What is Psychology and its main approaches

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Philip Kelley
What is Psychology and its main approaches

Psychology is the discipline that studies the mind and behavior. Psychology has many different areas and includes different fields of study, such as human development, health, social behavior, cognitive processes, sports, work, etc..

Contents

  • Origins of Psychology
  • Biological approach to psychology
  • Behavioral approach
  • Psychodynamic approach
  • Cognitive approach
  • Humanistic approach

Origins of Psychology

Psychology is an ancient science, its origins date back to ancient Greece, between 400 and 500 BC. Its beginnings were through philosophy, with great thinkers such as Socrates or Plato, who in turn influenced Aristotle. However, most of the breakthroughs have occurred over the last 150 years or so.

Philosophers used it at that time to talk about many topics such as memory, free will, attraction, etc..

But it was not until Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory in 1879, that this discipline was not considered as such. Over time, psychologists have studied various aspects of human behavior, such as personality, brain functions, and sociocultural influences..

As psychology has advanced, the question of why we do what we do has been addressed from different angles, including: biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic, among others. Let's look at each of these five main approaches that guide modern psychological research..

Biological approach to psychology

The biological approach to psychology studies personality based on how the nervous system, hormones, and genetic makeup affect our behavior. Biological Psychologists explore the connection between mental states and the brain, nerves, and hormones to explore how thoughts, moods, and actions are formed..

For the biological approach, they are the sum of its parts. All his studies are based on the physical body. The biological approach attempts to understand the healthy brain, but also examines the mind and body to find out how disorders such as schizophrenia develop from genetic roots.

Behavioral approach

Behavioral psychologists believe that external environmental stimuli influence their behavior and that we can be trained to act in a certain way. Behaviorists like B.F. Skinner doesn't believe in free will. They ensure that you learn through a system of reinforcement and punishment.

Psychodynamic approach

The psychodynamic approach was developed by Sigmund Freud, who believed that many of our actions are driven by the unconscious. Psychologists in this school of thought believe that unconscious drives and early childhood experiences lie at the root of their behaviors and conflict arises when social restrictions interfere with these drives..

Cognitive approach

In contrast to behaviorists, cognitive psychologists believe that your behavior is determined by your expectations and emotions. A cognitive psychologist like Jean Piaget could argue that we remember things based on what we already know. We also solve problems based on our memories of past experiences..

Humanistic approach

Humanistic psychology tries to help individual people reach their full potential. Maintains that people are fundamentally good.

Along with Abraham Maslow, one of the forerunners of humanistic psychology was Carl Rogers. It is especially known for non-directive or client-centered therapy. The therapist in this type of counseling tries to create an environment that is non-judgmental by being open and honest, accepting and empathetic. The term "empathy" refers to the ability to recognize and feel the emotions of others, put oneself in the shoes of the other.

The goal of a customer-centric approach is to help customers find their own answers to their questions. In fact, it is called non-directive or client-centered therapy, precisely for this reason, because it is the client rather than the therapist who is supposed to come up with their own solutions..

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