Schools of Thoughts - Report Example

Schools of Thoughts

In the contemporary world, psychologists are in disbelief about the fact that there is no single right way of studying people's thoughts and behaviors. However, various schools of thought came to evolve throughout the development and establishment of psychology that continues to mold how psychologists conduct investigations concerning human behavior. For instance, some psychologists might attribute particular human behavior to some biological factors like genetics. On the other hand, other psychologists might consider some experiences from early childhood as a more probable explanation when it comes to a specific behavior. Since psychologists might emphasize certain various psychological points in their analysis and research about human behavior, there exist diverse psychological viewpoints that are different. These schools of thought are termed as perspectives or approaches. The paper, therefore, seeks to discuss the various theoretical perspectives that would be used by psychologists in the explanation of aggressive bullying behavior.

Aggression and Bullying

Aggression, violence, and bullying are studied in various subjects. Studying human aggression is, however, difficult since it is a behavior that sporadically occurs. In most cases, individuals have reasons for failing by virtue to acknowledge or even report it. The complexity in methodology is forecasted in the fact that every scientific subject possesses its analysis level and creates its own theoretical and methodological sets to explain aggressive bullying behavior. School bullying is a modern form of aggression. In the learning of child development, playing and socializing with other children is usually beneficial when it comes to the psychological development of a child (Maunder &Crafter, 2018, pp14). However, it so happens that not all of the behavior associated with playing has a positive outcome. Other children are very rough and aggressive in their way of playing. Other children are usually very selfish and would not want to share anything with other kids.

Biological psychology

Biological psychologists interpret and explain aggressive bullying behaviors as something that runs in families of a person. According to then, aggression originates from the particular organic pathologies and tends to express related syndromes such as DNA alterations or anomalies in biochemical and hormonal processes (Bjørkly, 2016, pp28). They are these inherited traits and genetic predispositions that carry along in the children to develop into aggression. Therefore, according to a biological perspective, if the parents have a history of bullying or aggression, there is an increased risk that their offspring would be aggressive or bully to others because of the genetics that carries along with the offspring.

In the interpretation and explanation of aggressive bullying behaviors, biological psychologists would ask questions related to the genetic functionality. Questions would include finding out whether the genetic factor has the same influence on the aggression in all animal species. The psychologists would ask if the genetic predisposition is influenced by the environmental factors to manipulate aggressive behaviors. Biological psychologists would be required to undertake experimental scientific research, which includes working with children from different family backgrounds. An example consists of those with known aggressive parents and those whose parents portray calm and humble behaviors.

Social Psychology

Social psychologists also have their own perspective of what entails aggressive bullying behaviors. According to them, the future aggression behaviors are influenced by the environment, which encompasses the immediate contexts to a person portraying such behaviors (Bjørkly, 2016, pp30). They argue the human behavior is interactive and are due to the result of the interaction between the characteristics of individuals and surrounding. These individuals tend to copy or imitate such characteristics of aggression from the surrounding circumstances, or others tend to learn by observation or imitation of the behaviors that occur immediately to them.

In the interpretation and explanation of aggressive bullying behaviors, social psychologists would ask questions such as what role the age has in impacting the adoption of aggressive behaviors in a social context. The question is crucial, considering that prior studies have focused on the social context of children. The psychologists would also want to ask about the impact of manipulation within the social context such that a coercive factor can be introduced to influence particular behavior (Maunder & Crafter, 2018, pp15). The research to be undertaken is the systematic observational procedure to determine how behavior changes over a certain period.

Evolutionary psychology

Similarly, evolutionists present their views on what entails being aggressive. Their perspective is relatedly attached to the biological perspective in that they believe that aggressiveness is an innate reaction of a person found in the unconscious impulses that are biologically adapted (Estévez, Jiménez, & Musitu, 2008, pp81). These unconscious impulses have been developed together over time following the evolution of the species. The gradual and subsequent evolution places aggressive bullying behaviors as necessary for the survival of an individual. It is therefore related to things such as hierarchy, territory, and selection and has gone past the genetic scale, meaning that the evolutionary scale is beyond the aggressive stimuli. It is this perception that justifies the notion that males are more aggressive and have more bully behaviors.

Evolutionists would want to ask questions of whether there are specific stages in evolution that present high chances for the animals to develop aggressive behaviors. Also, it is essential to ask about the role of the environment in the way animals develop aggressiveness during evolution. The most convenient research type to be conducted by evolutionists is the literature review of the historical and scientific documents where the information has already been collected and stored.

Cognitive Psychology

The views of the cognitive psychologists about aggressive bullying behaviors are closely related to the social perspective. This is because people with aggressive behaviors first conceptualize the surroundings and plan on how to retaliate (Estévez et al., pp82). Often, the decision to show aggressiveness is to survive in the surrounding, having mastered the situation. According to the perspective, cognitive distortions present the aggressors with biased means to confer meaning to a person experienced to influence their response to the behaviourally problematic situations (Bjørkly, S., 2016, pp34). This way, more new forms of aggressive bullies continue to emerge as individuals develop new ways of adjusting to behavioral problems around them.

Cognitive psychologists ask fundamental questions during the interpretation and explanation of the occurrence of aggressive bullying behaviors. The questions would entail finding out the perception of the bully and the victim in any situation of a behavioural problem. They as well need to know how to measure the risks in their situation and to what level. Since cognitive psychologists believe that aggressiveness is related to thinking, the kind of research to be undertaken is the survey instrument that would help reveal the cognitive distortions level among individuals.

Behavioral Psychology

Behavioral psychology presents a different view on the aggressive bullying behavior. The psychologists, in this case, believe that violent behaviors are based on the traits of a person. Such a person may have constitutional traits such as lacking self-control or deficits of cognition, which makes it difficult to place themselves in the victim's position (Estévez et al. pp82). Thus, they are personality factors that determine how often a person gets involved in aggressiveness. They argue that a person may be aggressive and not bully, and therefore it all depends on the person's behaviors. The questioned to be asked to involve the adoption of such individual behaviors that would culminate in bullying or being aggressive. The psychologists can ask at what point such behaviors can be seen as a personality and if they could be adapted at a certain stage in life. Systematic observation would be a suitable research method to be undertaken to identify the patterns of coercive behaviors in any environment.

Developmental Psychology

In developmental psychology, aggressive bullying behaviors are seen as more of personality traits that develop and grow in a person over a specific period. According to them, aggression occurs in periods from childhood to adulthood, and there comes a time when an individual is more aggressively bully than other periods (Estévez et al. pp87). In these periods, culture plays a critical role in influencing the level of aggression. Questions that psychologists would ask are based on the factors that affect the level of aggressiveness through the development of a person and whether these levels continue to reduce or increase as people grow. Experimental behavioral research among children, adolescents, and adults would be the best method to be undertaken in this perspective.

Clinical psychology

From the clinical perspective, aggressiveness and bullying is a behavioral activity that is displayed among people of a certain group such as school-aged children. The fundamental factor is that the groups that exhibit aggression and bullying behaviors differ in their social function based on their ages or other factors such as cognition and state of living. Thus, clinically, it is something that occurs within certain contexts, which may require some form of intervention by a clinician. Questions to be asked are whether these clinical contexts resulting in aggressive bullying behaviors are internal, external, or both. The kind of research to be undertaken is the systematic observational of therapeutic children in therapy sessions.

Conclusion

The paper has discussed the theoretical perspectives that psychologists can use in the study and explanation of aggressive bullying behavior. The theoretical perspectives include biological psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, behavioral psychology, and evolutionary psychology. These theories give out different perspectives in trying to explain the origins of aggression resulting in aggression-related behavior like bullying.

Social Psychology

Social psychologists also have their own perspective of what entails aggressive bullying behaviors. According to them, the future aggression behaviors are influenced by the environment, which encompasses the immediate contexts to a person portraying such behaviors (Bjørkly, 2016, pp30). They argue the human behavior is interactive and are due to the result of the interaction between the characteristics of individuals and surrounding. These individuals tend to copy or imitate such characteristics of aggression from the surrounding circumstances, or others tend to learn by observation or imitation of the behaviors that occur immediately to them.

In the interpretation and explanation of aggressive bullying behaviors, social psychologists would ask questions such as what role the age has in impacting the adoption of aggressive behaviors in a social context. The question is crucial, considering that prior studies have focused on the social context of children. The psychologists would also want to ask about the impact of manipulation within the social context such that a coercive factor can be introduced to influence particular behavior (Maunder & Crafter, 2018, pp15). The research to be undertaken is the systematic observational procedure to determine how behavior changes over a certain period.

Evolutionary psychology

Similarly, evolutionists present their views on what entails being aggressive. Their perspective is relatedly attached to the biological perspective in that they believe that aggressiveness is an innate reaction of a person found in the unconscious impulses that are biologically adapted (Estévez, Jiménez, & Musitu, 2008, pp81). These unconscious impulses have been developed together over time following the evolution of the species. The gradual and subsequent evolution places aggressive bullying behaviors as necessary for the survival of an individual. It is therefore related to things such as hierarchy, territory, and selection and has gone past the genetic scale, meaning that the evolutionary scale is beyond the aggressive stimuli. It is this perception that justifies the notion that males are more aggressive and have more bully behaviors.

Evolutionists would want to ask questions of whether there are specific stages in evolution that present high chances for the animals to develop aggressive behaviors. Also, it is essential to ask about the role of the environment in the way animals develop aggressiveness during evolution. The most convenient research type to be conducted by evolutionists is the literature review of the historical and scientific documents where the information has already been collected and stored.

Cognitive Psychology

The views of the cognitive psychologists about aggressive bullying behaviors are closely related to the social perspective. This is because people with aggressive behaviors first conceptualize the surroundings and plan on how to retaliate (Estévez et al., pp82). Often, the decision to show aggressiveness is to survive in the surrounding, having mastered the situation. According to the perspective, cognitive distortions present the aggressors with biased means to confer meaning to a person experienced to influence their response to the behaviourally problematic situations (Bjørkly, S., 2016, pp34). This way, more new forms of aggressive bullies continue to emerge as individuals develop new ways of adjusting to behavioral problems around them.

Cognitive psychologists ask fundamental questions during the interpretation and explanation of the occurrence of aggressive bullying behaviors. Read More