Introduction to Psychology PDF

GRD171: Introduction to Psychology fchs.ac.ae Session outline Provide outline for GRD171 Define psychology Discuss history and philosophy of psychology Compare and contrast the main psychological paradigms that have emerged over the past century...

GRD171: Introduction to Psychology fchs.ac.ae Session outline Provide outline for GRD171 Define psychology Discuss history and philosophy of psychology Compare and contrast the main psychological paradigms that have emerged over the past century fchs.ac.ae GRD171 At the completion of this unit you should be able to: Discuss the history, philosophy and sub-divisions of psychology Demonstrate the scientific report writing format Describe basic cognitive processes and the associated anatomy and physiology Discuss the concepts of sensation, perception and consciousness and how they relate to your role as a health care professional fchs.ac.ae GRD171 Describe the higher cognitive processes of learning, memory, language, thinking and intelligence relating them to your role as a health care professional Investigate lifespan psychology and developmental theories Describe how psychological theory informs interventions in health care practice Apply your knowledge of psychological theory to understand the behaviour of yourself and others fchs.ac.ae Housekeeping Consultation times Contact details: [email protected] Timetable fchs.ac.ae Discussion In pairs, discuss a possible definition for the science of psychology. fchs.ac.ae fchs.ac.ae Free will or determinism? fchs.ac.ae Mind-body problem fchs.ac.ae Nature vs. nurture fchs.ac.ae Structuralism Attempted to uncover the basic elements of consciousness through introspection. Looked primarily at sensations, feelings and images. fchs.ac.ae Functionalism Attempted to explain psychological processes in terms of the role or function that they play. Influenced by the work of Charles Darwin and his theories of natural selection. fchs.ac.ae History of psychology Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal laboratory for research in psychology at University of Leipzig in 1879 Soon after developed first journal devoted to publication of psychological research fchs.ac.ae fchs.ac.ae Psychoanalytic Key person: Freud Freud developed his approach treating mental disorders. Theories derived from a series of patient observations and self reflection. Attempts to explain personality, motivation and mental disorders by focussing on the unconscious determinants of behaviour. fchs.ac.ae fchs.ac.ae Psychoanalytic Psychopathology thought to occur due to unconscious conflicts. Mind seen as a battleground for warring wants and needs. Objective to resolve unconscious conflicts. fchs.ac.ae Behaviourist Key Person(s): Watson and Skinner Focuses on how objects or events in the environment come to control behaviour through learning. Behaviour is learned, or a consequence of the environment. Humans and animals are like a machine, and as such are ‘programmable’. fchs.ac.ae Behaviourist Researched via instincts, animal studies, experimentation. Eg Pavlov’s dogs, Stockholm syndrome fchs.ac.ae Humanistic Key person(s): Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow Orientation that focuses on the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and potential for human growth. fchs.ac.ae Humanistic Greatest achievement of this orientation is their approach to psychological problems and disorders. Assumption that psychopathology results from a lack of insight and can best be treated by increasing the individuals awareness of his motivations and needs. fchs.ac.ae Humanistic paradigm Rogers proposed that a key ingredient in therapy is the attitude and style of the therapist, rather than in any specific techniques. This has been supported to some extent by research. fchs.ac.ae Maslow’s hierarchy of needs fchs.ac.ae Cognitive Key Person: Piaget Focuses on the way people perceive, process, transform, retrieve and respond to information. Cognitive psychologists believe that learning goes beyond the formation of stimulus-response formations. View learning as an active process. fchs.ac.ae Cognitive Psychopathology thought to occur due to cognitive distortions (or unhelpful thought processes!) e.g. catastrophising fchs.ac.ae Evolutionary Key person: Darwin Behaviours patterns have evolved to solve adaptive problems Life is a race for survival and reproduction Example: Fight or flight response fchs.ac.ae Biopsychosocial Key person: Engel Asserted that health is best understood by looking at a combination of biological, psychological and social influences. This model was proposed partially in opposition to the biomedical model, which has had a long running monopoly in healthcare. While the biomedical model seeks to remove the biological from other factors when assessing, diagnosing and treating health issues, the fchs.ac.ae Biopsychosocial model biopsychosocial approach asserts that no single factor can be considered as an isolated element. Rather, the biological, social and psychological aspects of an individual’s life work together so that deficiency in one area will reflect in each of the other areas. fchs.ac.ae Biopsychosocial model Health fchs.ac.ae Biopsychosocial model “To provide a basis for understanding the determinants of disease and arriving at rational treatments and patterns of health care, a medical model must also take into account the patient, the social context in which he lives, and the complementary system devised by society to deal with the disruptive effects of illness, that is, the physician role and the health care system. This requires a biopsychosocial model.” Engel (1977) fchs.ac.ae fchs.ac.ae Before your next lecture... Please select one area of psychology from the list on the next slide Describe the kind of work done by a psychologist in this field Explain why you chose this area fchs.ac.ae Areas of specialisation in psychology fchs.ac.ae Images Wundt: http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/psychologists.htm Freud: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego.html Watson:http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Watson/intro.htm Rogers: http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/types/person- centred/ Piaget: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html fchs.ac.ae References Burton, L., Westen, D., & Kowalski, R. (2009). Psychology, Australian and New Zealand Edition (2nd ed.). Milton, Qld: John Wiley and Sons. Engel, G.L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129-136. Passer, M.W., & Smith, R.E. (2009). Psychology: the science of mind and behavior (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Sheen, J. & Johnson, M. (In Press). The patient with abnormal behavior. In M. Johnson, L. Boyd, H. Grantham and F. Archer. Paramedic Principles and Practice. Elsevier: Sydney. Sternberg, R.J. (2000). In search of the human mind (3rd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers. fchs.ac.ae References Westen, D., Burton, L., & Kowalski, R. (2010). Psychology: Australia and New Zealand Edition (2nd ed.). Sydney: John Wiley & Sons. fchs.ac.ae