Week 3.2

Question 1

How is it that people who have the same professional qualifications, with very similar experiences of the world around them, can come to such radically different conclusions about the world and how they should live and work [which theoretical orientation should they follow]? (3)

Answer 1

The primary reason is that we all havedifferent worldviews.

For example, an early survey question completed by this class, there was a spread of 10+ psychotherapies that students indicated they would use in their professional lives

Do you know the worldview of that particular therapy and is it consistent with your current world view?

Question 2

To successfully engage with diversity [gender, developmental age, culture, etc] is to think of them in terms of the worldviews they reflect… (4)

Answer 2

If everyone has a worldview which serves as the foundation and framework for all of their thoughts and actions, it makes good sense to engage with themat that foundational level.

If we’re going to work effectively both with individuals and with groups/communities, it makes good sense to do so in terms of their underlying worldviews.

Eg., most Western psychologists have an individualistic worldview [problem is within the person, psychotherapy should be person-focused and the individual should change]

What is the typical worldview of an indigenous person and if different from you own, should you act/impose or adjust therapy?

Question 3

Why think in terms of worldviews (4)

Answer 3

1) Thinking in terms of worldviews helps us to understand why people see the world as they do
2) Thinking in terms of worldviews helps us to make meaningful comparisons between people with diverse backgrounds.
3) Thinking in terms of worldviews helps us to make reasoned evaluations of different cultural groups [see cultural relativism versus ethnocentrism].
4) Thinking in terms of worldviews helps us to become more effective professionals [see effectiveness of applying culture specific psychotherapy programs to another culture - indigenous and multi-culture lecture]

Question 4

How can we categorise worldviews

Answer 4

While worldviews and their content can vary, when analyzing, constructing and evaluating worldviews of psychologists, there are five basic areas or subdivisions”

Question 5

5 basic areas/subdivisions of analysing world views

Answer 5

• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Knowledge
• Ethics
• Application

Question 6

Philosophy

Answer 6

What are the basic questions relevant to psychology

Question 7

Psychology

Answer 7

How has psychological science advanced our understanding of each of these philosophical issues

Question 8

Knowledge

Answer 8

[rather than opinion] that supports [or challenges] each of these basic philosophical questions

Question 9

Ethics

Answer 9

Given this knowledge, how should psychologists progress from an ethical and moral perspective

Question 10

Application

Answer 10

What does our final worldview say or imply about the basic human condition and solutions that may be proposed

Question 11

Here are 10 [of many] philosophical questions raised in psychology

Answer 11

• Fundamental human nature (good, evil, tabula rasa)
• Nature versus nurture
• Free will versus determinism
• Body versus mind
• Rational versus irrational
• Whole versus part
• Quantitative (mechanical) versus qualitative (dynamic process)
• Morality and moral responsibility
• Individualism versus Society
• Ethical behaviour

Question 12

Basic approaches fundamental human nature

Answer 12

• Freud: psychoanalysis - evil
• Rogers: humanism - good
• Learning theories - tabula rasa

Question 13

Basic approaches nature versus nurture

Answer 13

• Biological (and evolutionary) psychology

- Social psychology

Question 14

Basic approaches free will versus determinism

Answer 14

• Qualitative view that people create their own destiny

- Quantitative view that causation and fate pre-determine destiny

Question 15

Basic approaches body versus mind

Answer 15

• Biological and cognitive

- Emotion and motivation