Premium Essay

Foundations of Behavior

In:

Submitted By mrsgonzalez1217
Words 917
Pages 4
Aspects of Psychology
Unit 1
SSCI206-1205A-21
Dr. Joanna Oestmann
American Intercontinental University – Online
November 18, 2012

Abstract
This paper is going to discuss three of the various perspectives of psychology. It is going to explain their origins, how they are practiced, and have evolved over time.

As with any form of science, there are many different theories and perspectives to Psychology. Among these forms are Cognitive, Functionalism, Psychodynamic and many others but the three that are considered to be the 'forces' of psychology are Behaviorism, Humanistic and Psychoanalysis.
The Humanistic approach began as a movement in the 1950's meant to take a healthy, or holistic, method to understanding the nature of what it is to be human. This perspective addresses values important to humans: love, compassion, creativity, etc. It is considered the third force of Psychology, the first being Behaviorism and the second being Psychoanalysis. The founders of the Humanistic theory were Abraham Maslov and Carl Rogers. They concerned themselves with the psychological well-being of a person, it focused on being able to realize your full potential or 'self-actualization'.
This concept had a huge impact on psychology as we know it today because it concerned itself with areas of human behavior that other theories ignored. "The humanistic perspective values the integrity of each individual" (Editorial Board, 2011). It is believed that you could lose yourself because you become preoccupied with the notion of gaining acceptance from others. When you, as a person, are so consumed with being accepted, you tend to mold yourself and become something and someone that you are not.
"The Humanistic perspective saw humans as being intentional, that they seek to have a sense of purpose and value" (Career Education Corporation, 2010). One of the therapeutic methods

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Foundations of Individual Behavior

...Chapter 12: FOUNDATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Individual Behavior Sets Performance Behaviors- task performance,customer service,productivity. Withdrawal Behaviors-absenteeism,turonover,job disengagement. Citizenship behaviors-helping,volunteering,job engagement. Dysfunctional behaviors-antisocial behavior,intentional wrong doing. PERCEPTION – is the process through which people receive,organize,and interpret information from environment. * Psychological Contracts -is the set of individual expectations about the employment relationship. * Perception and Attribution Attrubution -is the process of explaining events. Attribution error -overestimates internal factors and underestimates external factors as influences on someone’s behavior. Self serving bias-explains personal success by internal causes and personal failures by external causes. * Perceptual tendencies and distortions * Stereotypes -occurs when attributes commonly associated with group are assigned to an individual. * Halo effects -occurs when one attribute is used to develop an overall impression of a person or situation. * Selective Perception -is the tendency to define problems from one’s own point of view. * Projection -is the assignment of personal attributes to other individuals. The lists of job preferences often attributed to Millennials include: * Meaningful work * Positive organizational culture * Socially...

Words: 848 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Foundation of Organizational Behavior

...Organizational behavior is a broad part of an organization that examines how individuals perform in organizations. Managers can use concepts and practices of organizational behavior to develop management guidelines for successfully working with and influencing workers to achieve organization objectives. The area of organizational behavior has advanced from the scientific study of management during the industrial era, administrative theories of the manager’s role, principles of bureaucracy, and human relations studies of employees’ needs (Scott, 1992). Organizational behavior investigates the effect that individual, groups and structure have on conduct within an organization, and apply such knowledge towards improving an organization’s effectiveness. It studies three determinates of behavior in an organization: individuals, groups, and structure. Furthermore, organizational behavior relates the knowledge gained about individuals, groups, and the effect of structure on behavior in order to make the organizations work more effectively. (Robbins, S. & Judge, T., 2009) According to Denhardt, Denhardt, & Aristigueta individual behavior was not a significant concern for management until the 1930s. From the view of early management theorists, people were mainly viewed as extensions of their tools and machines. It was assumed that if employees were unhappy at work then it was imperative to motivate them by money in order for them to contribute to the organization. It was also...

Words: 784 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Foundation and Structure Composed of Solid Core Values, Principals, and Positive Behaviors

...Foundation and structure composed of solid core values, principals, and positive behaviors March 09, 2015 Foundation and structure composed of solid core values, principals, and positive behaviors The purpose of this expository paper is to provide information regarding the organizational culture within the security company formerly known as, Blackwater. Within this expository paper both positive and negative perspectives regarding organizational culture will be examined through first-hand experiences defining how, both perspectives influenced, encouraged, motivated or demotivated, discouraged and dissuaded the contingent workforce within Blackwater. It will also evaluate the dimensions of the organizational culture, which supported the creation of a strong culture within its contingent workforce operating in Baghdad, Iraq. A foundation and structure composed of solid core values, principals and positive behaviors helped support optimistic perspectives in the organization. According to our text, a contingent workforce is, “part-time, temporary, and contract workers who are available for hire on an as-needed basis” (Robbins, S. P., De Cenzo, D.A. & Soulter, M. 2013). Additionally, elements such as external and internal environment, environmental complexity and environmental uncertainty will also be examined to determine both positive and negative impacts...

Words: 2869 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Foundation of Psychology

...Foundations of Psychology Dorothy Forrest June 8, 2012 Sarah Bihms Foundations of Psychology The miscellaneous condition of psychology is a scientific investigation of humankind mind, body, and behavior. Psychology includes different departments of psychology to apprehend and supervise observations on the mental technique of a person mind and behavior. Psychology is regularly used to establish the secrecy of the human behavior. Observation was the way to study a person mind to become aware of the mental conscious and unconscious states. As time went by psychology was established, alone with some major schools of thoughts. The paper below will examine the foundation of psychology, identify the major schools of thought in psychology, and examine their major underlying assumptions such as, behaviorism, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive. In addition, it will identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior such as, brain, central nervous system, peripheral nervous System, and genetics/evolution. Behavioral Theory Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a learning theory established on the notion that behaviors are gathered by conditioning. Conditioning develops from influenced of the environment. There are two major types of conditioning classical and operant. Classical conditioning is a procedure used in behavioral training where a naturally stimulus is paired with a response. Operant conditioning...

Words: 1341 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Sex and Gender

...Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior What will the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section test? The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section asks you to solve problems by combining your knowledge of foundational concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. This section tests your understanding of the ways psychological, social, and biological factors influence perceptions and reactions to the world; behavior and behavior change; what people think about themselves and others; the cultural and social differences that influence well-being; and the relationships between social stratification, access to resources, and well-being. The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section emphasizes concepts that tomorrow’s doctors need to know in order to serve an increasingly diverse population and have a clear understanding of the impact of behavior on health. Further, it communicates the need for future physicians to be prepared to deal with the human and social issues of medicine. This section is designed to • • • • • test psychology, sociology, and biology concepts that provide a solid foundation for learning in medical school about the behavioral and sociocultural determinants of health; test concepts taught at many colleges and universities in first-semester psychology and sociology courses; test biology concepts that relate to mental processes and behavior that are taught at many...

Words: 6541 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Foundations of Psychology

...Foundations of Psychology John Stafford University of Phoenix PSY/300 Abstract There are several major approaches to psychological study with several other disciplines falling under these primary approaches. Ranging from psychodynamic to evolutionary perspectives, and rarely sharing a unified paradigm, psychology has advanced since the late 1800s to be a wide-ranging field of human study. Foundations of Psychology The study of psychology found roots in philosophy. However, Wilhelm Wundt, who founded the first psychological laboratory, led the recognition of psychology as a science in 1879. In the mid-to-late 1940s standards were put into place for the doctoral programs designed to place emphasis on a general knowledge of psychology. This knowledge included the history of psychology, and modern disciplines of physiological, comparative, developmental, and social psychology. Students were also required to gain an understanding of research methods, advanced statistics, and psychological scaling (Zlotlow, Peterson, & Nelson, 2011). Behavioral Foundations of Psychology The major topics covered in behavioral psychology include evolution, heredity, and adaptation and learning, mating habits, parenting behaviors, and primate study. Behavioral psychology primarily focuses on the study of animal behavior to obtain a deeper understanding of human behavior. Studies like Ivan Pavlov’s (1849-1936) research on classical conditioning, also referred to as “Pavlov’s Dogs,” he...

Words: 912 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Biological Foundations in Psychology

...Biological Foundations in Psychology Biological Psychology Paper Vanell Wilson Manon Doll March 13, 2010 Biological Psychology Biological Psychology is defined as “the study of behavior and experience in terms of genetics, evolution, and physiology, especially the physiology of the nervous system” (American Heritage Dictionary). Biological psychology uses biology as an approach to understand human and animal behavior. Psychology has now developed into a wide-ranging discipline and is concerned with understanding behavior and mental processes from a variety of perspectives. Biological psychology is the branch of science that attempts to explain behavior in terms of biology, is therefore the study of the brain and how it causes or relates to behavior (Foundations of Biopsychology). The brain contains more cells than there are in the universe. There are over 100 billion cells and each parts works together to produce, direct, and choreograph what we think, feel, and do. The study of the brain is one of the most rapidly expanding areas in modern science today, and part of this development is a quest to understand how it’s physical and chemical structure gives rise to human behavior. Arguably, there is no other discipline that can give us greater insight into ourselves, as well as having the potential to change people’s lives for the better (Foundations of Biopsychology). The ancient Greeks were among the first to realize that the brain was the organ of the mind, Plato...

Words: 956 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Psychology

...Foundations of Psychology In early years, there were two schools of thought called structuralism and functionalism. Structuralism is the area of psychology that studies the elements of consciousness, and functionalism studies how an individual adapts to his or her environment. These perspectives were founded in early years, but they did not end there (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 10). Currently, there are four major schools of thought that guide psychological thinking. The following paper analyzes their underlying assumptions along with how the primary biological foundations of psychology are linked to an individual’s behavior. The first perspective is called the psychodynamic perspective. Psychodynamic Perspective The psychodynamic perspective proposes that people’s actions reflect the way thoughts, feelings, and wishes are associated in their minds; that many of these processes are unconscious; and that mental processes can conflict with one another, leading to compromises among competing motives (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 14). This perspective focuses on the role of the unconscious mind. People have conscious desires and reasons for acting the way they do; however, there are unconscious motives that underlie their conscious intentions (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 13). The next perspective is the behaviorist perspective. Behaviorist Perspective The behaviorist perspective focuses on the way objects or events in the environment come to control behavior (Kowalski...

Words: 733 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Foundation of Psychology

...Foundations of psychology By: Ashley Chandler December 23rd, 2012 Abstract My goal during this essay are Identifying the major schools of thought in psychology and we will examine their major underlying assumptions. I will also identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior. There are so many parts to psychology that are completely different it is important to know that psychology is a science. Theoretical science but still a science non-the less; each of the four schools of thought are different in many ways, and each school of thought has their own specialist like anything else. Example; “It’s like a doctor, it’s not any doctor its one you have to see specifically like an OB or a neurologist.” In psychology there are four major schools of thought evolutionary, psychodynamic, cognitive and Behavioral, along with the biological foundations...

Words: 915 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Pyschology

...Foundations of Psychology Foundations of Psychology Psychology is an advanced study of human behavior, involving the mind and science. The ultimate goal is to understand humanity; however, many proposals have been rejected while some agreed upon. Psychology has not been an easy subject to understand fully or comprehend. Debates started when psychology established a subject different than biology or philosophy. The debate was to properly explain human behavior and the human mind. Many theories began to emerge, while others questioned the reliability and sources of the theorist. Many schools of thought have been created to teach and establish an understanding of the concepts involved (Psychology, 2003). Major Schools of Thought in Psychology Structuralism is the first school of thought created that is the most general. The concept is to break down the mental processes into the most basic concepts. Next functionalism was created from the concept of structuralism; it was formed to create a reaction to structuralism. Behaviorism was the next concept created in the 1950s. Behaviorism was based upon the environment and how the external environment has power over internal sources. Behaviorism is also constructed of observable behavior, the theories involved included classical conditioning and operant condition. Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis, which is the psychodynamic theory that addresses the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Freud believed that...

Words: 736 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

This Is a Test

...and Ellis (2014) professional counselors must practice from a foundation rooted in theory (pg178). Professional counselors have an obligation to build their foundations upon theories that are already in place. The individual personalities of counselors determine which theories fit their personal philosophies, and best serve their clients. Theories also help counselors to explain their practices to their clients. Theories also provide a foundation that helps counselors to create treatment plans for their clients (Levitt, Darnell, Erford, Vernon, 2014). Theoretical Orientation as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor Because I want to work with preschool aged children after completing this program, there are two theories that seemed to fit best for me as an adolescent counselor. Most of the problems that are occurring in the classroom are due to behavior, and it seems best to match the intervention to the behavior (Hackney, 1992). It has been my experience that 3 and 4-year-olds are under stress due to their environments and other factors upon entering the classroom causing a need for Behavioral Intervention. Sometimes children enter the classroom never being exposed to other children or never being a part of a larger group of children. Children who are displaying undesired behaviors must be taught how to act in their new environments. The goal of Behavioral Intervention is to weaken or eliminate said behaviors and replace them with more desirable ones. Since entering the...

Words: 700 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Foundation of Psychology

...Foundation of Psychology Name PSY/300 Date Instructor Foundation of Psychology There are many ideas regarding why humans think, have the feelings, or behave in the way that they do. According to Kowalski and Westen (2009), psychology is “the scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, remembering, feeling, ect.) and behavior” (Chapter 1). This paper will work to identify the major schools of thought in psychology and examine their major underlying assumptions. This paper will also work to identify the primary biological foundations of psychology linked to behavior. Psychology first came to be in the 1800’s. Doctors found it interesting that people suffering from severe head trauma were affected by memory and language difficulty. This showed there is a connection between one’s brain and his or her behavior. According to Kowalski and Westen (2009), William Wundt, often described as the "father of psychology" opened the first psychological laboratory in 1879, in Leipzig, Germany (Chapter 1). One of Wundt’s most common methods was introspection. Introspection is “the method in which trained subjects verbally reported everything that went through their minds when presented with a stimulus or task” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, Chapter 1). Edward Titchener, a student of Wundt, began the first school of thought known as structuralism. Structuralism “attempted to use introspection as a method for uncovering the basic elements of consciousness and the way they combine...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Organisation Behavior

...Organizational Behavior Credit: 01 Instructor: Dr. Vandana Pareek E-mail: Vandana.pareek@accurate.in Course Outline Introduction: Understanding and managing people’s behavior in the work organizations are quite challenging for managers because of the complexities involved in this process. These complexities can be simplified by applying the information from the field of study in management, known as Organizational Behavior (OB). Course Objective: To understand the challenges lying before the managers in managing human behavior in organizations and how knowledge of organizational behavior helps managers to meet these challenges effectively. Text Book: Robbins S., Judge, T.A. & Vohra, N. (2012). Organizational Behavior, Perarson, New Delhi. Reference Books: 1. Luthans F, Organizational Behavior 2. Moorhead & Griffin, Managing People & Organizations 3. Prasad L M, Organizational Behavior 4. Pareek Udai , Understanding Organizational Behavior Evaluation System: Criterion | Load | Assignment | 10 | Class Participation | 10 | Mid-Term | 30 | End-Term | 40 | Presentation | 10 | Total | 100 | Session Plan: Session | Content | Reading Material | 1 | Introduction: What is OB, Concept, key elements, importance of OB. | | 2 | Challenges and Opportunities for OB, | | 3 | Foundation for Individual Behavior: Learning...

Words: 360 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Foundations of Psychology

...Foundations of Psychology General Psychology 300 December 4, 2011 Foundations of Psychology A variety of theories make up the foundations of psychology ranging from the physiological to the unconscious. Psychology traces its roots to philosophers such as Charles Darwin, psychologists such as Sigmund Freud or B.F Skinner and various physicians and biologists. Scientific Experimentation is the method of some of the perspectives use, while some rely solely on clinical observation. The biological foundation of psychology is biopsychology. Neuroscientists “investigate the electrical and chemical processes in the nervous system that underlie these mental events” (Kowalski, 2009, p. 6, para. 1). Mental events include thoughts, feelings, and fears just to name a few. When studying the brain, neuroscientists observed patients with severe brain trauma, concluding they showed lack of language and memory or a drastic change in personality. These results proved that the brain and behavior worked together. One of the issues arising from the study of biopsychology is the term localization of function, meaning to the extent to which different parts of the brain control different functions. The belief at one time was that each psychological function happened in a specific part of the brain, when after several observations realized psychological circuits are distributed throughout the brain and contribute to a psychological event. Once the biological foundation of psychology was built...

Words: 1197 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Foundations of Pyschology

...Foundations of Psychology This paper will identify the major schools of thought in psychology and examine their major assumptions. The two beginning schools of thought were structuralism and functionalism. The major schools of thought in psychology are the psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, and evolutionary perspective. This paper will also identify the primary biological foundation of psychology linked to behavior. These primary biological foundations are the central nervous system and the behavioral genetics. Psychodynamic Perspective The Psychodynamic perspective is a school of thought that was initially developed by Sigmund Freud. This perspective focuses on three main points. The first point is that an individual’s actions are determined by the way thoughts and emotions are connected in the individuals mind. The second point is that most of the mental events happen outside of conscious awareness. The third point is that the mental events that happen tend to conflict with each other. Many psychologists disagree with this theory because there is nothing that relates scientifically. The psychologists that agree with this theory are working on incorporating the concepts into scientific psychology (Kowalski & Weston, 2011). Behaviorist Perspective The behaviorist perspective focuses on what is common between the environmental events and the actual observable behaviors. “According to behaviorist, scientific knowledge comes from using experimental methods to study...

Words: 757 - Pages: 4