NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter 1

EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY
* Touches virtually every aspect of our lives
PERFORMANCE, RELATIONSHIPS, PROFESSIONS, TREATMENT

* Influence on laws, public policy and programs

DISCRIMINATION, COURTROOM PRACTICES, FAMILY, CRIME PREVENTION

* Better understanding of why people think, feel and act as they do; and insights on own attitudes & reactions

PSYCHOLOGY *the scientific study of behavior & mental processes

Key Terms 1. SCIENCE use of objective & systematic methods ! Goals: describe, explain, predict, control behavior 2. BEHAVIOR things we do that can be directly observed 3. MENTAL PROCESSES not directly observed thoughts, feelings and motives experienced privately
(Debate & Controversy: vigorous discipline / perspectives)

DEFINITION

*PSYCHOLOGY: THE BEGINNINGS

Philosophy Rational investigation of underlying principles of being and knowledge Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes: Nature of thought and behavior (consciousness?) Link between mind and body (rational/irrational?) Questions about mental life (free choice, love, etc..)
*From this tradition of thinking about the mind & body

*PSYCHOLOGY: THE BEGINNINGS

Natural Sciences (Biology and Physiology) ! Charles Darwin (Origin of the Species, 1859) Natural Selection Evolutionary process that favors traits best adapted to reproduce and survive, pass genes to next generation) * Rediscovered evolutionary theory applied to behavior; interpret behavior in terms of adaptive value
(e.g. nangingilala, attachment, crying, cute, food, fear of snakes)

*PSYCHOLOGY: THE BEGINNINGS

*Emerged as a scientific discipline, a hybrid offspring of philosophy and natural science
PHILOSOPHY (Questions) NATURAL SCIENCE (Methods)

PSYCHOLOGY

Psyche Greek for soul, spirit or life Ology branch of knowledge Date of Birth: December, 1879 Place of Birth: University of Leipzig

PSYCHOLOGY

Wilhelm Wundt (1832 1920)

! established the first psychological laboratory ! Father of Scientific Psychology ! Psychology as a study of conscious human experience (mind: thoughts, experiences, emotions) ! workings of the brain: time info translated into action ! believed that mind and behavior can be the subject of scientific analysis; quantitatively studied ! sense (vision), attention, emotion, memory

EARLY SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES

STRUCTURALISM (Wundt & E.B. Titchener) !
! basic elements or structures of mental processes ! fundamental, simplest elements of thoughts raw sensations and perceptions ! domain of study: consciousness ! method: introspection (looking inside)
observing and recording nature of own perceptions, emotional states, mental processes, thoughts and feelings
EXPERIMENTS: systematically varied physical dimensions of stimulus measured change in conscious experience (e.g. sharp repetitive clicking
sound, detailed self-reports, lab/controlled setting)

FUNCTIONALISM (William James)

! functions of mind & behavior in adapting to environment not consciousness ! how the mind works to enable an organism to adapt to and function in the environment (intx of mind & world) !What do people do and Why do they do it? ! mind as flexible & fluid; constant change & adaptation evolved because of purpose

GESTALT (Max Wertheimer)

! form or configuration ! not agree with S: dont break down perceptions ! perceptual experiences depend on patterns formed by stimuli & organization of experience ! whole is greater than sum of parts ! perceptual system tends to seek patterns, organize perceptual experience in a satisfyingly holistic way

PSYCHOANALYSIS (Sigmund Freud) ! influence of the unconscious on behavior (thoughts, attitudes, impulses, wishes, motivations and emotions of which we are unaware) ! expressed in dreams, slips of the tongue, etc. ! sex and aggression ! theory of personality and method of psychotherapy Psychology professionals help person gain insights into and change behavior

BEHAVIORISM (John B. Watson)

! Psychology as scientific study of observable behavior directly seen and observed (not conscious experience)
! introspection unscientific (not mental terms such as ideas, thoughts, consciousness, plans) ! data must be open to public inspection ! method: experiments / objective means of meas. ! behavior a result of conditioning & environment shapes behavior by reinforcing specific habits (s-r) ! emphasis on learning, prediction & control of behavior

Recent Developments
! development of sophisticated instruments electronic equipment / computers / servomechanisms human beings as processors of information (Herbert Simon) ! development of modern linguistics mental structures required to comprehend and speak language (Noam Chomsky) ! advances in neuropsychology clear relationship: neurological events & mental processes links between specific regions of the brain and particular thought and behavioral processes (Roger Sperry)

*DEFINITION
Science of mental life (Wundt, 1879)) Experiences of consciousness (sensations/feelings/ thoughts) Science of behavior (Watson, 1920 1960) Observable behavior Conscious and unconscious processes (1960s) *Scientific study of behavior & mental processes Conscious and unconscious mental processes Both overt behavior and covert thoughts & feelings

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

1926: first department of Psychology established in the University of the Philippines 1932: first Psych Clinic (Sinforoso Padilla) 1961: ADMU Department of Psychology (Jaime Bulatao) 1962: Psychological Association of the Philippines Practice: Testing, Counseling, Clinical Psychology 1970s: shift to a more indigenous Psychology 1975: Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino

PERSPECTIVES
1.! 2.! 3.! 4.! 5.! 6.! 7.! Psychodynamic Approach Behavioral Approach Cognitive Approach Biological or Behavioral Neuroscience Approach Phenomenological or Humanistic Approach Sociocultural Approach Evolutionary Psychology Approach
!!

Monday: Modern Perspectives

Assignment -See you!

METRO AND NATIONAL NEWS COUNCILMAN ARRESTED A barangay councilman was arrested early yesterday by Manila Police District (MPD) operatives after he allegedly mauled his neighbor for not inviting him to the birthday party of a relative. MPD Station 11 investigator PO2 Guillermo Santos said Brgy 143 Councilor Donato Nag Alit and Benito Kasama mauled Ricardo Buwal, 40, single, near the victims house at 2426 Sabi Street, Barrio Obrero, Tondo at 12:00 noon Thursday. Buwal said Nag Alit resented his failure to invite him to the party of his uncle and went to their house to confront him. A heated argument ensued between Nag Alit and Buwal leading to the mauling.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

1. The Psychodynamic Approach

emphasizes the unconscious aspects of the mind, conflict between biological instincts and society's demands, and early family experiences.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

2.The Behavioral Approach

emphasizes the scientific study of observable behavior and that behavior is shaped by the environment.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

3. The Humanistic Approach

emphasizes the subjective and personal experience of events, known as the individuals phenomenology, the need for personal growth, and human potential for self-actualization

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

4. The Cognitive Approach

focuses on the mental processes involved in knowing and how we direct our attention, perceive, and solve problems.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

5. The Biopsychological Approach

views understanding the brain & nervous system as central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

6. The Evolutionary Psychology Approach emphasizes the importance of functional purpose and adaptation in explaining why behaviors are formed, are modified, and survive.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY

7. The Sociocultural Approach

an approach that emphasizes the social and cultural influences on behavior