The Psychology Guide: Five Major Theoretical Approaches
- symthasreeskoganti
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Fairfax, VA
Edited by Isabel Cho
Psychology/AP Psychology
For those interested in learning more about the mind and behavior, psychology courses and AP Psychology are the perfect options to slot into your schedule! This article will discuss a specific subtopic within psychology regarding the five major theoretical approaches. Each of these approaches, or perspectives, is a different lens into looking at human behavior and understanding the “why” behind it. Though each approach has its upsides and downsides, understanding them can help give professionals in psychology the ability to apply one or a combination of them when necessary.
Tackling Psychology through the Biological Approach
Psychologists who are strong proponents of the biological approach attribute a biological basis to behaviors and mental processes. Three main biological components are often used: genetics, hormones, and the brain (e.g., neurotransmitters). The big question at the core of biopsychology is how these three components relate to one’s mental state and affect their mood, actions, and thoughts. While potentially limiting in approach, as it only considers physical and biological parts of an individual in impacts upon them, biopsychology flourishes when applied to research because the variables (e.g., hormone levels)are more easily measured than vaguer influences like cultural norms.
For example, a biopsychologist may conduct research on how certain genes contribute to chronic conditions like addiction, or the extent to which brain damage after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects behavioral patterns. Methodology and/or tools such as saliva tests, DNA sequencing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are beneficial for obtaining results in these types of studies. Often, new medications (e.g., SSRIs) for mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety) can be found due to biopsychological approaches.
Tackling Psychology through the Psychodynamic Approach
The psychodynamic approach was heavily influenced and encouraged by Sigmund Freud. Though certain Freudian theories have been disproven (e.g., psychosexual development), many of his propositions about psychology have left great imprints on the field. Those using the psychodynamic approach believe that the experiences and unconscious drives of one’s childhood are fundamental to their behavior into and within adulthood. The subconscious mind, which hosts these drives and experiences, is the portion of your thoughts that takes effort to collect. This is in stark contrast with the conscious mind, where one’s general thought processes already take place.
The psychodynamic lens is best applied to therapy rather than research. Since these subconscious processes are what supposedly influence behavior, engaging in “talk therapy” to identify such root causes can help address the resultant unwanted actions or thoughts. For instance, an adult may have a deep distrust of authority figures. After engaging in conversations with a therapist, they may come to realize that the root of these feelings stems from experiences with harsh behavior from their parental figures. In this way, we see how behavior in adulthood may tie all the way back to one’s developmental years.
Tackling Psychology through the Cognitive Approach
A cognitive approach heavily emphasizes an individual’s inner thoughts and emotions as influences on behavior. A possible comparison for this lens would be to think of the human brain as a computer. With the input of memories and knowledge (formed from experiencing stimuli in the surroundings) stored in the brain, mental processes are outputted that drive someone’s actions. Memory and how people learn/process information is thus fundamental to cognitive psychology, which supposes that internal affects external. A good example of this is how people approach problem-solving. Anyone trying to solve a problem is limited by the scope of their knowledge, experiences, and their own ability to infer from the prior two. Due to cognitive psychology’s emphasis on learning and processing, this perspective can be applied to the subfields of education or memory disorders.
Tackling Psychology through the Behavioral Approach
Behavioral psychologists take a widely different stance compared to cognitive psychologists. This approach emphasizes the relationship between external factors and internal processes. External environmental stimuli shape a person’s behavior through a series of rewards and punishments (i.e., positive and negative experiences with particular stimuli). Heavy emphasis isn’t placed on thought processes, but rather visible behavior. Another aspect of behavioral psychology is the idea that “free will” is an illusion. Choices are not made by the individual, since they are instead taken as a result of previous experiences. A benefit to research using behavioral psychology is that behavior is far mo
re measurable than one’s thoughts. For example, if looking at introvertedness as a characteristic in children, greater amounts of rejection from peers might shape this behavior. Children facing less rejection and more frequent acceptance by their peers could supposedly then be more extroverted.
Tackling Psychology through the Humanistic Approach
Humanistic psychologists hold the belief that everyone is essentially good and focus on internal and external motivation for someone to reach their full potential. When this approach was developed, it was a counter to psychodynamic and behavioral perspectives. Recognizing that both of these tended to apply general ideas to people, who are all individuals with unique experiences, humanistic psychology stemmed from the concept that psychology should be approached differently for everyone in recognition of each being distinct from the other. Unlike behavioral psychology, it emphasizes free will and one’s innate need for self-actualization. Thus, such psychologists take on the role of creating a supportive environment and acting as a resource to help someone empower themselves. Instead of trying to understand why a particular unwanted behavior (e.g., smoking) is happening or analyzing it, a humanistic psychologist would try to encourage them throughout their journey toward the goal of reducing or stopping such actions (e.g., smoking less or not at all).
If you’d like to test your knowledge of the five major approaches to psychology, take some time to follow some of the guiding activities/questions below!
Check Your Understanding:
What are the benefits of a behavioral approach?
Come up with one new scenario that would be best explained by a psychodynamic approach.
Active Learning: Take out a sheet of paper and a pencil. Without looking at this post or any other resources, take 5-10 minutes to write down everything you remember about the 5 approaches. Done? Compare your results with the content of the post. What did you miss, and what did you remember?
For more review, check out the videos below:
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