Modern psychologists tend to examine human behavior through several views. The views that predominate today are psycho dynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, biological, and socio cultural perspectives.Theseviews reflect different questions about human behavior, different assumptions about how the mind works, and different kinds of explanations why people do and what they do.
Psychodynamic perspective – It has its origins in Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis, but many other psychodynamic theories exist. This perspective emphasizes unconscious dynamics within the individual such as inner forces, conflicts or instinctual energy. The psychodynamic approach emphasizes:
- The influence of unconscious mental behavior on everyday behavior
- The role of child personality in determining adult personality
- The role of intrapersonal conflict in determining human behavior
Psycho dynamic perspective tries to dig below the surface of a person’s behavior to get into unconscious motives; they think of themselves as archaeologists of the mind.Behavioral Perspectives- they emphasize the important role that previous learning experiences play in shaping the behavior of an organism. They are concerned with how the environment affects the person’s actions. Behaviorists focus on environmental conditions (rewards and punishments) that maintain or discourage specific behaviors. The behavioral perspective sometimes called “black box” psychology because it treats the mind as a mechanical black box and focusing on what goes in to and out of the box, but not on the processes that take place inside. This means, behaviorists are only interested in the effects of the environment (input) on behavior (output) but not the process inside the box.
Humanistic Perspective-According to this perspective, human behavior is not completely determined by either unconscious dynamics or the environment. Rather it emphasizes the uniqueness of human beings and focuses on human values and subjective experiences. This perspective places greater importance on the individual’s free will. The goal of humanistic psychology was helping people to express themselves creatively and achieve their full potential or self-actualization, (developing the human potential to its fullest).
Cognitive Perspective- it emphasizes what goes on in people’s heads; how people reason, remember, understand language, solve problems, explain experiences and form beliefs. This perspective is concerned about the mental processes. The most important contribution of this perspective has been to show how people’s thoughts and explanations affect their actions, feelings, and choices. Techniques used to explore behavior from a cognitive perspective include electrical recording of brain activity, electrical stimulation and radioactive tracing of metabolic activity in the nervous system.
Biological Perspective- itfocuses on how bodily events or functioning of the body affect behavior, feelings, and thoughts. This perspective holds that an understanding of the brain and the nervous system is central in the understanding of behaving, thoughts, and emotions. Researchers of this perspective study how biology, for instance, brain and various brain chemicals affect psychological processes such as learning, performance, perception of reality, the experience of emotions, etc. Biological perspective pointed out that biology and behavior interact in a complex way which means behavior can affect biology and biology can affect behavior. It also emphasized the idea that we are physical beings who evolved over a long time and that is genetic heritage can predispose us to behave in a certain way. Just as we evolved eyebrows to protect our eyes, we may have evolved certain kinds of behavior patterns to protect our bodies and ensure the survival of our species.Sociocultural Perspectives- It focuses on the social and cultural forces or factors outside the individual that affects human behavior. As a fish cannot leave without water, human behavior cannot be understood without sociocultural context (the social and cultural environment) that people “Swim” in every day. Within this perspective, social psychologists consider roles, how group affect attitudes and behaviors, why authority and other people like spouse, lovers, friends, bosses, parents, and strangers affect each of us. Cultural psychologists also examine how cultural rules and values (both explicit and unspoken) affect people’s development, behavior, and feelings. They said humans are both the products and the producers of culture, and our behavior always occurs in some cultural contexts.
Psychological perspectives are different ways of thinking about and explaining human behavior. Psychologists utilize a variety of perspectives when studying how people think, feel, and behave.
Some researchers focus more on one specific school of thought, such as the biological perspective, while others take a more eclectic approach that incorporates multiple points of view.
No single perspective is "better" than another. Instead, each simply emphasizes different aspects of human behavior.
This article explores seven of the major perspectives in psychology, where these perspectives originated, and how they attempt to explain psychological issues. It also provides examples of key ideas from each psychological perspective.
Major Perspectives in Modern Psychology
The early years of psychology were dominated by a succession of these different schools of thought. If you have taken a psychology course, you might remember learning about structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanism—all of which are different schools of psychological thought.
As psychology has grown, the number and variety of topics psychologists investigate have also expanded. Since the early 1960s, the field of psychology has flourished. It continues to grow rapidly, as has the depth and breadth of subjects studied by psychologists.
Psychological Perspectives Today
Few psychologists identify their outlook according to a particular school of thought. While there are still some pure behaviorists or psychoanalysts, the majority of psychologists today categorize their work according to their specialty area and perspective.
Purpose of Psychological Perspectives
Why are there so many different perspectives in psychology? It is important to remember that every topic in psychology can be looked at in many ways. For example, let's consider the subject of aggression.
- A professional who emphasizes a biological perspective would look at how the brain and nervous system impact aggressive behavior.
- A professional who stresses a behavioral perspective would look at how environmental variables reinforce aggressive actions.
- A professional who utilizes a cross-cultural approach might consider how cultural and social influences contribute to aggressive or violent behavior.
Here are seven of the major perspectives in modern psychology.
1. The Psychodynamic Perspective
The psychodynamic perspective originated with the work of Sigmund Freud. This view of psychology and human behavior emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behavior, as well as to treat mental illnesses.
Much thanks to Freud's work and influence, psychoanalysis became one of the earliest major forces within psychology. Freud conceived of the mind as being composed of three key elements: the id, the ego, and the superego.
- The id is the part of the psyche that includes all the primal and unconscious desires.
- The ego is the aspect of the psyche that must deal with the demands of the real world.
- The superego is the last part of the psyche to develop and is tasked with managing all of our internalized morals, standards, and ideals.
While the psychodynamic perspective is not as dominant today, it continues to be a useful psychotherapeutic tool.
2. The Behavioral Perspective
Behavioral psychology focuses on learned behaviors. It was founded on the work of psychologists such as Edward Thorndike and John B. Watson. Behaviorism dominated psychology in the early twentieth century but began to lose its hold during the 1950s.
Behaviorism differs from other perspectives because it focuses solely on observable behaviors rather than on emphasizing internal states.
Today, the behavioral perspective is still concerned with how behaviors are learned and reinforced. Behavioral principles are often applied in mental health settings, where therapists and counselors use these techniques to explain and treat a variety of illnesses.
3. The Cognitive Perspective
During the 1960s, a new perspective known as cognitive psychology emerged. This area of psychology focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, problem-solving, language, and decision-making.
Influenced by psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Albert Bandura, the cognitive perspective has grown tremendously in recent decades.
Cognitive psychologists often utilize an information-processing model (comparing the human mind to a computer) to conceptualize how information is acquired, processed, stored, and utilized.
4. The Biological Perspective
The study of physiology played a major role in the development of psychology as a separate science. Today,
the perspective is known as biological psychology (also called biopsychology or physiological psychology). The point of view emphasizes the physical and biological bases of behavior.
Researchers with a biological perspective on psychology might look at how genetics influence behavior or how damage to specific areas of the brain affect personality.
The nervous system, genetics, the brain, the immune system, and the endocrine system are just a few subjects of interest to biological psychologists. Over the last few decades, the perspective has grown significantly with advances in our ability to explore and understand the human brain and nervous system.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans give researchers tools to observe the brain under a variety of conditions. Scientists can now look at the effects of brain damage, drugs, and disease in ways that were not possible in the past.
5. The Cross-Cultural Perspective
Cross-cultural psychology is a fairly new perspective that has grown significantly in the last twenty years. Psychologists and researchers in this school of thought look at human behavior across different cultures.
By looking at these differences, we can learn more about how culture influences our thinking and behavior. For example, researchers have looked at how social behaviors differ in individualistic and collectivistic cultures.
- In individualistic cultures (such as the United States) people tend to exert less effort when they are part of a group—a phenomenon known as social loafing.
- In collectivistic cultures (such as China), people tend to work harder when they are part of a group.
6. The Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology focuses on the study of how the theory of evolution can explain physiological processes. Psychologists who take this perspective apply the basic principles of evolution (like natural selection) to psychological phenomena.
The evolutionary perspective suggests that these mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary purpose—meaning that they aid in human survival and reproduction.
7. The Humanistic Perspective
In the 1950s, a school of thought known as humanistic psychology arrived. It was greatly influenced by the work of prominent humanists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
The humanistic perspective emphasizes the role of motivation in thought and behavior. Concepts such as self-actualization are essential. Psychologists with a humanist perspective focus on what drives humans to grow, change, and develop their personal potential.
Positive psychology (which focuses on helping people live happier, healthier lives) is a recent movement in psychology with roots in the humanist perspective.
A Word From Verywell
There are many ways to think about human thought and behavior. The different perspectives in modern psychology give researchers and students tools to approach problems and answer questions. They also guide psychologists in finding new ways to explain and predict human behavior. This exploration and deeper understanding can even lead to the development of new treatment approaches.