7 ways to understand psychology

There are many ways to conceive human behavior, many levels from which to analyze it.; Therefore, there are practically the same different ways of understanding psychology, which is the discipline that seeks to explain the processes of the mind and their behavioral expression. How is it possible, given such a variety of approaches, to achieve a certain unanimity when it comes to giving meaning to behavior?

Psychologists use various perspectives or approaches when studying how people think, feel, and behave. Whatever the approach, the object of study is invariable and the conclusions are usually not very far apart. each other. Here we present some clues to help you in your search for that understanding.

Some researchers focus on a specific school of thought. Others, on the other hand, take a more eclectic approach that incorporates multiple points of view. In this sense, There is no single perspective that is better than another by definition.; Simply put, each emphasizes different aspects of human behavior.

As far as psychology is concerned, An approach is a perspective that implies certain assumptions about human behavior in contrast to other different assumptions, attended by other schools. There may be several different theories within the same current, but they all share certain roots when they are included under the same school.

Some of the most important current approaches The ones available to psychology to understand human behavior are:

Behaviorist.Cognitive.Biological.Psychodynamic.Humanist.Evolutionist.Sociocultural.

Next, we are going to review what each of them consists of:

Behaviorist approach

Behaviorism is different from most other approaches because it views people – and also animals – as beings “controlled” by their environment. Specifically, For behaviorism we are the result of what we have learned based on stimuli, reinforcers and associations; Thus, behaviorism studies how environmental factors (stimuli) affect observable behavior (response).

The behaviorist approach proposes two main processes by which people learn from their environment: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. We see classical conditioning reflected in Pavlov’s experiment, the operant in Skinner’s.

According to the behavioral approach, Only observable behavior should be studied because it is the only one susceptible to measurement.. In fact, behaviorism rejects the idea that people have free will, since it defends that the environment determines all behavior.

Cognitive approach

The cognitive approach revolves around the idea that If we want to know what makes people tick, we have to discover what works in their minds.. Therefore, this way of understanding psychology focuses on analyzing mental processes; In other words, from the cognitive perspective, psychologists study cognition – that is, the mental act or process through which knowledge is acquired.

So, he Cognitive approach deals with mental functions, such as memory, perception, attention… In a certain sense, being an outdated but valid metaphor to give us an idea, cognitivism considers that people are similar to computers in the way they process information.

Biological approach

The biological approach explains behavior based on underlying genomics; It uses the study of how genes affect people’s behavior. From this way of understanding psychology, it is believed that most behavior is inherited and has an adaptive function.

The biological approach It is based on the relationships between behavior and the brain mechanisms that support it. Thus, it seeks the causes of behavior in the activity of genes, the brain, and the nervous and endocrine systems; that is, in the interaction of all these components.

Thus, psychobiologists look at the effects of the body on behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Thus, try to understand how the mind and body work together to create emotions, memories and experiences sensory.

Psychodynamic approach

To speak of a psychodynamic approach is to speak of Sigmund Freud, who developed psychodynamic principles by observing that the psyche of some of his patients was governed by their subconscious. And psychodynamic psychologists or psychoanalysts They emphasize the role of internal behavioral forces and conflicts.

The psychodynamic approach suggests that events in our childhood can have a significant impact on our behavior as adults. In this way, our behavior is determined by the unconscious mind and childhood experiences, since people, according to this approach, have little will to make decisions.

An important aspect of psychoanalysis as a school is the Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. This theory shows how early experiences affect adult personality, and proposes that stimulation of different areas of the body is important as the child progresses through the stages of development.

Humanistic approach

The humanistic approach emphasizes the study of the person as a complete and integrated entity. Humanistic psychologists observe human behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the individual themselves, taking into account the confluence of each and every one of their vital spheres.

From this way of understanding psychology, it is believed that an individual’s behavior is connected to his or her inner feelings and self-image. The humanistic perspective focuses on the idea that each person is unique and individual, and has the freedom to change at any time in their life.

This view suggests that We are all responsible for our own happiness.. Therefore, we have the innate capacity for self-actualization, which refers to our desire to develop our potential.

Evolutionary approach

From the evolutionary approach, the brain – and therefore the mind – evolved to solve the problems encountered by our hunter-gatherer ancestors during the Paleolithic era, more than 10,000 years ago. In this senseOr, this current explains behavior in terms of the selective pressures that shape behavior throughout the process of natural evolution.

According to the evolutionary perspectiveobservable behavior has evolved because it is adaptive and, in this sense, it is similar to the biological approach. Our behavior has been selected naturally, according to this theory; That is, the best adapted individuals are those that survive and reproduce.

Behaviors may even be sexually selected. Along these lines, people who are more successful in obtaining access to sexual resources would leave more offspring. Because of this, its traits will become more abundant over time and, therefore, the mind would be equipped with instincts that allowed our ancestors to survive and reproduce.

Thus, the evolutionary approach focuses on determine the relative importance of genetic factors and experience in relation to specific aspects of behavior.

Sociocultural approach

Finally, the sociocultural approach studies how society and culture affect behavior and thinking. That is to say: it is based on the cultural and social influences that surround people, and the way they influence or impact their way of acting and thinking.

From this perspective, Culture is a determining factor in human behavior. That is why he studies the differences that exist between different societies, and to do so he examines the causes and consequences of the behaviors of the inhabitants of different countries. He makes his interpretations considering the cultural environment of the individual.

The sociocultural approach defends that culture and mind are inseparable, since they build each other; That is why it focuses on the interactions that occur between people and the environment.

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