Perspective in Psychology is an amazing concept, which gives us the importance of different approaches to a single phenomenon. If you’re studying psychology to understand yourself or you’re a psychology student, first of all, you should know that there’s no exact definition of psychology. In the contemporary world, psychology is defined as the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.
Why is there no exact definition of psychology?
Why is there no exact definition of Psychology, when almost all subjects in the world have the same definitions?. In today’s article, we will try to explain those reasons.
The first reason is that Psychology is a new subject, which emerged as a scientific discipline in 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental Psychological lab at the University of Leipzig, Germany.
Different perspectives in Psychology.
Understanding mental illness requires looking at human behaviour from many angles. Over time, Psychologists have developed several major approaches to explain why people struggle emotionally and how they can overcome it. Each approach has its own founders, assumptions, and treatment method. So, below we are going to look at the major psychological perspectives, their founders, and some treatment methodologies.
Psychodynamic perspective in Psychology.
Also known as the psychoanalytic approach, emerged in the 19th century from the work of renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud. Freud divided our mind into three levels: consciousness, preconsciousness, and unconsciousness. The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the influence of the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences. According to Freud, mental illness develops when unresolved conflicts or repressed emotions continue to affect behavior. This approach assumes that our unpleasant and unresolved childhood experiences, which have not been in our consciousness, create most psychological problems.
Psychoanalysts have techniques like free association and dream analysis to uncover unconscious and repressed thoughts,
Behavioural Perspective in Psychology.
The behavioural perspective, or the behavioural school of thought, assumes that Psychology must be the study of measurable behaviour, that is, learned from our surroundings through the five senses. The psychologists include Edward Throndike, Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner and J.B. Watson are the main proponents of the behavioral perspective, or Behaviourism. According to behaviorists, we learned behavior through association with the environment. So, in simple Behaviorists proposed a model of (Stimulus and Response). Stimuli any anything that can create a change in our behaviour, it could be a snake, a traumatic experience, fear of spiders or heights, and the response is our body’s reaction to any stimulus. Screaming, sweating, running, and shivering while encountering a snake, if you have a Zoo phobia, is a response.
Systematic desensitization.
Systematic desensitization is a behavioural therapy that focuses on solving phobias, anxiety, and fear through gradual exposure. It was developed by an African psychiatrist, Joseph Wolpe, in 1950. Basically, it has three parts.
- relaxation technique: where the patient is given a pleasant environment or surroundings. Apart from that, give him/her a glass of water, meditating, relaxing techniques,s and practicing deep breathing.
- Measuring SUDS. where the psychologist measures the subject units of discomfort(SUDS), is a reporting scale where both the therapist and the client measure the scale from 1-10. 0 is the lowest scale ratio, which shows the absence of anxiety, and 10 shows the extreme level of anxiety. The goal is to reduce the scale to 0.
- Desensitization: In the final stage, the patient is given a gradual exposure to the stimulus. There are two techniques in systematic desensitization as well: first, in vitro, where a stimulus is applied to the patient’s imaginary point, and the second is in vivo, where a stimulus is applied to a real object, such as a phobia, anxiety, or fear. The basic aim of this technique is to eliminate the underlying fear within the patient. If the patient’s stress increases during this technique, he raises his index finger, and then the psychiatrist stops the process. Afterwards, the patient is given relaxation again, and when the SUDS decreases, systematic desensitization will start again.
Cognitive perspective in Psychology:
Key figures are Aeron Bech and Albert Ellis. The cognitive perspective argues that our irrational and negative thinking leads to anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems. It sees the mind as a memory processing machine similar to the CPU of a computer, which stores, processes, and retrieves information.
Cognitive Behavioural Perspective (CBT)
The cognitive behavioral perspective is a subfield of the Cognitive perspective. which uses techniques like restructuring thoughts for solving mental issues caused by our irrational thoughts. In this technique, the therapist challenges the negative thoughts of the patient. For example, therapists ask a student what happens if they fail an exam, from a student who is obsessed with higher marks. In this technique, the therapist and the patient both try to reframe the thinking patterns into positive ones.
Social learning perspective in Psychology:
The social learning theory of Albert Bandura suggests that we all learn behaviors by observing, imitating, and modeling others.
Earlier, we have seen behaviorist approach only relies on learning by observation but ignores the mental processes. In contrast, the cognitive approach refers only to mental processes and ignores environmental processes.
According to the social learning approach, Learning has the SOR (stimulus -organism and response) concept. Humans first encounter a stimulus, using their mental capabilities to imitate and observe the stimulus, and then learn the behaviour.
Social learning theory uses Positive role modeling for behaviour reconstruction, where the patient’s peers, colleagues, friends, and family members serve as live or symbolic role models who demonstrate healthy and positive behaviour. Apart from that, therapists also use positive reinforcements and cognitive restructuring techniques for a better result.
Humanistic perspective in Psychology.
The philosophy of meaning proposed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers focuses on the distinctiveness, independence, and intrinsic character of each individual.
Carl Rogers expanded the humanistic approach through his Person-Centered Therapy. He believed that every individual has an Actualizing Tendency, an inner drive to grow and improve. Growth can be blocked when people receive conditional love or judgment from others. Rogers emphasized the concept of self-concept, how we see ourselves, and the importance of congruence between our real self and ideal self. When there is a large gap between the two, emotional problems often arise
In therapy, Rogers introduced three key techniques that help clients heal and flourish:
- Unconditional Positive Regard: accepting the person without judgment
- Empathy: deeply understanding the client’s feelings
- Genuineness (Congruence): the therapist being honest and authentic
Biological perspective in Psychology.
The contributions of Charles Darwin, René Descartes, and William James lay the foundation of the biological perspective in Psychology.
The biological perspective in psychology focuses on how the brain, nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence human thoughts, emotions, and behavior. It views behavior as a result of biological processes, meaning that mental functions can be traced to physical structures in the body. For example, neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine play a key role in mood and motivation, while abnormalities in brain structure or genes can contribute to psychological disorders.
The curing techniques of biological perspectives are closely related to the physical examination of the body. where therapists use MRI, FMRI, CT scans, Genetic studies, Twin studies, neurologic studies, and other techniques to measure the impact of our genes and neurotransmitters in behaviour modifications.
Conclusion.
To date, more than 200 mental health disorders have been identified, and the causes of these illnesses vary from individual to individual. So, treating psychological problems has become a more complicated issue in the modern era. Only a single approach can’t identify the psychological problems. Fortunately, each psychological perspective offers a unique understanding of mental health. By combining these perspectives, psychiatrists can help people achieve better diagnosis, treatment, and emotional well-being. Mental health is complex, so understanding it from various angles brings us closer to healing.