Any phenomenon in psychology can be studied from different points of view, or, in other words, in line with a certain approach.
One psychological approach does not exclude another; rather, it provides an opportunity to look at the subject of research from a different angle, to illuminate those aspects of it that remained in the shadows when using other directions. In the process of development of psychology, many scientific approaches were formed. Some of them have already lost their relevance, while the positions of others are still strong. Let's see what main approaches stand out in science in our time and what approaches in psychological counseling have been formed on their basis.
Instead of a preface
- There are many points of view on the phenomenon of human behavior. Psychologists use all sorts of approaches when studying how people think, feel, and behave.
- Some researchers specialize in one approach, such as biology, while others turn to more eclectic methods that combine different perspectives.
- Neither approach is leading; each only emphasizes different aspects of human behavior.
Socio-psychological approach to understanding personality
Since ancient times, people have discovered the dependence of their behavior on the surrounding social environment, as well as on their own psyche, which forced them to adapt to living conditions, while demonstrating the ability to make free choice. Such a connection between the psyche and external influences and stimuli has been noted in the history of psychology in many previous theories and concepts for studying the problem of the relationship between the “individual” and the “social” in personality. The analysis of this problem, based on psychological research and philosophical foundations, is anthropological, according to which man is primarily a biological being. Their role and place in society is determined, and the priority of the social environment in shaping personal development is taken as a basis.
We use the concept of “personality” as developed to reflect the social nature of a person, consider him as a subject of sociocultural life, define him as a bearer of an individual principle, revealing himself in the context of social relations, communication and subjective activity. Moreover, this concept can mean either a human individual as a subject of relationships and conscious activity, or a stable system of socially significant traits that characterize a person as a representative of a community or social group. However, first it is necessary to clarify the specifics of understanding personality in social psychology.
Various socio-psychological theories of personality, considering them in different aspects, proceed both from the interests of the individual, the priority of his communicative, moral potential in professional development, his knowledge, style and culture of communication, and from the importance of society, social relations in the formation of personality. Depending on the prevailing aspect of this phenomenon, a theoretical justification of a certain type and social program of human behavior, a certain strategy of action, and other socio-psychological qualities and characteristics of the individual takes place.
Today, many scientific theories involved in the study of the human psyche theoretically and experimentally confirm that the latter is not a consequence or a direct continuation of the natural evolution of elementary forms of animal behavior. Therefore, it is clear that our mental functions are formed in the process of our upbringing and development in society, through the assimilation of social experience by all of us. It should be noted that this process of assimilation is a special form of mental development that can only be inherent in humans. Here we are talking not only about higher mental functions (abstract thinking, logical memory, etc.), but also about such elementary and, at first glance, innate functions (for example, tonal hearing), which are social in nature and develop over time. life.
According to our most famous psychologist and founder of Russian neuropsychology A.R. Luria: the actual functional systems of the brain, as the material substance of mental functions, do not appear ready-made at birth and do not mature independently, but are formed in the process of communication and objective activity of a growing person. Luria A.R. Lectures on general psychology; collection of lectures, St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006 - 320 p. In reality, there are no natural programs for human social behavior, since social life itself is not a constant system of factors, but changes, often much faster than the change of generations.
A number of psychologists substantiate the socialization of the individual as a transition from purely biological to social stages of development and understand socialization as a process of learning and adaptation. In reality, social relations, through their actions, transform natural functions into social ones and put them at the service of social development. At the same time, the social does not destroy the natural, but unites it into new systems of contexts and relationships, which are governed by qualitatively new laws of the social form of movement.
Seven Basic Approaches in Psychology
The early years of psychology were marked by a continuity of different philosophical schools. If you've ever had a psychology course in school, you may remember studying these schools: structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanism. As psychology matured, so did the number of topics that science explored. Since the early 1960s, the field of psychology has grown at a rapid pace, as has the depth and breadth of the subjects psychologists study.
Today, few psychologists identify their observations with one school or another. Although you can still find a few "purebred" behaviorists or psychoanalysts, most psychologists classify their work based on their area of professional activity and approach.
Each topic in psychology can be viewed through the prism of different approaches. For example, let's look at the phenomenon of aggression. One who takes a biological approach would consider the connection of the brain and nervous system with aggressive behavior. A professional who focuses on behaviorism would look at environmental factors that contribute to aggressive behavior. Another psychologist who takes a cross-cultural approach considers how cultural and social factors accompany aggression or cruelty.
Let's consider several main approaches of modern psychology.
Psychodynamic approach
The psychodynamic approach originates from the work of Sigmund Freud. This type of psychology emphasizes the role of unconscious thinking, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain motivations and help people suffering from mental illness.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is an approach that focuses on learned forms of behavior. Behaviorism differs from many other approaches in that, rather than focusing on internal states, it focuses exclusively on the external manifestations of behavior.
This school dominated psychology at the beginning of the twentieth century, and already in the 50s it lost its advantage. The principles of behaviorism are often applied to the regulation of mental health: doctors use these techniques in diagnosing and treating a variety of diseases.
Cognitive approach
During the 1960s, the cognitive approach began to gain momentum. This branch of psychology focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking, problem solving, language, and decision making. Under the influence of psychologists Jean Piaget and Albert Bandura, the approach has developed enormously in recent decades.
Cognitive scientists often use the information processing model, comparing the human mind to a computer to understand how information is acquired, processed, stored, and used.
Biological approach
The study of physiology played a major role in the development of psychology as a separate science. Today the approach is known as biological psychology. Sometimes called biopsychology or physiological psychology, the school emphasizes the physical and biological reasons for behavior.
Researchers who take a biological approach look at how genetics influences different behaviors, or how damage to a specific area of the brain shapes behavior and personality. Thus, genetics, the brain, the nervous, endocrine and immune systems are the objects that interest biopsychologists.
This approach has advanced significantly in recent years due to advances in the study and understanding of the human brain and nervous system. Instruments such as MRI and PET scans allow researchers to observe the human brain under a variety of conditions. Scientists can now see the effects of brain damage, drugs and disease in ways that were not previously possible.
Cross-cultural approach
Cross-cultural psychology is a fairly new approach that has developed over the last twenty years. Scientists look at human behavior through the lens of different cultures. By studying these differences, we can learn more about the influence of our home culture on our thinking and behavior.
For example, researchers have noted how social behavior differs between individualistic and collectivist cultures. In individualistic cultures - such as the United States - people tend to expend less effort when they are in a group; this phenomenon is known as “social loafing.” In contrast, in collectivist cultures such as China, people work more actively when they are part of a team.
Evolutionary approach
Evolutionary psychology focuses on the study of how evolution explains psychological processes. Researchers take the basic principles of evolution, including natural selection, and apply them to psychological phenomena. This approach proposes the following theory: mental processes arose because they aid in survival and reproduction.
Humanistic approach
During the 1950s, humanistic psychology emerged. Nurtured by the work of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, the approach emphasizes the importance of motivation to a person's thoughts and behavior. The basis of psychology is the concept of self-actualization. Those who take this approach explore ways that a person can grow, change, and develop personal potential. By the way, positivist psychology, a recently emerging branch of psychology, is rooted precisely in the humanistic approach.
Personality orientation
Personal orientation is understood as a mental property that expresses needs, motives, worldview, attitudes, goals of life and activity. The orientation of the individual is always socially conditioned, formed in the process of education and includes several hierarchically related forms. All forms are the motives of its activity.
K.K. Platonov considers the following to be the main forms of personality orientation:
- Worldview. A person’s system of views on objective reality;
- Belief. Conscious needs of the individual that underlie the views, principles, worldview, in accordance with which a person acts this way and not otherwise;
- Ideal. The image that a person focuses on in terms of self-education;
- Interests. Cognitive and specific focus on objects;
- Tendencies. Selective focus on any activity that the individual would like to engage in;
- Desires. State of motivation - needs are correlated with a specific subject for their satisfaction;
- Attractions. An insufficiently conscious need, but one that motivates action.
A common characteristic of living beings is activity, through which they maintain a vital connection with the outside world. The source of this activity is human needs, which are social and personal in nature.
Post scriptum
There are many perspectives on human thinking and behavior. The variety of approaches of modern psychology allows researchers and students to find their own way of understanding various problems, find new ways to explain and predict human behavior, and also develop modern methods of treating deviations.
Tags: behaviorism, Humanistic approach, cognitivism, cross-cultural approach, approaches in modern psychology, evolutionary approach
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