Three Perspectives of Modern Psychology

Freud’s psychoanalytic approach to psychology focused on how the mind influences behavior. This psychoanalytic perspective emphasized that the driving forces behind behavior were hidden in the unconscious, the part of the mind that we are not aware of, and that these motives were tied to a sexual or aggressive nature. In addition, the psychoanalytic perspective stressed the effect of early life experiences on personality development later on in life. Behaviorism emphasized observable, objective behavior, unlike the non-observable mental forces that the psychoanalytic perspective looked to. Behaviorists believed that all behavior could be viewed as a response to a stimulus and stressed the environment’s effect on an individual’s behavior. Humanistic psychology viewed human nature to be naturally positive and growth-seeking. It emphasized the free will of humans, as well as their feelings and emotions. It supported the idea that observing oneself and one’s relations with others would lead to a better understanding of oneself. While these perspectives are distinctly different, there are similarities shared among them. All three perspectives involve the study the mind, some to more extent than others. Behaviorism and humanistic psychology similarly study the behavior of humans and the environment’s effect on behavior, although both perspectives are slightly different in their purposes for the attention associated with behavior. Humanistic psychology easily pairs with psychoanalysis, as both look at the processes of the brain, although for a different purpose altogether. I find the psychoanalytic perspective most intriguing because it deals with the theory that the causes are driven by the unconscious, the part of the mind we aren’t aware of. I think that the psychoanalytic perspective requires a deep analysis because the driving force behind why someone is being the way they are isn’t evident from observable objective behavior. There are many factors that could cause...