Foundations of Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundations of Psychology - Essay ExampleThrough systematic observation of ones own advised experience, subjects were exposed to different visual stimuli, optical illusions and auditory tones, and then made to analyze what they experienced (Timeline, n.d.).Functionalism evolved as a reaction to structuralism. This school of thought was greatly influenced by the work of William James, the father of American psychology, and the evolutionary surmisal of Charles Darwin (Wagner, n.d.b). Functionalism was a more systematic and accurate method than structuralism in that the former center on the purpose of consciousness and demeanour while the latter focused on the elements of consciousness. Functionalism gave due consideration to individual differences, with a great deal of electrical shock on education, supporting the view that children should learn at a level for which they are developmentally prepared (Wagner, n.d.b).According to behaviorism, all behaviors are acquired through cond itioning, which happens through interaction with the environment, and behavior can be studied in a systematic, observable manner regardless of internal mental states (Wagner, n.d.c). There are cardinal types of conditioning. Classical conditioning is a method whereby a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus so that eventually the latter evokes the aforementioned(prenominal) response as the former without the presence of the former. Operant conditioning uses rewards and punishments for behavior. Behaviorism does not consider free will or internal factors like moods, feelings and thoughts. The theory does not consider learning that does not use rewards and punishments. The adaptability of an individual in the face of new information is also not considered.Psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, focused on the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior (Wagner, n.d.a). The six basic assumptions of the psychoanalytic theory are that unconscious mental proc esses exist, that all human behavior is motivated and purposeful, that past experiences influence current changes and reactions, that personality functioning is very complex and can be understood through the Id, Ego and Superego, that thinking processes feign energy, strength and force, and that human behavior is influenced by interaction with the environment (Timeline, n.d.).Humanists like Carl Rogers consider people to be basically in effect(p) or healthy and they recover mental health as the normal progression of life any distortion to this natural tendency is called self-actualization. According to Rogers, people naturally know what is good for them, and what leads them astray is the society with its conditions of worth, often leading to discontent when they do not reach the standards applied to them by others. This disparity between the real self and the specimen self is called incongruity (Boeree, 2003). A healthy individual involves the following qualities openness to exp erience living in the present organismic trusting, doing what feels right and comes natural exemption and taking responsibility for ones choices and creativity.Gestalt psychology evolved in response to the