Theories of Psychology Flashcards
Psychoanalysis
Rooted in the idea that if people develop insight, they will be able to change
Psychoanalytic Perspective
Freud proposed the unconscious mind
There are different states of consciousness (think how you dissociate when driving down a highway)
We are driven by desires to manage our id (pleasures/desires), superego (social rules), and ego (view of ourselves)
Learning Theory
The idea that behavior is determined by its outcome
We behave in a way that is dependent on what we know/think will happen based on our decisions
Evolutionary Psychology
Exploration of present day behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns, and if they are adaptive and instinctive due to longstanding roots in our species’ survival, mating, and reproduction
Operant Conditioning
Rewarding/aversive stimuli
Classical Conditioning
Pairing of things and how we learn through that; associations
Social Learning
Modeling / Listening
Biosocial Theory (Evolutions)
Thought and behavior can be inherited (spiders don’t have to learn how to make webs)
Genetic dispositions determine thought and behavior
Cognitive Psychology
Can explore ability to pay attention (attention control)
Many intelligence measures are stemming from cognitive psychology
Focuses on the brain, but mostly how we process information
Sociocultural Theory
Groups develop norms
Not necessarily conditioning, but we do see things like conformity, obedience
Not really adaptive (Tide pod challenge is not adaptive, we wear the same clothes for graduation even though there’s not a survival reason)
Not stable, as it is often easily changeable (fads)
Social-Cultural Theory
The group defines “normal” and “true”
“Normal” determines thought and behavior
Your normal is abnormal to most people, so you learn what other people’s normals are and compromise
The consequence of not meshing is often social rejection
Personality/Situationist (Social) Psychology
Individuals do not exist in a vacuum; behavior is influenced by both the individual’s and the environment’s unique qualities and how they relate to each other
Industrial/Organizational (IO) Psychology
Explores the behavior of employees in the workplace and how organizational environments, behaviors, and leaders influence employee behavior
Abnormal Psychology
How our bio/psycho/social experiences impact our functioning
How to treat and prevent psychological disorders
Cognitive Psychology
Information processing
Mind is treated like a computer (Senses generate input, behavior is output, Information is filtered and organized)