Paper 2- Approaches Flashcards

Question

B.f. Skinner

Answer 1

Skinner observed + and - reinforcement in rats. He placed a hungry rat in a cage with a lever. The rat soon realised that by hitting the lever it would be given a food pellet as a reward. The rat learnt through positive reinforcement to hit the lever. He also placed a rat in a cage with an electrical current running through the cage which would shock the rat. The shocks would stop when the rat hit the lever. The rat learned through - reinforcement that by hitting the lever it could avoid something unpleasant.

Answer 2

+ Research support- Pavlov and Skinner- Provides evidence that support classical and operant conditioning- High internal validity as conducted in a lab + Real-life application- operant conditioning is the basis of token economies that have been used successfully in institutions such as prisons- these work by rewarding good behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges- Leading to less violence and rehabilitating offenders - Ethical issues- many have questioned the ethics of animal experiments supporting the approach- The animals were exposed to stressful conditions, which may have also affected how they reacted to the experimental condition - Assumes all behaviour is based on past experiences that have been conditioned- This ignores the influence of free will on behaviour

Answer 3

The underlying assumption of the Psychodynamic approach is that it focuses on ‘dynamics’ of human behaviour whereby most of them are ‘unconscious’. It puts emphasis on different states of mind, both conscious and unconscious, as well as the concept of ‘structures of personality’ which our desires derive from. The approach suggests that childhood experiences can play an important role in behaviour- particularly abnormal behaviour.

Answer 4

Freud believed that some of our mind is inaccessible. He refers to this as the unconscious mind. This includes things we are completely unaware of. (unpleasant experiences stored here) He also states we have conscious thought, which includes all of the things which we think about and are explicitly aware of. Lastly there is the preconscious, which suggests that we have thoughts which sit below the surface and come out through ‘slips of the tongue’.

Answer 5

ID (birth): Works on the ‘pleasure principle’ which is the desire to have everything you want, straight away, with little regard for anyone else. You and your happiness are all that matters. EGO (3yrs): Works on the reality principle, which is the idea that we make judgements on what to do in a situation based on judgement of necessity, right and wrong, and the reality of the situation. SUPEREGO (5yrs): Works on the morality principle and is the individuals sense of right and wrong. It has strong moral judgement and wants to do the right thing all of the time.

Answer 6

If someone is faced with a situation they cannot deal with, they use ‘defence mechanisms’. They distort reality so that the individuals anxiety is reduced. Repression: The unconscious blocking of negative/ unacceptable thoughts. These thoughts can still affect the individual despite being in the unconscious. Denial: Refusal to accept reality, in order to avoid dealing with difficult feelings associated with the situation. Displacement: Redirection of thoughts and feelings onto something else. Taking problems out on people they shouldn’t be.

Answer 7

The oral satge (0-1 years) - focus of pleasur eis the mouth. Early sexual energy is expressed through sucking and biting. Object of desire is mother’s breast. Smoking, sweet sucking, sarcasm. Anal stage (1-3 years) - focus of pleasure is in the anus. Early sexual energy is expressed through withholding and expelling faeces. The Phallic stage (3-5 years) - focus of pleasure is in the genitals, this affects boys and girls in different ways. Boys experience the Oedipus complex. A son unconsciously wants to sleep with his mother. This makes his dad a key rival and fears that the dad will castrate him. The son’s unconscious solution is to repress the forbidden feelings for his mum. He then identifies with his dad. Girls experience the Electra complex. A daughter has penis envy and unconsciously wants to sleep with her dad. This leads her to hate her mum. There desire for the father is replaced with the desire to have a baby. The latency (6-12 years) - earlier conflicts are repressed. ``` The genital (12 + years) - puberty occurs and sexual desire becomes conscious. Fixation may lead to difficulties forming homosexual relationships. ```

Answer 8

+ Application- Freud’s theory has lead to treatment of mental illness using Psychoanalysis. This has been used widely to access the unconscious and has been said to be successful for people with anxiety. - Many of the concepts are unfalsifiable- In order for a concept to have scientific credibility it must be tested and checked to make sure it isn’t false. This is done using scientific experimentation which allows us to test and re-test concepts to ensure they are correct and therefore valid. - The psychodynamic approach has been seen as unethical when used with people experiencing symptoms of more serious disorders e.g. Sz. There have been issues with recall of ‘repressed’ memories of abuse that are distressing to the individual and their families. Also, therapy is very expensive and there is no guarantee for a cure. Therefore, psychoanalysis can be seen as inappropriate.

Answer 9

Humanist theories emphasise the role of being fully consciously in control of your own destiny. They believe that free-will is a key feature of behaviour and that we consciously choose how we wish to act. They believe that we are subject to other forces (e.g. biological and social influence), but ultimately we can have a significant personal choice in how we behave. Humanists reject scientific study and suggest that subjective experience should be studied, as all people are unique. The approach is ‘person-centred’. Only approach that believes in free-will as an explanation for behaviour.

Answer 10

Maslow’s theory focuses on what ‘goes right’ with humans, rather than what can go wrong with them. He focused on a ‘Hierarchy of needs’ in order to explain happiness. Maslow created the ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ The most basic psychological needs form the bottom of the pyramid and become increasingly complex higher up. - Need to progress up hierarchy Your best self/ behaviour is the top of the hierarchy (self-actualisation) - Differs for each person. INSERT PICTURE

Answer 11

Carl Rogers (1951) stated the importance of the self-concept in psychological health. The self-concept is the way in which a person views them-self. Rogers suggests that in order to have good personal growth, our self-concept needs to be realistic and aligned with our ideal self. Our ideal self is who a person would LIKE to be. The closer the two, the better our psychological health and wellbeing will be. Rogers suggests we have two important needs; unconditional positive regard from others & feeling of self-worth. Self-worth develops in childhood through interactions with our family. Further interactions with friends, peers, partners also influence it.

Answer 12

Congruence occurs when there is similarity between our self-concept and our ideal self. The more similar the two are, the happier we are, and the higher our feelings of self-worth are. Self-concept = how you view your self now Ideal self = what you want to be like If the ideal self is very different from the self-concept, then a state of incongruence. Incongruence = mismatch between self-concept and ideal self. Condition of self-worth relates to when parents put conditions on their child in order for them to have worth. For example ‘I will only love you if you get straight A’s.’ Rogers created a ‘client-centred’ therapy to address individuals problems. Rogers suggested that any mental health problems are likely to be found to be routed in childhood- whereby children have a lack of unconditional positive regard (unconditional love). Therefore the therapy aims to give the client more positive regard. - Client-centred therapy is very expensive

Answer 13

+ Application- Rogerian Therapy- Alternative to CBT and drugs- Aims to bring about unconditional positive regard- Help people with depression- However it is not a very commonly used therapy and is more expensive than CBT - limited application . + Suggests everyone has free will and choice over our actions- Supported by the legal system- Criminals must take responsibility. + Idiographic case studies- looking at people in-depth- detail- However, not generalisable, people are unique. - Evidence is culturally bias- Doesn't take into consideration eastern cultures- Very Individualistic- Self- actualisation is a western view- Asians don't tend to focus on self achievements but family achievements. - Unfalsifiable- Theoretical- Difficult to measure self-actualisation, congruence- Lowers validity.

Paper 2- Approaches Flashcards

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