Psychology is all about understanding human nature. The concepts and principles intrinsic to the subject are mechanisms and techniques for interpreting and predicting the nature of human behaviour, & the associated neurological processes.
Today, in this article, we will mull over some of the most prominent ideas & concepts powering modern psychology. If you are a student looking for psychology assignment help to strengthen your conceptual understanding or wish to refresh your ideas, then this write-up can aid you big time.
Let’s begin.
The Fundamental Concepts & Approaches To Psychology
Since its inception, psychology has, with time, transformed from a subject based on intellectual speculation to an objective, scientifically rigorous discipline. Despite such transformations, certain principles and key questions still catalyse studies in the domain.
- Nature vs Nurture: Genes or the environment – which dictates individual behaviour and accounts for the differences among people?
- Free Will vs Determinism: Is free will an illusion? Can we choose to control our thoughts, actions, and behaviours, or do forces beyond our conscious control guide us?
- Conscious vs Unconscious Processing: How much are we aware of our actions & their causes? How much do our subconscious and unconscious affect our actions?
Different schools/principles of psychology have tried to answer such questions. While some have succeeded to a certain degree, we are still far away from gaining detailed & objectively-definitive answers.
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Let’s look at the different schools and approaches in the domain.
Principal Approaches to Understanding Human Behaviour
Structuralism
Developed by German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt and American psychologist William James, structuralism was about introspecting the nature of an individual’s subjective experiences and considering the mind to be the sum of many parts.
Structuralists used introspection to map the different elements that lead to animal consciousness.
Functionalism
In contrast to structuralism, the functionalism school aims to understand the reason and functions of the psychological processes that humans & animals possess. Functionalism was heavily influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and inferred that current psychological processes came into being due to their usefulness and functionality.
The basic principles of functionalism have long since been absorbed into the ontology of the domain & continue to influence research & interpretations.
Psychodynamic Psychology
This principle is the brainchild of Sigmund Freud, one of the most notable psychologists of the 19th-20th century. It focuses on and tries to understand the effect of unconscious thoughts, suppressed feeling, & repressed memories on human behaviour.
Freud’s psychodynamic and psychoanalytical approaches remain central to the study of psychology.
Behaviourism & Free Will
Behaviourism strode away from the study of the mind & focused on introspecting about behaviour. This school of approach revolves around the idea that studying the mind with pure objectivity is impossible. Studying behaviours and responses, which are considered to be manifestations of mental states, is the only effective way to gauge the psyche.
Stimuli and responses act as inputs and outputs to the black box version of the mind. Behaviourism also associates rewards and reinforcements with different stimuli & dictates the nature of reactions.
Cognitive Psychology
The cognitive approach to understanding the mysteries of the psyche investigates the impact of different mental processes. The advent of computers and the conceptualisation of artificial intelligence played a key role in developing this approach.
Mental processes such as memory, perception, thinking, speaking, judgement, etc., supposedly influence all animal and human behaviour aspects. Unlike behaviourism, cognitive psychology does not ignore the mind, as behavioural responses stem from the mind’s interpretation of stimuli & other environmental factors.
Cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience are currently the most influential among all the different schools & principles in the domain.
Sociocultural Psychology
This is yet another school of thought that looks into the effect of sociocultural norms on human psychology. Sociocultural philosophy investigates how our social perceptions and image affect our thinking and behaviour.
And that’s about it for this write-up. Hope it was an informative read for one & all.
Psychology is a vast and complex domain, & demands sharp thinking, intelligence & intuition, and thorough knowledge. Work hard on your assignments to boost your skills & expertise. And, if need be, seek help with your psychology assignments from professional psychological assignment help experts.
All the best!
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