Premium Essay

Theories and Theorists

In:

Submitted By ladyklynn
Words 1313
Pages 6
Theories and Theorists Application 1 Week 5
Kimberly Perkins
Walden University

Theory is described as “a set of interrelated constructs, definitions and propositions that presents a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relations among variables with the purpose of explaining natural phenomena” (Creswell, 2009). There are multiple theories that are used in the field of psychology such as Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Learning Theory and Personality Theories to name a few. For the purpose of this paper I have chosen to further explore the Humanistic and Developmental Theories. Humanistic Theory believes that humans are different from all organisms and that they control all events and destinies that shape the world around them (Crandell, Crandell and Zanden, 2009). Humanistic theorists believe in the holistic approach, the whole individual and their surroundings are taken into account and they are not just seen as a number or data that is being collected. These theorists argue that “scientific inquiry should be directed toward helping people achieve freedom, hope and self-fulfillment ( Crandell et al. 2009). The goal in mind for this theory is to have the individual viewed as the controller of their situation, making the individual more motivated and have increased self-esteem. One of the greatest Humanistic theorists in my opinion was Carl Rogers. Carl Rogers was born in 1902 in Oak Park Illinois. Roger’s initial major was in agriculture however after 2 years he decided to enter in ministry and in 1922 after a trip to Asia he decided to leave ministry and begin work in child guidance. Roger’s later graduated with his Ph.D. and with several others formed the Center for the Studies of the Person(Pervin, Cervone and Oliver, 2005). In an attempt to understand humans and their behavior Rogers would observe and then use the information gathered from

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Theories and Theorists

...Theories and Theorists Zsofia Kappelman-Arany Walden University Theories and Theorists I am completing a master’s degree in Culture of Psychology. One of my goals is working with children in the future. Therefore, it is crucial to understand human development theories that I will be able to use in my work. Human development theories can help professionals examining how a person’s behavior and personality improves during the lifespan (Berk, 2010). For this assignment, I chose two key theories that address human development. I will introduce and analyze Piaget’s cognitive-developmental theory and Erikson’s psychosocial theory. I will identify similarities and differences. Finally, I will discuss how these theories relate to my goals in research. Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss theorist who conducted research studies on cognitive development. Although he observed his own children, his theory is one of the key theories of human development. Piaget published several books on childhood development, psychology, moral judgment, and intelligence (Berk, 2010). Few of his major works that I will use for this assignment are: The Moral Judgment of the Child (1948), The Early Growth of Logic in the Child (1964), Biology and Knowledge (1971). Piaget’s four stages address infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence (Mussen, 1983). Piaget believed that there is a significant connection between biological and cognitive...

Words: 1137 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Theorists and Theories

...Piaget, Vygotsky and Erikson were famous theorists of the 20th century, who had enormous impacts on the cognitive developmental research. They were intrigued by the question: how does the human mind develop? They all had great ideas that are still relevant to our lives and useful in our teaching practice, but there are some aspects that are in contrast with recent research. Piaget’s main significance was that he was the first psychologist who made a “systematic study of cognitive development” (McLeod, 2009, n.p.). He identified four developmental stages in children: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational (Funderstanding, 2011). He believed these stages were universal, uninfluenced by social or cultural factors (McLeod, 2009). This theory conflicts with Vygotsky’s idea, who emphasized the importance of the social and cultural factors. Gladwell (2008) also stresses the decisive role of culture in someone’s life. In Outliers, he notes: “The culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our forebears shape the patterns of our achievement in ways we cannot begin to imagine” (Gladwell, 2008, p. 19). According to Vygotsky, social interactions and cooperation with others help children’s development (McLeod, 2007). Based on this belief he developed two principles, called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and the More Knowledgeable Other (MNO), (McLeod, 2007). Vygotsky stated that before development occurs, first social learning...

Words: 494 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Theories and Theorist

...Sociology includes four major theoretical perspectives which includes The Functionalist perspective, the Conflict perspective, the Symbolic Interactionist perspective and the Postmodernist perspective. Each one of these perspective Explains about the social world and human behavior. Sociological theories help us and also explains and predicts the social world in which we all live in. The functionalist perspective are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system (Kendall21). Meaning that the majority of society have the same beliefs, values and expectations on life. For example, each social institutions contributes important functions for society. Family provides stability, reproducing and social interactions. Education teaches different skills, knowledge and culture to our youth. Politics helps with the members of governing our society. Economics provide for the production, distribution, and consumption of our goods and services. Religion provides moral guidance and ways to worship a higher power. This is where one functions needs the other to complete itself. The functionalist perspectives takes the approach on the study of Sociology by how society focuses on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. The Conflict perspective views society as different groups and interest who are competing for power and resources. The conflict perspective explains many different aspect of our social world by looking at...

Words: 1056 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Theories of Personality

...Theories of Personality University of Phoenix Theories of Personality Over the centuries, humans have been trying to figure out what makes each individual different. From the physical signs like hair color, to the more subtle personality differences that each human has, what really makes each individual unique? There have been many theories over the decades that can give some insight into this very question. Two of these theories are known as the psychodynamic theory and the humanistic and existential theory. Both of these theories have different takes on what individuality and personality are. There have been many theorists’ ties to these ideas. Some of these theorists include Freud, Adler, and Klein. These and many other theorists have tried to come up with a complete explanation of what individuality is and how it differs from person to person. Psychodynamic Theory The father of most modern psychology is widely considered to be none other than Sigmund Freud. According to Feist and Feist (2009), Freud was also the theorist behind the psychodynamic theory with his theories collectively called psychoanalysis. But there are other theorists within the psychodynamic theory as well. These theorists are Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, and Harry Stack Sullivan. But, each of these based their ideas on those of Freud. The psychodynamic theory has two main parts that help to define it. According to Psychodynamic (2008), the first part of the psychodynamic...

Words: 1658 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline

...Historical Development of Nursing Timeline Nursing has evolved greatly as a profession. Nursing has become an independent practice with its own theory practice, models and distinct interventions (George, 2011). Through the years, nursing leaders have developed many nursing theories that guide our practice today. Their research and contributions to the nursing profession has shaped our present-day practices. This paper will delineate the historic development of nursing science, focusing on the most widely known and used theories. This paper will also canvass the influences of these concepts in the development of the nursing profession, and multidisciplinary influences. Development of Nursing Science Florence Nightingale (1859) Florence Nightingale is considered the mother of nursing. In 1859, Nightingale published her book Notes on Nursing that has “directed nursing practice for over 150 years” (George, 2011, p. 9). She believed that the force for healing resides within the human being and that if the environment is appropriately supportive, humans will seek to heal themselves” (George, 2011, p. 25). Her environmental theory is a valuable concept, which is the basis of nursing practice today. It is applied in all the fields of nursing. 1950s Theories Hildegard Peplau (1952). Hildegard Peplau introduced her interpersonal theory. Her theory focused on the relationship of the nurse and the patient. She believed that there is growth for each individual- the nurse and the patient-...

Words: 1649 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Scottish Enlightenment Social Theory

...Scottish Enlightenment theorists rejected previous attempts at social theory and instead formulated their own social theory. It also seeks to define what was scientific about their approach compared to other theorists who formulated other social theories. Firstly the enlightenment will be defined and previous attempts at social theory outlined. Secondly the theorists social theory will be outlined and finally a discussion of why their approach could be considered scientific. This essay will argue that it was the theorists’ departure from conjecture and sermon which made their theory so radical for its time, and their application of the new framework of Newtonian science which allowed their application to be considered scientific. The enlightenment was a period of philosophical thought and intellectual development which began in the eighteenth century (Ritzer, 2010). The enlightenment theorists sought to combine empirical research with the developing model of Newtonian science. The theorists were convinced that the world around them could be understood using reason and research and that the institutions which governed social values and societal norms were rooted in irrationality and actually acted to inhibit human development (Ritzer, 2010). The theorist’s arguments clashed with the conjectural and traditionally espoused history of the social institutions such as the Church and the political regimes of the countries they operated in (Broadie, 2011). The theorists were not concerned...

Words: 2447 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Theory

...building block of a theory, can be a few of them, b. abstract ideas that cannot be visualized. Such as pain or coping or social support. You can have an idea in your mind of what these are but you cant actually touch any of these. Can you touch social support? You can probably touch a part of your body that may feel some sense of pain but the actual concept itself cannot be touched. c. Tend to be universal which means they apply equally to everything related. d. Concepts tend to be the basic elements of propositions (or statements that result from reason). If you remember geometry they had the proposition they had the “if A equaled B and B equaled C.Does A equal C.” That is the idea of what propositions are and they take concepts and build on them to create these statements to help define whatever we are discussing such as theory, research study. e. Help to integrate unrelated phenomena into a hypothesis which creates research. Critical to have very defined concepts and the concepts needed to be created into hypothesis so that you had something to study. That is critical when we discuss concepts and research i. Phenomenon is any even that can be experiences via senses, it is observable and can be seen. ii. Proposition: closed sentence or statement 1. Like geometry: If A=B and B=C, then A=C 2. Tend to be true or false 3. Content of beliefs and or assertions of the theorists. You will see a lot...

Words: 998 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Philosophical Essay Part 1

...Philosophical Essay Part 1 5. Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?” (1) How does this question relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are the philosophical implications associated with each option here? Divine command theory is widely held to be refuted by an argument known as “the Euthyphro dilemma”. This argument is named after Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue, which contains the inspiration for the argument, though not, as is sometimes thought, the argument itself. The Euthyphro dilemma rests on a modernised version of the question asked by Socrates in the Euthyphro: “Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?” Each of these two possibilities, the argument runs, leads to consequences that the divine command theorist cannot accept. Whichever way the divine command theorist answers this question, then, it seems that his theory will be refuted. This argument might be formalised as follows: The Euthyphro Dilemma (1) If divine command theory is true then either (i) morally good acts are willed by God because they are morally good, or (ii) morally good acts are morally good because they are willed by God. (2) If (i) morally good acts are willed by God because they are morally good, then they are morally good independent of God’s will. (3) It is not the case that...

Words: 1239 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

What Wath

...Theory Z Quiz For the following statements, circle T for True and F for False. 1) Dr. Ouchi is the theorist who developed Theory Z in 1980. T/F 2) Theory Z focuses on decreasing employee loyalty to the company by providing jobs. T/F 3) Theory Z compares between Japanese and American companies, that which operate on the same level. T/F 4) In Theory Z management, a worker also stays longer in a job with receiving a promotion. T/F 5) Theory Z places a large amount of freedom and trust with loyal workers. T/F What is your opinion on Theory Z? Name: Theory Z Quiz For the following statements, circle T for True and F for False. 1) Dr. Ouchi is the theorist who developed Theory Z in 1980. T/F 2) Theory Z focuses on decreasing employee loyalty to the company by providing jobs. T/F 3) Theory Z compares between Japanese and American companies, that which operate on the same level. T/F 4) In Theory Z management, a worker also stays longer in a job with receiving a promotion. T/F 5) Theory Z places a large amount of freedom and trust with loyal workers. T/F What is your opinion on Theory Z? Theory Z Quiz For the following statements, circle T for True and F for False. 1) Dr. Ouchi is the theorist who developed Theory Z in 1980. T/F 2) Theory Z focuses on decreasing employee loyalty to the company by providing jobs. T/F 3)...

Words: 1478 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline

...major impact in healthcare and started the beginning of the nursing profession. Her satisfaction however did not end alone in taking care of her patients. She broadened the concept of nursing by research and studies on how to come up with more effective care using statistics, cases and data. Her dedication and the positive outcomes influenced many peoples around the globe and inspired the continuation of her great work. In 1859, Florence Nightingale published her views on nursing care in “Notes on Nursing”. The basis of nursing practice was based on this theory. 1960s Theorist Year Nursing Theories V. Henderson 1960 Basic Principles of Nursing Care I.J. Orlando 1961 The Dynamic Nurse-Patient Relationship: Function, Process, and Principles. E. Wiedenbach 1964 Clinical Nursing: A Helping Art J. Travelbee 1966 Her theory is based on existential humanity , meaning humans are constantly faced with choices and conflicts and are accountable to the choices they make in life, as well as Interpersonal Aspects of...

Words: 1044 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Traditional Psychdynamic Theories

...Traditional Psychodynamic Theories Jay Owen Lynn Hagan December 7, 2015 Over time, many famous theorists such as Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, and Carl Jung compiled theories comprised of their theories of personalities. Traditional psychodynamic theories of personalities played a major role in contemporary psychodynamic theories of today. Each of these famous theorists, Freud, Adler, and Jung, contributed with their tenets of the psychodynamic theories of personality to explain how their theory explains how an individual’s personality is form. While each of these theories is an explanation of how an individual’s personality is form, each theory has its strengths as well as its weaknesses in its explanation. Each theorists, Freud, Adler, and Jung, have alternative theories of personality based on their “personal backgrounds, childhood experiences, philosophy of life, interpersonal relationships, and unique manner of looking at the world” (Feist, 2013, p. 7). Because of the different “experiences,” of these theorists, they used different data sets and their observations possibly skewed because of their personal experiences. Therefore, each theorist’s definition of personality could differ because of their personal characteristics, cognitive processes, and their belief in the nature of humanity (Feist, 2013, "What is Personality"). In order to understand Freud’s, Adler’s and Jung’s psychodynamic theories of personality, an individual needs to understand the definition...

Words: 1143 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Human Resource Management

...THEORIES OF PERSONALITY Personality Usually when we talk about someone's personality, we are talking about what makes that person different from other people, perhaps even unique. This aspect of personality is called individual differences. For some theories, it is the central issue. These theories often spend considerable attention on things like types and traits and tests with which we can categorize or compare people: Some people are neurotic, others are not; some people are more introverted, others more extroverted; and so on. However, personality theorists are just as interested in the commonalities among people. What, for example, does the neurotic person and the healthy person have in common? Or what is the common structure in people that expresses itself as introversion in some and extroversion in others? If you place people on some dimension -- such as healthy-neurotic or introversion-extroversion -- you are saying that the dimension is something everyone can be placed on. Another way of saying this is that personality theorists are interested in the structure of the individual, the psychological structure in particular. How are people "put together;" how do they "work;" how do they "fall apart." Some theorists go a step further and say they are looking for the essence of being a person. Or they say they are looking for what it means to be an individual human being. The field of personality psychology stretches from a fairly simple empirical search for differences...

Words: 1079 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Durkheim Is Dead: The First Sociological Theories

...Through the book, Durkheim is Dead many of the first sociological theorist and theories are introduced. The main purpose of the book is to ultimately illustrate and better explain these sociological theories and theorist through mystery and an illusion of real life events. The book’s characters consist of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson and a list of notable sociologists. The setting of the story occurs in London England during the year of 1910. To begin the wife of notorious social theorist Max Weber solicits the service of Sherlock Holmes because she fears that her husband is unstable and may bring harm to himself or someone else. Mrs. Weber requested that Holmes discreetly accompany them to the conference they came to London to attend, Holmes then decides that he...

Words: 1731 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Communication

...are many developmental theories that are analyzed and compared to one another so we can grasp the different ideas that explain our development. There are five major theories that emphasize the development of mankind. These theories are the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson; the behaviorist theories of Pavlov and Skinner and the social learning theory of bandura; Piaget’s cognitive theory; Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory; and Bronfenbrenner’s biological context theory. Even though all of these theories are different and distinct from each other, they all provide a handout to the topic of development. When we look at development there are many theorist that stand by the discontinuous change, which means that our development occurs in distinct steps or stages. The men that fall under this category is Freud, Erikson, and Piaget. Freud’s psychosexual theory focuses on five different stages, in which pleasure, or gratification is focused on a particular biological function and body part. In Erickson’s psychosocial theory, he explains how society and culture both challenge and shapes us. He also breaks down development in age groups to create the different stages there is to follow when we rely and interact with society. The last stage theorist is Piaget, which brings the idea of the cognitive development. He suggests that human thinking is arranged into schemes, organized mental patterns that represent behavior actions. So these are stage theories that are represented in...

Words: 550 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Nursing Theory Historical Timeline

...Nursing Theory Historical Timeline Nursing theory has changed greatly over the years. That change occurred because of advancement in education and technology, which advanced nursing theories. These theories are what shapes the clinical practice and critical thinking process of nurses today. All of the theories available today started with one woman – Florence Nightingale. 1859 – Florence Nightingale established the first nursing theory which provides the basis of nursing today. Nightingale identified nursing as an art and a science. According to Selanders (2010), “Nightingale provides the profession with the expectation that nursing will be practiced by educated individuals using current research and methods (science) as well as compassion and common logic (art).” 1943 – Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs. This theory focuses on people’s basic need to survive as the foundation. Each level above that deals with the other essential elements of survival. Using this theory in nursing provides health care workers with the ability to prioritize patient care needs (Preceden, 2014). 1950’s – In this decade, the need for nursing administrators, faculty members, and graduate level educated nurses was acknowledged. In 1952, a nurse theorist named Peplau, launched the first post baccalaureate nursing program and also developed the Theory of Interpersonal Relations. This theory explored the relationship between nurse and patient. Theorists from this decade based their knowledge...

Words: 803 - Pages: 4