7 Major Schools of Thought in Psychology:
Gestalt Psychology
* human mind works by interpreting data through various laws, rules or organizing principles, turning partial information into a whole. * your mind might interpret a series of lines as a square even though it has no complete lines; your mind fills in the gaps
Humanistic Psychology
* psychology must involve looking at individuals and their motivations * "hierarchy of needs" exemplifies this approach: A system of needs, such as food, love and self-esteem, will determine a person's behavior; meeting these needs leads to a sense of self-satisfaction and solves psychological problems.
The 7 Schools of Thought in Psychology Are?
1. Structuralism. 2. Functionalism. 3. Behaviorism. 4. Gestalt Psychology. 5. Cognitive Psychology. 6. Psychoanalysis. 7. Humanism
Gestalt Psychology
> Based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.'
Behaviorism
Based upon thinkers: John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov and B.F Skinner. > Suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than internal forces. (Observable behavior)
Humanism
Emerged from 1950s * Loose alliance-psychoanalysis and behaviorism * Carl Roger /Abraham Maslow * Emphasizes unique qualities of humans, esp. our freedom and potential for personal growth
Structuralism
First school created in a Germany lab by: Wilhelm Wundt. > Focused on breaking down mental processes into basic components(elements).
Psychoanalysis
Founded by: Sigmund Freud. > Emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior.
Behaviorism
* B.F. Skinner carried out experiments with animals * they repeated certain behaviors if they associated them with rewards in the form of food. * observing behavior, rather than attempting to analyze the inner workings of the mind itself, provides the key to psychology
Cognitivism
* follows behaviorism by understanding the mind through scientific experimentation, but it differs from behaviorism by accepting that psychologists can study and understand the internal workings of the mind and mental processes
Functionalism
* has the most influence of any theory in contemporary psychology. * attempts to describe thoughts and what they do without asking how they do it. *the mind resembles a computer, and to understand its processes, you need to look at the software, which is what the mind does, without having to understand the hardware that includes the underlying how and why.
Functionalism
Heavily influenced by William James. > Concerned with the adaptive purpose or function of mind and behavior.
Cognitive Psychology
Influential theory: Stages of cognitive developing by Jean Piaget. > Studies mental processes: How people think, perceive, remember and learn. > Related to other disciplines such as: Neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics.
Psychoanalysis
suggested that the instinct to pursue pleasure, which he described as sexual in nature, lies at the root of human development