Behaviorism and Freuds Technique of Free Association - Essay Example

Psychology Question Behaviorism is the use of science to determine the tendencies of individuals, depending on their current environment and situation. The main goal of behaviorism is to predict and control some of the tendencies exhibited by people. The use of behaviorism in psychology has had its fair share of criticism. Countless individuals believe that this methodology ignores some very crucial aspects of human behavior that makes people exceptional. The first important aspect that is completely ignored by behaviorism is the meditational processes that people go through in everyday situations. Also, the fact that behaviorism equates humans to animals is a concept that eludes countless individuals (Corner and Gould 34). Humanism is ignored as humans are compared to animals. The reason behind this is that; little difference is often monitored in the learning process of humans and animals. The complete disregard for biology is another aspect that could be added to the list of shortcomings. Humans are biologically designed to be different from animals, and vice versa. By ignoring some of the basic composition of humans, for example; the presence of hormones makes individuals respond differently to situations. Last, but not least, the methodology tends to be too deterministic. By assuming that individuals are in blank state (tabula rasa), there is the conclusion that people have little free will. Some of its strengths include its highly applicable nature (Corner and Gould 42). In therapy, the methodology can be used to determine some of the various characteristics exhibited by most people. Moreover, the experiments carried out to prove the theories surrounding this methodology may also work to its favor. Skinner and Watson are considered pioneers in the field of psychology. They, however, had differences in the manner in which they approached their subjects. In Watson’s case, he believed in classical conditioning, where an organism would have involuntary physiological reactions. This is where there is an association between the neutral stimulus and the stimulus that triggers response. In the end, the neutral spur turns into a conditioned spur, which then triggers a specific response. Skinner, on the other hand, believed in operant conditioning. In this case, there was the adaptation of three laws that might have helped determine behavior. It was his belief that reinforcement works when it comes down to operant behavior. Also, punishment may not be an effective way of stopping certain behavioral traits. Watson’s main aim was to prove that psychology was ultimately an observation science, where the use of evidence to prove findings was fundamental (Corner and Gould 56). Question 2 The presence of people in society is what leads to social influence, which works toward influencing the opinions, emotions, and even behaviors of others. Earlier forms of social influence included; conformity, identification, and obedience. Modern research looks into some of the changes that have happened over the years on social influence, and some of the differences that might exist between the theories exhibited in both cases. Research on social change in the past played a crucial role in determining the manner in which societies behaved. Modern research works on improving some of the earlier theories of social change that were exhibited (Corner and Gould 59). Earlier theories on social change might have indicated the presence of a dissenter, where the individual did not conform to the norms of society. In this case, people in society look toward such an individual for the purposes of inspiration. The presence of dissenters, in both earlier theories and modern research, prove that their presence is required for there to be change. This change has to be positive and be based on principles. Examples used today include; Mahatma Gandhi and his match against taxation, Jesus during the Roman rule, and even Nelson Mandela during the fight against apartheid. The presence of dissenters encourages people to disobey, because they tend to be more educated and principled, and are less likely to obey once they see that things are not as they should be (Corner and Gould 65). Question 3 During Freud’s stint as a physician, he came across various symptoms and ailments among different groups of patients. The patients were not limited to certain geographical or age limits, but a countless number of the patients were young women from the Jewish community from the middle-class. Some of the symptoms exhibited were partial blindness, paralysis, and even hallucinations. According to Freud, none of these symptoms seemed to have a neurological bearing, but he treated these symptoms using basic techniques. They involved a combination of rest and massage therapy, and he later on tried hypnosis (Corner and Gould 67). However, there were uncommunicative patients resistant to such techniques, which forced Freud to look for alternatives. Freud’s technique of free association was taken up after he realized that his patients could open up without the use of hypnosis. Free association involved patients relating and relaying anything that came to their minds. This is without regards to how embarrassing, important, or unimportant the memory could turn out to be in the end. According to Freud’s technique, memories were supposed to be arranged in an associative network, which would enable the patient to stumble on them when in thought. However, while using this technique, Freud came to understand that individuals had a wall that would block them from accessing repressed memories, especially if they were painful. This wall would then make these memories inaccessible to the conscious mind (Corner and Gould 79). Hypnosis was the technique Freud used on his patients before the free association technique. It was while working with Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris that Freud came to learn about psychosis. He brought the method back and partnered with Josef Breuer to try and curb the effects of memories among their patients who were experiencing symptoms of fits and paralysis. It was while using this technique that Freud came to uncover some of the repressed memories that caused people to react the way they did, and he also cured them of the problems they faced. Unfortunately, after patients became unresponsive to hypnosis, Freud opted for the free association technique, which then led to more techniques like couch-based psychoanalysis (Corner and Gould 83). Question 4 James had an account of consciousness, which was based on five general characteristics. The first was that all thoughts were personal. They (thoughts), could either belong to one individual, or another person, but they could not be general. The second was that mental states had to be active. Every thought in the mind had its own integrity. Third was the concept of continuity. According to James, there should be no gaps in the mind of an individual. In the fourth characteristic, James claims that the consciousness is meant to deal with matters from a non-biased position, meaning that it is equipped to create rational on different aspects. Finally, the consciousness is meant to deal with items one at a time. An individual can only process one object at a single moment, depending on the severity of the situation (Shergill 54). The view of consciousness became a battle of wits between different schools of thought; structuralism and functionalism. Edward Titchener and William James became crucial pioneers in these schools, as they differed in the manner in which the viewed consciousness. Titchener intended to break down the mental processes into basic components. Introspection was the method used to comprehend the elements that surround consciousness. James sought to differ in the process used in structuralism by using a more accurate and systematic manner. By trying to focus on the purpose behind consciousness, James went around the idea of the elements of consciousness, hence; the difference between Titchener and James. James and his school accentuated on differences existing between individuals, thus; having an unimaginable impact on education (Shergill 61). Question 5 Edward Thorndike worked greatly to apply the thoughts and operations of operant conditioning to the learning process. In his mind, his experiments focused on the principles that would ultimately create a learning curve in the academic process. In his summations, Edward stated that the only way to learn was through the application and analysis of consequences. He alluded to the fact that if a certain behavioral pattern was followed, and the results favorable, then it would most likely be repeated. This meant that if people applied a certain technique, and it achieved the desired results or better, it will most likely be repeated. Thorndike used cats and their quest to reach to fish methodology (Shergill 71). The puzzle of the box, and how the cats were to get to the fish was used as a noted challenge for the experiment. The fact that the cats struggled, and after each struggle they appear to move closer to their target, was incentive enough for them to get to the fish. Works Cited Corner, Ronald and Gould, Elizabeth. Psychology Around Us. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 2010. Print. Shergill, Kauer H. Experimental Psychology. London: Sage Publishers, 2012. Print. Read More