Lesson 8 Flashcards
Define reductionism
the belief that behaviour is explained through breaking it down into similar parts.
Define holism
An idea that human behaviour should be viewed as a whole integrated experience and not separate parts.
define freewill
The idea that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological / external factors.
Define Determinism
The view that an individuals behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal / external forces rather than the individuals will to do something
define nature
a view that behaviour is the produce of innate biological / genetic factors.
define nurture
a view which refers to how the environment impacts our behaviour.
define idiographic
an approach which focuses on an individual case to understand behaviour rather than aiming to formulate general laws of behaviour.
define nomothetic
an approach which attempts to study human behaviour through the development of general principles and universal laws.
Nature vs nurture
nature: biological approach
(inherited biological factors) - genetics/ neurotransmitters - behaviour is inborn/innate.
nurture: behaviourist approach
(learned associations or reinforcements). - focus on the role of the environment, tabula rasa (blank slate), no innate in born ideas.
in between: frued thought that much of our behaviour was driven by biological instincts but he also suggested that relationships with parents influence behaviour.
the humanistic approach says that friends, parents and wider society have a critical impact on a persons’ self concept.
cognitive psychologists recognise that information processing and scheme are innate but they would also point to the fact that these are constantly refined through experience.
reductionist vs holism
BA - reductionist as it explains behaviour in terms of genes, imbalance of neurotransmitters etc.
PA - reduces much of our behaviour down to the influence of sexual drives and biological instincts, although the explanation can be seen as more holistic as it highlights and interaction between the three parts of the personality.
CA: been accused of machine reductionist as it sees human being like a computer and ignores emotional factors.
behaiourist approach: breaks up complex behaviour into stimulus response parts in order to test it easily in a lab.
The humanisitic approach is different from other approaches as it uses a holistic approach which involves looking at all aspects of an individual including wider society.
Determinism (all behaviour has an internal / external cause) vs freewill
Hard determinism:
BA: biological/genetic determinism much of our behaviour is determined by innate influences such as genes, brain structures that we are born with.
Behaviorism: environmental determinism - all behaviour is determined by environmental influence that we are unable to control - such as operant conditioning where behaviour is controlled by consequences.
psychodynamic: psychic determinism - much of our behaviour is driven by unconscious forces and childhood experiences.
Softer views:
cognitive approach: suggests that we can choose our own thoughts, but the choices can only operate within limits of what we know and have experienced.
reciprocal determinism by bandura: this suggests that as well as being influenced by our environment we also exert some influence over our environment through the behaviours we choose to perform.
only humanism talks about freewill we are active agents who determine our own development.
Explanations and treatment of abnormal / typical behaviour.
- the BA sees abnormality as being due to maladaptive learning, destructive patterns of behaviour have been reinforced. behaviour therapies like systematic desensitization have been used successfully to treat phobias.
- SLT has little application in the treatment of abnormality but the principles of modelling and observational learning can explain how negative behaviours are learned through dysfunctional role models.
- PA explains anxiety disorders as being result of unconscious conflict, childhood trauma and the overuse of defence mechanisms, psychoanalsysis has had some success as a therapy but it isn’t suitable for everyone as it requires a substantial amount of input from the patient and the ability to talk about emotional experiences.
- CA (faulty thinking) have been used very successfully in treatment of abnormal behaviour such as depression (CBT).
- Humanistic therapies such as counselling have also been effective as they close the gap between the self - concept and the ideal self to enable personal growth.
The biological has had a huge impact on the treatment of mental health disorders through the development of drug therapies which regulates chemicals in the brain.
How else can we compare the approaches?
idiographic is subjective experience - studying individuals
nomothetic is generating laws and principles by studying groups of people.
Idiographic methods include: case studies, interviews of individuals.
Nomothetic methods include experiments.
Idiographic vs nomothetic
idiographic approach
humanistic
- unique subjective experiences
- gather qualitative data eg interviews
- partly nomothetic - maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
psychodynamic
- qualitative data
- case studies - little hans
- partly nomothetic - psychosexual stages
Nomothetic approaches:
behaviourism
- gather quantitative data
- use of lab studies e.g. skinner box and pavlovs dogs
SLT
- quantitative data
- lab studies eg banduras bobo doll
biological
- quantitative data
- brain scans - Broca’s area
- sometimes case studies are used
both
cognitive - use experimental nomothetic approach however often draw upon data derived from case studies, especially with ppts with unusual abnormalities or deficits - more idiographic.
What is eclecticism?
refers to the combing of several approaches methods and theoretical perspectives in order to provide a more comprehensive account of human behaviour.
