Perspectives of Psychology

Perspectives of Psychology

Alonzo F. Stiles

AIU Online

Perspectives of Psychology

Psychology is often referred to as the studies of the human mind and behavior. Psychology is studied in order to understand and explain how we think, how we feel, as well as how we act. Psychology itself is split into multiple avenues or a perspective that has arisen over the years. These perspectives have been also referred to as “schools of thought”. Cherry, K., (2012) states, “While these schools of thought are sometimes perceived as competing forces, each perspective has contributed to our understanding of psychology”. Although there are at least ten different perspectives I am going to only look into three different ones. The perspectives I will define and flesh out are Behaviorism, Functionalism, and Structuralism.

The Behaviorism Perspective of Psychology

Behaviorism is the idea that says that all behaviors are gained through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our response to environmental stimuli shapes our behaviors (Cherry, K. 2012). This approach says that we should be able to study human behaviors in a structured pattern without adding in internal states like feelings and emotions. This perspective of psychology is not as strongly used in our present day and age. It is used by different group such as teachers, parents, and animal trainers to mentally develop approved behaviors while disrupting bad ones.

The Structuralism Perspective of Psychology

Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components (Cherry, K., 2012). A method named introspection was used by researchers to understand the basic elements of consciousness. Introspection takes on the aspect of observing one’s own mental and emotional processes. This can be done through self-observation, self-examination, and self-reflection. Structuralism is no longer apart of the world of psychology. Hall, R.,...