...The Diverse Nature of Psychology Marie Feltio PSY 490 February 9, 2015 The Diverse Nature of Psychology The field of psychology has its modern origin set just over 100 years ago and during the last 100 years, interest in the field has risen increasingly. Psychology is the scientific discipline that works to explain human emotion, cognition, actions, and motivations. The diverse nature of psychology is clearly defined in its 54 divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) as each unit addresses a different perspective of psychology providing a distinct aspect of human interaction (Plante, 2011). Although the psychology field has its own diverse distinctions, it offers a variety of perspectives that respects and honors the individuality of every person regardless of background. The diverse nature of the field of psychology provides a greater ability of embodying the humanity as a whole because of its broad nature and diversity. Influence of Diversity on Major Concepts in Psychology Diversity poses an enormous influence on the major concepts in psychology. The cognitive-behavioral, humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives respectively represent different perceptions of human behaviors, each providing and exclusive theory on human nature. The variety of these perspectives and their respective variations are reflective of the diverse thinking among humanity. No person will perceive an event in the same way as another person, and the same should be noted for...
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...The Diverse Nature of Psychology Dawn Morris PSY/490 December 16, 2013 Cassandra Ferreira The Diverse Nature of Psychology Psychology itself attempts to define people’s behavior through aspects of the human minds ability to process information and stimulants. The diversity of psychology is very evident within the many different branches of the American Psychological Association, each addressing a unique perspective within psychology of understanding human behavior (Plante, 2011). This diversity within psychology, allows psychologists the ability to expand in all areas of explanation, assessment, and diagnoses, which furthers the science of psychology through many different subfield specialties. This paper will discuss the subfields of psychology, the importance of diversity, and the practical applications of psychological principles. The Impact of Diversity in Psychology Each of the major concepts within psychology emphasizes different parts of human behavior, such as the cognitive, social, spiritual, and unconscious factors, which contribute to a person’s behavior. One main defining feature of psychology is that it is a data based scientific study of behavior, in which each step of research used to procure knowledge has contributed to advancements in the development of sound theories within psychology. Three important features related to the science of psychology include the use of systematic empiricism, the production of public awareness, and...
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...Diverse The Diverse Nature of Psychology Paper Charity Sims PSY/490 – Capstone Course in Psychology AGPSY1009D William Evans May 26, 2011 The field of psychology is not an easy task. The field of psychology is so diverse and always evolving. Because of its expanding nature, there is not only one theory that can truly explain or answer all the questions that are associated with psychology. Psychology is and has always been defined by its diversity, which is all its component and necessary parts. The unique diversity of psychology allows psychologists to elaborate and expand on the areas of diagnosis, explanation and assessment if the discipline. This paper will evaluate the influence of diversity on psychology’s major concepts, identify two examples of sub disciplines and two examples of subtopics within psychology and explain how the sub disciplines and subtopics identified could be applied to other disciplines and venues in contemporary society. Feldman (2010) describes psychology as “the scientific study of behavior and mental processes”. Feldman (2010) also states that “psychologists attempt to describe, predict and explain human behavior and mental processes as well as helping to change and optimize the lives of individuals.” This often leads to the understanding of different cultures and the understanding of the diversity of the individuals that are apart of the culture. According to Stanovich (2010), the main two concepts...
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...The Diverse Nature of Psychology Paper Kristina Gonzalez August 01, 2013 Darin Browser-Anderson Psy/490 Diverse Nature of Psychology Fifty four divisions in the American Psychological Association are distinct within the diverse nature of psychology. Each division deals with a different appearance of human interactions and with a different outlook of psychology (Plante, 2011). Assumptions within psychology spread through human interactions along with sciences and additional disciplines. Through psychological science diverse analyzes and supports an assortment of perceptions and perspectives, recognizing and serving the character of human experience (Plante, 2011). Major concepts are influenced by psychological diversity and a different perspective is contributed to an individual’s behavior. Considering extended and diverse nature the complete psychology has a larger ability to enclose humanity’s complex (Plante, 2011). Diversity Influence on Psychology Major Concepts The cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic and perspectives, varied perceptions of human behavior, each offers an absolute theory on human nature, or a unfamiliar solution to a psychological challenge (Landrum, 2010). Different appearances of human behavior are maintained by each major concept, such as spiritual, unconscious factors, social, and cognitive. The diverse natures of reasonable thought between the human populations are reflected by the assortment...
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...The Diverse Nature of Psychology PSY/490 May 27, 2013 The Diverse Nature of Psychology Psychology has a wide array of diverse concepts that influence its very nature, which is the study of mind and behavior in various organisms from the most primitive to the most complex. Diversity is recognizing the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique some of these characteristics are geographic background, religion, sexual orientation, economic background, ethnicity, education, gender, language, age, culture, marital/partnered status, and physical appearance. Psychology is the study of cognitions, physiology, emotions, personality, behavior, and theory. Two sub-disciplines of psychology are behaviorism and cognitive psychology. Behaviorism originated from the learning theory and uses concepts such as operant and classical conditioning. Cognitive psychology involves the scientific investigation of mental processes, such as memory, perception, attention, problem-solving, judgment, and decision making. Behaviorism Psychology The foundation of the behaviorist perspective is the learning theory. Learning refers to and enduring change in the way an organism responds based on its experience (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Humans are naturally logical and rational thus making decisions and choices that make the most sense. A law of contiguity proposes that two events will become connected in the mind if they are experienced close together in time (such as a...
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...Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. The field of psychology is so diverse and always evolving. Due to its expanding nature, there is not on theory that can truly explain or answer all questions that are associated with psychology. Psychology is and has always been defined by its diversity. The unique diversity of psychology allows psychologists to elaborate and expand on the areas of diagnosis, explanation and assessment of the discipline. The diverse nature of psychology is evident in its 54 divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA), each addressing a different perspective of psychology and a unique aspect of human interaction (Plante, 2011). Psychology permeates and has a broad implication for human interaction as well as for the sciences and other disciplines. The psychological science, through its diverse distinctions and studies a variety of perceptions and perspectives, serving and honoring the individuality of the human experience (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Psychological diversity influences the major concepts and contributes to a unique perspective of human behavior. Behavioral genetics is the field of study that examines the role of genetics in human and animal behavior. It is often associated with the “nature versus nurture” debate. “Nature versus nurture” concerns the relative importance of an individual’s innate qualities, versus personal experiences in determining differences in physical and behavioral traits. Behavioral...
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...Modern Psychology reflects the discipline’s diverse history; the formation of psychology differs dramatically from modern-day conceptions of the field of study. To acquire a complete grasp of psychology, it is important to spend more time exploring the history and origins of this particular study in science. In this particular paper, the main concepts that is being explored is philosophers that historically relate to the beginnings of psychology as a formal discipline, major philosophers in the western tradition that were primary contributors to the formation of psychology as a discipline, and the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. History of Psychology Psychology was not well known as a separate discipline until the late 1800’s, its initial history can be traced back to the era of the early Greeks. All throughout the 17th century, Rena Descartes, a French philosopher, introduced the first idea of dualism, which is the explanation that the mind and body are separate parts that work together to create the human experience. “Many other issues still debated by psychologists today, such as relative contributions of nature vs. nurture are rooted in these early philosophical traditions” (Citizendium, 2010). Psychology has been often mistakenly viewed as a young discipline, in all actuality Psychology has roots extending from ancient Greece. The father of psychology is known as Aristotle, he wrote his thesis “ De Anima, Parva Naturalia approximately...
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...Cognitive Development: Nature vs. Nurture PSYC 1000 Lifespan Development Paper Capella University February 2014 INTRODUCTION Cognitive development is an area of study in psychology and neuroscience that is focused on adolescence's development as it pertains to how they process information, their intellectual resources, sensory skills, language learning, and other characteristics of the development of their brain and thought processes in comparison to view of an adult(Coon et al., 2013). In other words, cognitive development is the materialization of the capability to reflect and comprehend. The main debate in cognitive development is nature versus nurture; this debate asks the question if cognitive development is primarily controlled by a person's inherent traits ("nature"), or as a result of their own personal happenings in life ("nurture") (Coon and Mitterer., 2013). Basically, do people act a certain way because of predisposed genetics, or because they were taught to act that way? Research has shown that the nature aspect of genetics is essential throughout psychology. Through different processes, scientists can isolate explicit genes although it has been demonstrated that it is tremendously hard to locate these genes; this is probably because a lot of the genes are complex and every one of them has an exceptionally small reaction. The study on nurture has shown that the environmental stimulus in behavior commonly makes kids within the same household...
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...Final Journal Entry Which theoretical perspective in psychology do you find most interesting; Psychodynamic, Behaviorisme, Humanism, Cognitive or Developmental? Developmental psychology is a tremendously interesting portion of psychology because it combines different types of psychological theories together and explains why we do the things we do. The ongoing debate of nature vs. nurture explains why humans are so diverse. According to research, heredity (nature) is what makes every human so unique. When babies are born, they have inherited genes that can be traced all the way back to their ancestors. Majority of these traits, however, come from their parents which later on in life define who they are. On the other hand, the nurture factor...
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...Diverse Nature of Psychology Jessica Evans PSY/490 9-6-2011 DIVERSE NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY Psychology covers many different topics and is very divers because we as humans are very divers. Psychology looks at the differences in people to find a way to better understand how people think and act. Because of this psychology looks at people’s behavior and what motivates us. Motivation can also affect people’s behavior. There are many types of motivation and behavior. Psychology looks at the reasons behind these. Our emotions and the motivations that cause our emotions play a big role in our behavior and psychology. Our emotions are tied to everything we do. They shape our behavior into how we act and how we feel. Some people wear their emotions on their sleeves. Others keep it bottled up. The things that motivates us can also affect our emotions. We use motivation for a lot of things. We use motivation at our jobs to get our employees to work harder or be more efficient. Motivation is also used to push ourselves to do something like too loose weight or to complete a goal that we have. Motivation is used when someone is addicted to drugs and they want to stop. They use motivation as a way to quit. They may use family as a motivator to quit the drugs. The approach to motivation is different for everyone because everyone is different and we all like different things. An employer may take the approach to motivate their employees by offering an incentive to sell...
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...|[pic] |Capstone Course in Psychology | | |College of Social Sciences | | |PSY/490 | Copyright © 2010, 2009, 2007 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Professor Susan Ellis, Ph.D. susanelliss@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix) susanellis@agreatday.net (Personal) Course Description This is the capstone course for undergraduate psychology students. The course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and apply learning from their psychology program of study in a comprehensive manner. Students will also assess the impact of their educational experiences on their ethical perspectives and critical thinking skills. Students will reflect on and evaluate their personal and professional growth, the benefits of lifelong learning, and the impact of these elements on their future. Policies Students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials...
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...The Diverse Nature of Psychology Name: Course: Institution: Date: The Diverse Nature of Psychology Psychology in simple terms is the studies the minds of human beings and their behaviors. It is difficult to capture about psychology in a brief definition, but topics such as personality development, emotions, motivations and social behavior represents briefly, what psychology explains. It widely entails other scientific discipline and provides appropriate knowledge to solve problems (Pastorino, & Doyle-Portillo, 2011). For example, applications of psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, ergonomics and many other areas affecting daily life of an individual. The different concepts that help to explain psychology include motivation, behaviorism and cognition. How psychological motivation influences Human life. Psychology studies what motivation means to human beings. It explains how secondary motivation to human life and how it influences their behaviors. This intends that human behavior change in different ways and at different circumstances. Motivation is considered an important factor on how people respond to different cases (Elliot, 2008). For example, in an organization where individuals have learned the organization culture and has worked for many years, it is through motivation that they will perform much better than before. It is motivation that encourages a person’s behavior towards their actions. Therefore, psychology major focuses...
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...of an informational interview conducted with Dr. John Arnold, Director, of the Applied Psychology and Organizational Research Group at Wayne State University; President, Polaris Assessment Systems. Through the interview and some extensive research this summation will provide understanding of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Specialization and what makes a person successful in the field. Indusial Organizational Psychology Dr. John Arnold Dr. Arnold has over 20 years of consulting experience, primarily in the areas of personnel selection and classification, assessment center design and development, and organizational research. Having directed numerous projects with a U.S., as well as international scope, Dr. Arnold is a recognized expert by many of the Fortune 500. A sample of private-sector clients include: Abbott Laboratories, AT&T, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Harley Davidson, Motorola, Pizza Hut, Spherion Corporation, Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Westins, Sheratons, etc.), and Taco Bell. More recently, Dr. Arnold has focused his expertise developed in the private sector on issues involved in pre-employment in the educational arena. Dr. Arnold holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Bowling Green StateUniversity. He is an active member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Society for Human Resource Management and has twice served as the President of...
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...A History of Modern Psychology Why is the understanding the history of psychology important? A psychologist and historian (E.G. Boring, 1963) once said, “The seats on the train of progress all face backwards: You can see the past but only guess about the future. Yet a knowledge of history, although it can never be complete and fails miserably to foretell the future, has a huge capacity for adding significance to the understanding of the present” (see chapter 1). Every course that you have taken on history has shown that we never learn anything from our past mistakes, and that looking back cannot guarantee our future in setting stone. But psychology is important to learn because it teaches us a few things: one, it would help psychologist become more critical thinker and be able to help people better, and can help measure those “evolutionary breakthroughs” because of the initial excitement that usually comes with the beginning of anything. Two, it could bring every psychologist closer together because of so many diverse field, we share a common ground. Psychology history does not date back far; in fact many would claim to say that it is in childhood stage for it is no older than 125 years (see Chapter 1). Robert I. Watson was a clinical psychologist with a passion for history, created an organization by calling psychologist from an article he wrote,” History of Psychology: A Neglected Area” (Watson, 1960). Watson found people with similar goal from the American Psychological...
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...Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology University of Phoenix Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture plays an important part in one’s life as it relates to the field of psychology. Culture enables one to define him or herself and differ from one to another, and helps one survive. Culture facilitates self-expression, through language, appearance, and behavior. Culture exists everywhere and is a product of one’s environment. The significance of culture and its influence by oneself and others will be explained in this paper. In addition, the role of critical thinking in cross-cultural psychology and the scientific method involved with cross-cultural research will be addressed, and defined. Definition of Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture is learned, passed down, from generation to generation and strongly influences individual behavior. It is an existing element in one’s environment, shaped by oneself and many others. Culture either shapes or influences one and is what makes one human. Psychology is the study of human behavior and performance; therefore, it is vital that the cultural and cross-cultural aspects are considered in determining the cause of one’s actions. Behavior is affected by sources both biological and environmental in nature but these do not entirely explain human behavior. There must be an acknowledgement of the social-cultural...
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