Transcript File - Ms. Thresher

Aim: How does understanding the individual contribute
to our study of Forces That Influences Social Change?
Psychology
Studying the mind of the
individual
Early Ideas about the Mind
 4th century BCE—Although Greek
philosophers such as Aristotle believed that
the mind is in the heart, Hippocrates
describes the brain as the location of the
mind;
 2nd century ACE—influential Roman physician
Galen supports Hippocrates’ view;
Early Ideas
 1640’s
French Philosopher Rene Descartes
proposes a dualistic theory of the mind and
body with the non-physical soul located in the
brain’s pineal gland;
Modern views of the mind cont’d
 1800’s—Phrenology—physiologist Franz
Joseph Gall argues that personality traits and
mental abilities are housed in distinct areas of
the brain, and can be assessed by measuring
the external dimensions of the skull;
Modern Views of the Mind
 1879—Wilhelm Wundt sets up the first
psychological laboratory and starts to
measure behaviour. His first methods
involve asking people to reflect on their
mental experiences;
 Wundt is the founder of Structuralism—
conscious behaviour could be studied when it
is broken down into its elements.
Modern Views of the Mind

1890’s—Functionalism– William James argued that
mental characteristics have developed to allow
people to survive; he based his findings on Darwin’s
theory of natural selection which explains behaviour
in terms of biological function. According to
functionalists, the human mind has developed
problem solving skills in order to ensure survival;
Modern Views of the Mind
1900—Sigmund Freud published The Interpretation
of Dreams– he introduced the idea of the
unconscious and the role it plays in our everyday
mental life;
 1912– Gestalt Psychology—Max Wertheimer
proposes that perception is a subjective experience
that cannot be understood by looking into its
constituent parts;

Modern views of Psychology
 1925—Behaviourism—John Watson and later
B.F. Skinner argue that all behaviours can be
understood as a result of learning, and that to
predict behaviour one has to look at
environmental forces;
 1950’—Cognitive Psychology—focuses on
the mental processes (Intelligence tests);
Modern Psychology
1960’s—Advances in drug treatment trials support
theories of a biological basis for many types of
mental disorders such as depression and
schizophrenia;
 1990’s—A number of fields including neuroscience,
cognitive psychology, computer science and
neurology forge the field of neuroscience
 Into the 21st century—Genetics—the Human
Genome;

Who are Psychologists?
 They study how and why humans act the
ways they do
 Instead of studying how humans function in
cultures or societies, psychologists focus on
the individual, and the personal and unique
experiences that influence how the
individual acts and thinks
Types of Psychology
Experimental Psychology
 The branch of the discipline that sets up
experiments to see how individuals act in
particular situations
 Question - Would you help a complete
stranger that was being threatened with
violence from another person?
Case Study:
“When Bystanders Join In”
 Pg. 16. Questions 1 &2
The Case of Kitty Genovese

The Case of Kitty Genovese - Kitty was murdered on the
street outside her New York City apartment after loud
shouting was heard - 38 people witnessed the murder but did
nothing to stop it

Psychologists have long been interested in our unwillingness
to get involved in uncomfortable situations even if someone’s
personal safety is at risk

People have a tendency see themselves as bystanders in such
situations rather than as ACTORS

ACTORS are people who become active participants in a
situation
Clinical Psychology
 CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY is the branch of the
discipline that develops programs for treating
individuals suffering from mental illnesses
and behavioral disorders

E.g. Psychologists treat dangerous offenders
in federal prisons in an attempt to prevent
them from re-offending on release
Psychological Schools of Thought
Like the other social sciences, psychology has
been divided into a number of schools of
thought
 Psychoanalytic Theory
 Behaviouralism
 Learning Theory
Psychoanalytic Theory

The mind is divided into two parts: the conscious
and the unconscious

We are aware of our conscious but not aware of our
unconscious

According to psychologists, our unconscious mind
has more influence than our conscious mind on our
personalities and our behavior
 Childhood experiences are stored in
unconscious mind
 Live with frustration = neuroses & abnormal
behaviour
 Criminal behaviour stems from frustration in
childhood
 Dream analysis & hypnosis to unlock
frustration in childhood
 Basis of clinical psychology
The Unconscious Mind
The Unconscious mind is divided into three parts:
1.
Id – which encourages us to seek physical
satisfaction
2.
Superego – prompts us to do the moral thing, not
the one that feels best
3.
Ego – the referee between the two and deals with
external reality, this is our most conscious self
The Central Approach to
Psychoanalytical Theory
 Is that the unconscious mind can be
unlocked through Dream Analysis and
Hypnosis
 Criticisms
of this approach - problems can
arise from bringing up repressed memories,
raises questions as to creating false
memories.
Sigmund Freud

The founder of
psychoanalytic theory

He believed our early
childhood experiences,
usually involving our
relationships with parents
and family, are stored in
our unconscious mind

While we are normally
unaware of these
memories, they can have a
powerful influence on the
way we function
Famous Practitioner – Sigmund Freud
Criticisms:
• Freud felt sexual satisfaction key element
of personality. Alfred Adler & Carl Jung
feel it is only one factor.
Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Adler - believed that
difficulties people
encounter in gaining selfesteem and recognition, if
not overcome by the
normal means lead to
compensatory behavior and
resultant personality
disorders which are now
widely referred to as an
inferiority complex.
Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Responsible for the
identification of the
Extroverted (outwardlooking) and Introverted
(inward-looking) personality
types.

Worked closely with Freud but
split later in their careers

The other aspect of Jung's
work which has been very
influential is his approach to
the analysis of dreams.
Behavioralism

Behaviorists believe that psychologists can predict and
control or modify human behavior by identifying the factors
that motivate it in the first place

Behaviorists placed particular stress on the early childhood
years, and the rules or practices parents use to raise their
children.

They believe these methods have a huge influence on the
character of individuals even into adulthood.

Criticisms include: It is difficult to substantiate results,
ignores the influence of heredity.
Famous Practitioners- John B. Watson
Benjamin Spock
Criticisms:
 Difficult to substantiate either way of raising
children
 Individuality means each child must be raised
uniquely
 Ignored heredity
Charles B. Watson (1878-1958)

The founder of behaviouralism

He used animal experiments to
determine whether strict or
flexible learning patterns are
more effective

He believed children should be
brought up using strictly
scheduled, rules-based models.
Benjamin Spock (1903-1998)

He believed that a
permissive approach
to child rearing, rather
than a strict one,
would result in
successful, welladjusted adults.

He encouraged parents
to be loving, flexible
and supportive
Learning Theory

Learning Theorists agree that humans are born with little
instinct but much learning potential

They believe that most human behavior is learned, especially
in child and youth.

By controlling the way in which humans learn behavior,
society can have a great influence on their ultimate
personalities.

Criticisms include: Treats people like robots – assumes we
behave the same way given identical rewards and/or
punishments.
 Wide area of study
 Humans born with little instinct, but much
learning potential
 Most behaviour is learned
 Animals used to assess stimulus-response
 Good parenting = good kids
 Bandura added modeling / observation to
behaviour learning
Famous Practitioners:Ivan Pavlov, B.F.
Skinner, Albert Bandura
Criticisms:
 Can't summarize it neatly
 Is learning one of a few elements or the
interplay of many?
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

Pavlov’s experiments with
dogs showed that it was
possible to get a dog to
associate the sound of a
bell with the imminent
arrival of food

At the sound of a bell, the
dog would salivate in
anticipation
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

Skinner proved that pigeons
could be trained to peck at a
particular colored disk to get
food rewards

Rats received food rewards for
pressing a bar in a complicated
sequence leading many theorists
to believe that learning was a
STIMULUS-RESPONSE effect

He believed that if the subject is
correctly stimulated it will give
the appropriate response
Alfred Bandura (Born in 1925)
 Bandura concluded that learning is largely a
modeling experience
 When humans observe behavior – either
acceptable or unacceptable – they are more
likely to practice it
 Question - What does this mean to us?
Featured Psychologist
Featured Psychologist
Basic Work
Similarities & Differences
B.F. Skinner
American behavioural Psychologist
•Operant conditioning
•Behaviours increase if rewarded
and decrease if punished
Focus on individuals
Mechanistic evaluation of human
actions based on reactions of others
and self
Carl Jung
American psychologist
Personal collective unconscious
Can only treat if we understand the
way the person’s personality has
been formed (typology)
Focus on individuals
Concept of collective unconscious
affecting personality development
Abraham Maslow
American psychologist
Hierarchy of human needs
Lower needs must be met before
we can meet higher needs, with
self-actualization as a distant goal
Focus on individuals
Ideas of basic human needs being
met
Marion Woodman
Canadian Jungian Analyst
Patriarchy is outdated
We need to be free ourselves from
patriarchy, stop placing science
above the spiritual, and take a more
holistic approach to life.
Focus on individual
Concerned with how patriarchal
ideas have shaped our personality.