BAHS 112 Introductory Psychology for Allied Health Sciences 2023/2024 Lecture Notes PDF

BAHS 112 INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY FOR ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES LECTURE 3 – Schools of thought in Psychology 2023/2024 Academic Year  Lecture objectives Introduce the various schools of psychology Discuss the key arguments of each school of psychology Des...

BAHS 112 INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY FOR ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES LECTURE 3 – Schools of thought in Psychology 2023/2024 Academic Year  Lecture objectives Introduce the various schools of psychology Discuss the key arguments of each school of psychology Describe the key advocates of each school and the methodological approach Topic One  SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN PSYCHOLOGY Slide 3  Schools of Psychology In the 1800s psychology became a distinct field from philosophy and physiology Early psychologists began to put forward their ideas of what the new field of psychology should focus on These ideas became known as the schools of thought in psychology or simply, schools of psychology Each school of thought represents an idea or viewpoint of what exactly psychologists should study about the mind and /or behaviour Topic Two  Structuralism Slide 5  Schools of Psychology Structuralism: First or earliest school of thought in psychology Key proponent was Wilhelm Wundt Later became the central part of the work of Edward Titchener (Wundt’s student) Wilhelm Wundt Main idea in structuralism is that psychologists should focus on studying the structure of the human mind Structuralists advocated for breaking down mental processes into the most basic components in order to understand it Edward B. Titchener The mind in this sense was described as the totality of an individual’s experience from birth to adulthood.   Schools of psychology Structuralism To study the components of the mind, structuralists used a method called introspection Introspection involves looking inwards; reflecting on, analyzing and trying to make sense of our own internal experiences as they occur Later psychologists criticized structuralism by saying that the method of introspection lacked objectivity and therefore was not scientific For example, it could not be used to study animals, or problems like mental disorders On the bases of such criticisms, other schools of thought were put forward. Topic Three  Functionalism Slide 8  Schools of Psychology Functionalism Functionalism emerged out of criticism against structuralism The main proponent of functionalism was William James He believed that attempting to study the structure of the mind would be futile and William James (1842-1910) frustrating He believed that the mind is fluid not static and human experience is on-going. In this case it would be impossible to break down the mind into its basic components.  Schools of Psychology He proposed that instead of focusing on the structure of the mind, psychologists should rather focus on studying the functions of the mind His school of thought was therefore called functionalism because of its emphasis on studying the functions of the mind By functions of the mind, James meant two things:  first, how the mind operates – that is, how the elements of the mind work together  and second, how mental processes promote adaptation,  That is, of what use is the mind to us?  The main method of study was introspection  Schools of psychology Share your thoughts: Should we be more concerned about the structure of the mind or the functions of the mind? Topic six  Gestalt Psychology Slide 12  Schools of Psychology Gestalt Psychology The word “Gestalt” is German and it means form, pattern or whole The Gestalt school of thought emerged to oppose the structuralist idea of breaking mental processes down Max Wertheimer Gestalt Psychologists argued that in order to understand 1880-1943 human experience, there is the need to study it in a complete whole instead of breaking it down into basic components or parts They worked by the slogan “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” Wolfgang Kohler (1880 The chief proponents of this school of thought were Max -1943) Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler Another early Gestalt psychologist was Kurt Koffka. Schools of Psychology Principles of Gestalt Psychology: Simplicity: when we encounter a new visual scene, our minds naturally interpret it in the simplest way possible. For example, when viewing a mosaic composed of many small tiles, we are more likely to perceive the overall image formed by the tiles rather than focusing on each individual tile. This principle reflects our mind's tendency to seek order and predictability in the world around us. Schools of Psychology Figure-Ground The figure-ground principle refers to our ability to distinguish between a figure (the focal point of our visual field) and the ground (the background or surrounding area). This principle is crucial for our ability to navigate and make sense of our environment. For instance, when looking at a painting, we can distinguish the subject of the painting (the figure) from the background (the ground), allowing us to focus on the details of the subject. Schools of Psychology Phi Phenomenon The phi phenomenon refers to the illusion of motion created by the rapid succession of still images. This principle underpins the technology used in film and animation, where a series of static images are presented in quick succession to create the illusion of movement. Proximity The principle of proximity suggests that we tend to perceive objects that are close to each other as being part of a group. This principle is often used in visual design to create a sense of order and organization. For example, in a document, text that is grouped together is perceived as related, helping the reader to understand the structure and flow of the information.  Schools of Psychology Psychodynamic School While functionalists and structuralists were arguing over the structure vs the function of the mind, a new school of thought was put forward by an Austrian Neurologist and psychologists called Sigmund Sigmund Freud (1856 Freud -1939  Schools of Psychology Freud agreed with the structuralists and functionalists that psychologists should study the mind. However, he thought that the mind was bigger than what the structuralists and functionalists thought He compared the human mind to an iceberg And he argued that only a small part of the mind forms consciousness That the bigger part of the mind is hidden in what he called unconsciousness or unconscious part of the mind Freud’s Iceberg theory His idea was that many of the factors, motives and elements that drive human thought and behavior are hidden in the unconscious part of the mind These forces/drives include the Id, Ego and Super-ego  Schools of Psychology Freud argued that in order to understand the mind and behavior, psychologists need to first understand how these unconscious forces operate To do this, he proposed a method called psychoanalysis When using this method, the psychologist and the client engage in deep conversation which allow the psychologist to understand the contents of the client’s unconscious mind Methods such as dream analysis and hypnosis were also used in the early years.   Schools of psychology The Id It works to satisfy basic urges, needs, and desires. The id operates based on a pleasure principle It demands immediate gratification of needs, wishes, or pleasures Without consideration to other environmental factors or the needs of other people around. Id develops at the initial stages of life  eg. Carefully observe the behavior of a child between ages 1-2  Schools of Psychology The ego The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world Its function is to tame the Id but not deny it of pleasure The ego works on the reality principle It seeks to help the Id achieve its pleasure but in a more acceptable or realistic way The Ego works in consideration of reality and self protection It does not work with right or wrong  Schools of Psychology The super-ego develops around the age of 3 – 5 Works with the morality principle Opposes the self-centered desires of the Id. It seeks fully to comply with social norms and values The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression.  Schools of psychology According to the psychoanalytic school, a persons personality (thoughts and behavior) will depend on which of these three components wins the fight and dominates. Other scholars who were part of the psychoanalytic school included Carl Jung, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson.  Schools of Psychology Neo-Freudian Perspective Sigmund Freud Had many followers of his theory. They included Alfred Adler, Karen Horney These followers agreed with Freud and believed his theory largely But they disagreed with some aspects of it and rather modified it. Their main argument was that Freud focused too much innate basic instinct and sexuality They believed that other factors such as social, cultural and interpersonal variables play equally important roles in shaping behaviour Schools of Psychology Neo-Freudian personality Perspectives Alfred Adler Individuals seek to attain rational goals in life and reduce feelings of inferiority by striving for superiority Harry Stack Sullivan Individuals continuously establish rewarding and significant relationships with others to reduce anxiety  Schools of Psychology Karen Horney Proposed three personality types: Compliant Personality Drawn towards others People with this personality have a desire to be loved, appreciated and wanted Aggressive Personality Move against others, Competitive Seek to excel and win admiration Detached Personality Move away from others, Liberal People with this personality like desire independence, self-reliance and freedom from obligation Topic Two  Behaviourism Slide 27 Schools of Psychology Behaviorism Structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt Psychology and psychoanalytic schools all focused on one thing: the mind In the 1920s another psychologist criticized them all for being obsessed with the mind This psychologist was John B. Watson Watson proposed that all behavior are caused by elements in the environment So in order to understand behavior, psychologists need to observe behavior as it occurs in the environment This became a new school of thought called Behaviorism Later behaviorist included B. F. Skinner, and Edward Thorndike.  Schools of Psychology Principles of Behaviorism Behavior is deterministic The way you act is determined by external stimuli/factors present in the environment (social, cultural, physical) in which you live and grow Behavior is Observable Over time, the individual develops a “behavior repertoire” or “pattern” which can be used to predict her/his behaviours Behaviour is controllable Desirable or “appropriate” behaviours can be taught by using careful and systematic incentives and undesirable “inappropriate” behaviours can be Topic three  Humanistic School of thought Slide 30 Schools of Psychology Humanistic Perspective Some of the schools of psychology that initially emerged seemed to be pointing to one thing: That our behavior as humans is orchestrated by factors beyond our control Eg: Psychoanalytic school: behavior is controlled by forces in the unconscious mind Behaviorism: behavior is controlled by forces in the external environment  Schools of Psychology One psychologist Carl Rogers was not happy with this idea. He argued that humans are free agents capable of controlling our own lives, making our own choices, and working to achieve our goals This idea became known as the Carl Ramson Rogers Humanistic school of thought (1902-1987) Schools of Psychology BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY Humans are inherently good All individuals are unique and have an innate drive to achieve their maximum potential Unconditional love and acceptance are the key means to enable individuals reach their potential. A proper understanding of humans can only be achieved by studying human and not animals Humans have a free will; not all behaviours are determined  Schools of psychology Eclectic School of Thought As the various early psychologists debated their ideas of what psychology should focus on in order to understand human behavior, later psychologists came to a realization They realized that none of the schools was able to completely explain behavior on its own. Instead a combination of all the ideas shared by the different schools could rather help to obtain a better understanding of human thought and behavior This new way of looking at human behavior(combining ideas from all the schools) became known as the Eclectic school of thought. HAVE A NICE DAY.