Approaches Flashcards
Psycho dynamic evaluation - strength
The psychodynamic approach has had an influence on psychology. It has been used to explain a wide range of phenomenas like abnormal behaviour and moral development. This shows how important Freud’s ideas have been in the development of psychology as a discipline. This suggests that the approach has a place in explaining human behaviour.
The psychodynamic approach has practical application. Freud developed psychoanalysis which involves a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious. Psychoanalysis is used to treat many patients with mental health problems. The fact that the approach has led to development of a therapy which is effective for some individuals suggests that the unconscious is involved in our thoughts feelings and behaviour.
Psychodynamic approach evaluation limitations
The research methods used in the psychodynamic approach have been criticised. Freuds theory is based on the intensive study of single individual such as Little Hans who were often in therapy. This questions the accuracy of the theory and the approach as the findings from the study may not be as true for everyone. This limits how useful the psychodynamic approach is when trying to explain human behaviour.
The psychodynamic approach cannot be falsified. For example, the id and the Oedipus complex are said to occur at an unconscious level meaning that they are difficult, if not impossible to test. This means that the psychodynamic approach is classes a pseudoscience. This therefore reduces the credibility in explaining human behaviour.
The psychodynamic approach is deterministic. It suggests that all human behaviours is caused by unconscious conflicts we cannot control. This removes the notion of free will as it suggests that people do not have a choice over their behaviour. This goes against the beliefs that a lot of us hold about the decisions that we make and may mean that people wee not as accountable for their behaviour as society would like them to be.
Behaviourism evaluation strength
Behaviourism has scientific credibility. It brought the methods of natural sciences to psychology and focused on the measurement of observable behaviour. This meant that research was objective and could be replicated. As a result, the approach was hugely influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline.
The approach can be used to explain how certain psychological problems develop. A common explanation of phobias is the two process model which suggests that phobias are learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning . This shows that conditioning is viewed as valid explanation of how phobias develop. The impact of this is that the approach also provided ways that phobias can be treated by unlearning their phobias.
Behaviourism evaluation limitation
The approach is highly
deterministic. It suggests that all
actions are determined by past
experiences that have been
conditioned. This ignores any
possible influence that free will mayhave on behaviour. This is
problematic as it may suggest that
people are not responsible for their behaviour.
There are ethical issues with using
animals in research. Skinner
exposed animals to stressful and
adverse conditions by giving them
shocks. This is not protecting
animals from harm, which goes
against ethical guidelines.Furthermore, the harm may not be necessary as some psychologists would arque that we cannot generalise the findings from animal research as humans may learn and respond to conditioning differently.
