Behavioral Theories
Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Advocated by famous psychologists such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, behavioral theories dominated psychology during the early half of the twentieth century. Today, behavioral techniques are still widely used in therapeutic settings to help clients learn new skills and behaviors.
Cognitive Theories
Cognitive theories of psychology are focused on internal states, such as motivation, problem solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention.
Developmental Theories
Theories of development provide a framework for thinking about human growth, development, and learning. If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behavior, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society.
Humanistic Theories
Humanistic psychology theories began to grow in popularity during the 1950s. While earlier theories often focused on abnormal behavior and psychological problems, humanist theories instead emphasized the basic goodness of human beings. Some of the major humanist theorists included Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Personality Theories
Personality psychology looks at the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that make a person unique. Some of the best known theories in psychology are devoted to the subject of personality including the trait theory of personality, the "big 5" theory of personality, and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.
Social Psychology Theories
Social psychology is focused on helping us understand and explain social behavior. Social theories are generally centered on specific social phenomena, including group behavior, prosocial behavior, social influence, love and much more.
Reasons to Study Theories
In your psychology courses, you may find yourself questioning how necessary it is to learn about different psychology theories, especially those that are considered inaccurate or outdated.
However, all of these theories provide valuable information about the history of psychology, the progression of thought on a particular topic and a deeper understanding of current theories.
By understanding how thinking has progressed, you can get a better idea not only of where psychology has been, but where it might be going in the future.
A Word From Very well
Studying other scientific theories provides a background in what researchers understand about how the natural world works. A solid scientific education can help you make better sense of what researchers mean when they talk about scientific research as well as improving your understanding of how scientific explanations for behavior and other phenomena in the natural world are formed, investigated, and accepted by the scientific community.
While debate continues to rage over hot topics such as climate change and evolution, it is worthwhile to study science and the theories that have emerged from such research, even when what is often revealed might come as a harsh or inconvenient truth. As Carl Sagan once explained, "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."
Much of what we know about human thought and behavior has emerged thanks to various psychology theories. For example, behavioral theories demonstrated how conditioning can be used to learn new information and behaviors.
Some theories have fallen out of favor, while others remain widely accepted, but all have contributed tremendously to our understanding of human thought and behavior. By learning more about these theories, you can gain a deeper and richer understanding of psychology's past, present and future.
0 comments:
POST A COMMENT