Mock Interviews with Functional Psychologists - Coursework Example

MOCK INTERVIEWS OF FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS al Affiliation CHARLES DARWIN What do you consider to be the proper matter of psychology? The subject matter of psychology involves social instincts that change over time to adapt to situations of natural selection. The social instincts encompasses frameworks of human behavior in terms of emotions and how this emotions are manifested in actions (Darwin, 2014). 2. What methods should psychology use to approach the subjects it studies?  Psychology should involve an evolutionary approach in studying human behavior to allow the possibility of questioning traits exhibited by species (Darwin, 2014). The questioning should entail how this traits are developed, what are their functions and what triggers the development of this traits. 3. What do you expect will be your most lasting contribution to the field of psychology?  My research on human evolution and how the expression of emotions by humans demonstrate how empirical testing can be carried out using information gathered from different species to learn about how behavior evolves and adapts (Darwin, 2014). This method that involves comparative analysis is the most significant in a dynamic psychology subject. 4. What do you consider to be an appropriate role for the field of psychology in society? Psychology poses questions that help understand how different traits contribute to organism’s survival adaption success, and if the traits have been shaped to adapt to natural selection directly or just by-products of something else developed to suit new functions (Darwin, 2014). 5. What particular personal challenges or characteristics, or conditions in the society and the profession of psychology, had the greatest impact upon your development as a psychologist? The religious conditions that prevailed proved to be a major challenge to my work including its publication. The perceived incompatibility of my evolutionary theory -which relates directly to psychology- and the religious biblical chronological account of creation of human beings. The religious fear that my theory overthrows the literal understanding of the biblical explanation of origin of man (Darwin, 2014). JOHN DEWEY 1. What do you consider to be the proper subject matter of psychology?  My perspective on the subject matter of psychology is consistent with Darwin’s evolution theory (functionalism). Functionalism, consideration of the total organism as the organism functions in its environment. In simple terms the organism as a perceiver of the environment (Martin, 2002). 2. What methods should psychology use to approach the subjects it studies?  The most effective method in studying subjects rather deviates from the traditional abstract theoretical approach, the approach involves a functional practical technique. A functional approach is more pro-active in its execution. 3. What do you expect will be your most lasting contribution to the field of psychology? With my functional psychology theory, I laid the basic foundation that influenced progressive education and psychology in the United States. My emphasis on practical acquisition of knowledge being a collective effort that is based in the social circumstance and contemporary culture of the subject (Martin, 2002). I provided a divergent view that allowed exploration of psychology, a view supporting pragmatism, uniting hard science with psychology and philosophy.   4. What do you consider to be an appropriate role for the field of psychology in society? The appropriate role of psychology should be to promote humanism. Humanism creates significant chance for positive social change. Humanism a concept of expansion and not contraction of human life, science of nature are used to serve human good.  5. What particular personal challenges or characteristics, or conditions in the society and the profession of psychology, had the greatest impact upon your development as a psychologist? The greatest personal challenges that impacted my development as a psychologist are communists and Marxists opposition of my ideas. Communists and Marxists perspective labeled my thinking and ideas as dangerously radical to the society (Martin, 2002). WILLIAM JAMES 1. What do you consider to be the proper subject matter of psychology?  The subject matter of psychology revolves around consciousness and emotions. That is if an individual is exposed to stimulus they experience psychological reactions and thus this reactions are manifested as emotions. So to achieve such psychological reactions there has to be psychological arousal then the subjective clarification of these processes as emotions (James, 2011). 2. What methods should psychology use to approach the subjects it studies?  The best approach entails extensive research on the subject studied. The extensive research should involve collecting together ideas and opinions of many diverse perspective concerning the subject studied and then formulating a coherent forward oriented phenomenological foundation that gauges the validity of your findings (James, 2011). 3. What do you expect will be your most lasting contribution to the field of psychology? My lasting contribution to psychology is centered around my research and publication on principles of psychology. The thought provocative publication revolutionized the fundamentals that deal with the highest of humanity. My research provided a basic start point for other interested psychologists to explore, criticize and improve on my theories concerning human psychology. 4. What do you consider to be an appropriate role for the field of psychology in society?  The role of psychology in the society is meant to understand human behavior in relation to all the stimuli that inspires such behavior. All this concepts should be carried out in psychology with a bid to better understanding humanity and its environment to foster a healthy relationship between the two (James, 2011). 5. What particular personal challenges or characteristics, or conditions in the society and the profession of psychology, had the greatest impact upon your development as a psychologist? Challenges that I encountered in my path as a psychologist are closely related to the faults in my theories of human psychology. A lot of times other researchers come up with concepts that validly challenge the basis of my ideas (James, 2011). As much a challenge it poses it also inspires further research which results in accuracy and improvements in psychology over time. G. STANLEY HALL 1. What do you consider to be the proper subject matter of psychology? The subject matter of psychology is mental capacity and the environment. How the two interact i.e. how the human mental capabilities interact with the environment adopting to environmental variations. The interaction of the two features compose psychology subject matter. 2. What methods should psychology use to approach the subjects it studies?  Psychology should involve scientific driven research and apply it in studying human nature psychologically. Emphasis should be placed on carrying out empirical research and application of findings in studying different human psychological phenomenon (Ross, 1972). 3. What do you expect will be your most lasting contribution to the field of psychology?  My most lasting contribution to psychology is the maturationist theory on child development. The theory’s premise was based on the idea that growing children recapitulate evolutionary levels of growth development as they grow up and pushing a child ahead of any developmental stage is counterproductive (Ross, 1972). My theory provides a basis to understanding child development and education. 4. What do you consider to be an appropriate role for the field of psychology in society?  The role of psychology in the society is facilitate understanding of human behavior and how this behaviors are shaped by the external environment. This understanding creates a perfect opportunity to positively appreciate such behaviors as we relate them to the environment (Ross, 1972). 5. What particular personal challenges or characteristics, or conditions in the society and the profession of psychology, had the greatest impact upon your development as a psychologist? The societal reception of my maturationist theory created a little impact on how the society perceived children development in regards to ontogenetic and phylogenetic perspective (Ross, 1972). Though the impact was insignificant, it laid a foundation to be followed by later theorists in child development. LETA STETTER HOLLINGSWORTH 1. What do you consider to be the proper subject matter of psychology?  The subject matter of psychology is mental intelligence and intellectual ability. The application of this concepts to women psychology, education psychology and clinical psychology. 2. What methods should psychology use to approach the subjects it studies?  The best approach involves carrying a physical study while complimenting it with research to better understand the subject. The study should involve keen observation of the subject and noting all the exhibited behavior for the purpose of the study. 3. What do you expect will be your most lasting contribution to the field of psychology? My most lasting contribution to psychology is pioneering work in psychology of women, which greatly coincided with subjects of child education in terms of intellectual ability and intelligence. The dismissal of the belief in inferiority of women because of menstruation remains one of my greatest contribution for women in psychology (Trecker, 1974). 4. What do you consider to be an appropriate role for the field of psychology in society? Psychology is meant to help us understand human behavior in terms of intelligence and how best this behaviors can be optimally exploited for the good of human kind (Trecker, 1974). 5. What particular personal challenges or characteristics, or conditions in the society and the profession of psychology, had the greatest impact upon your development as a psychologist? The most challenging issue was the societal prejudice on women at the time. The notion that women were incapacitated because of menstruation every month. This played a key role in portraying women as inferior to their male counterparts (Trecker, 1974). References Darwin, C. (2014). Life and Letters of Charles Darwin—Volume 1. Dobimick Publishing. Martin, J. (2002). The education of John Dewey: A biography. Columbia University Press. James, W. (2011). The Principles of Psychology (Volume 2 of 2). Digireads. com Publishing. Ross, D. (1972). G. Stanley Hall: The psychologist as prophet. Trecker, J. L. (1974). Sex, science and education. American Quarterly, 352-366. ODonnell, J. M. (1985). The Origins of Behaviorism Origins of Behaviorism: American Psychology, 1870-1920 American Psychology, 1870-1920 (Vol. 3). New York: New York University Press. Read More