with banging a bar and making a loud noise. For example, in little Albert experiment, a rat was used as a conditioned stimulus and it was found that Albert developed phobia. One weakness of the experimental method is that since the experiments are studied under artificial conditions, the results cannot represent the real world results. For the case of little Albert’s experiment, the results could not really apply in the real world. As is not every day when a child is shown a white rat at the same time as listen a loud noise. Case studies have also been used as research methods in psychology and it involves analysing the in-depth of a person. The strength of case studies is that it can gather extensive information that is quantitative and qualitative. This information is helpful in understanding rare cases. Freud caudated an in deep study on a three year old boy that had an intense fear of a horse, he collected a lot of information which enable him to find a possible explanation for the boy’s phobia. However its weakness that case studies have as research method is the lack of control group. In this case was no three year old boy who didn’t have a phobia to make a comparison. This shows that case studies do not have controlled conditions that can be sued to differentiate them from the real case studies. Other issue with the case study methods is that researchers can get be too involved with people under investigation. The researcher will interact with the case study participants in order to get the insight of the study. Word count: 402 PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/MODELS Study of psychology involves different approaches. These approaches have both similarities and difference based on assumptions of researches, which are caused by the different methodologies used. This paper will only focus on discussion and evaluation of the behavioural and the psychodynamic approach. It will bring out the different ways in which these two approaches treat depression. Behavioural psychology approach is mainly involved in use of observation to determine the behaviour of human being. It also involves studying how environment make us behave in a certain way. Behaviour is something that is learned and unlearned at the same time. However, behaviourism emphasises on the measurable and observable features of the behaviour of a human being. This is because observation is required for objective measurement and interpretation. This means that psychological inferences can be drawn from the external observable behaviours without looking at the internal processes. Behavioural approach is very useful in managing mental disorders like the schizophrenia. In addition, behavioural approach can be used to describe addictive behaviour like drug abuse through behavioural approach education, such as giving positive reinforcement every time they manage without the drug. However it is questionable that human behaviour is simple acting through environments influences. Environment is responsible for affecting human behaviour. Environment in which someone is brought up in shapes the behaviour of that person. That is why people from different environments behave differently. Additionally the appropriateness of the rigid scientific approach is questionable. An approach that ignores the science trapping and emphasises on the getting into individuals’ mind and tries to explain their experiences, relationship and their view on the world is the Psychodynamic approach. This approach involves psychological theories that relate functionality of humans with forces and interaction drives within them. This approach assumes that unconscious forces determine or behaviours. We are not aware of these forces. Human behaviour is seen to have three parts of psyche. The first part involves biological drives like eating, sex and drinking associated with the id. These drives should be satisfied but the superego influence the satisfaction. Superego is the moral part that uses guilt and anxiety and it influences response to id’s impulses. The other part is the ego and its role is to satisfy the id in a way superego will accept. Psychodynamic approach methods have been criticised by many people. Researchers are considered bias during their research. Their interpretations support their belief. Another failure of this approach is that it is too theoretical in its analysis. The concepts, for example: there is evidence in the subconscious mind which is impossible to analyse, dream analysis. It is hard to analyse these evidence since they are just but human imaginations. The interpretation is based on the individual’s thinking and summaries. These may look like dreams according to other people who might have different interpretations. Behavioural approach treat depression in a different way psychodynamic does. For behavioural approach, depression is treated by helping the depressed people to schedule their time to engage in meaningful activities every day. They are advised to follow the daily schedule in order to avoid motions they have been going through. They will adapt to the plan given and their lives will get used to it. However the psychodynamic approach, therapist will try to look at the main cause of the depression. Psychodynamic theory is used to rebuild personality. This approach will try to look at the main cause of depression and the possible solutions to it. Nevertheless the behavioural approach focuses on treating observable behaviour while the psychodynamic lacks that. While the behaviour approaches direct the therapist, the psychodynamic therapist remains detach throughout. This is because behavioural approach uses the observation characteristics that can direct the therapist while the psychodynamic approach does not apply in these observable characteristics. Word count: 712 ETHICAL ISSUES Ethics are rules and codes that have been put in place to ensure that psychiatrists protect their clients and the public. Every psychiatrist is required to adhere to these codes when they are serving their clients. These codes ensure that clients are not deceived or some private information conveyed to the public. In 1920, Watson and Rayner did a psychology study that was very influential. In this study, Watson wanted to show that it is possible to condition emotional responses. This study has raised many ethical issues in the modern society. During the time, the study was conducted, there were no ethical issues raised since everything seemed to be normal at that time. Currently, issues that child abuse has been raised on the Watson’s study. Some other ethical issues that have risen currently on the Watson’s study include right to withdraw from the experiment, stress and participant’s content to the study. However these are some of the proposed ethical issues that should have been considered before the experiment (Windholz & Lamal, 1986 pp.192). One of the ethical issues that this study has raised is that, the study was performed without Albert consent. The study started when he was normal healthy child who would live a normal life but he was used like other animals to perform some experiments. This was unethical because he was not consulted first before the experiment since he was too young for that. This appears to child abuse. Albert should have left him to decide on his own. BPG states that a consent form has to be sing before any participants are allowed to participate in any research. With children the parents are responsible for this. For any study to be carried out on someone, he or she has a right to agree or deny it without any force from anybody. However, researchers are required to ask their participants if they are ready for the experiment without using them without their consent (Watson & Rayner, 2000 pp.7). It is questionable whether little Albert mother consented to the research. She was extremely poor and may have been forced into it. Many books have different ideas on this matter and it has not been clearly defined whether the mother forced or she was willing. Another ethical issue is the right to withdraw. This means that one can withdraw from an experiment if the conditions are not favourable enough of he or she subjected to severe conditions. Albert was also supposed to given right to withdraw from the experiment. This is because with time, he was stressed up but he was not able to echo it out. His mother would have allowed him to be withdrawn from that experiment. How can a child be tested with animals like rat and rabbit? This was against human right to experiment someone in search conditions. With increased stress to albert, he should have been given chance to withdraw from it. On the other, it was hard for the researcher to let Albert to withdraw because he wanted the experiment to yield required results. After all Albert had gone through rough times (Windholz & Lamal, 1986 pp.193) and the outcome wouldn’t have been obtain without the research. Word count: 465 Bibliography HILGARD, E. R., & ATKINSON, R. C. (1967). Introduction to psychology. New York, Harcourt, Brace & World. HINGLEY SM. (1997). Psychodynamic perspectives on psychosis and psychotherapy. II: Practice. The British Journal of Medical Psychology. 70, 313-24. PLOTNIK, R. (2002). Introduction to psychology. Australia, Wadsworth Thomson Learning. WATSON, J. B., & RAYNER, R. (2000). Conditioned Emotional Reactions - Reprint of Watson and Rayner's 1920 article - The Little Albert experiment was the tour de force of Watson's struggle to explain psychoanalytic concepts in terms of classical conditioning. The American Psychologist. 55, 313. WATZKE B, RUEDDEL H, KOCH U, RUDOLPH M, & SCHULZ H. (2008). Comparison of therapeutic action, style and content in cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic group therapy under clinically representative conditions. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 15. WINDHOLZ, G., & LAMAL, P. A. (1986). Priority in the Classical Conditioning of Children. Teaching of Psychology. 13, 192-195. Read More