Psychology influences the world around us in more ways that one. How we think and feel are often influenced by several factors. This is often clearly understood in the field of psychology. The mind is so complex, that understanding why we think and act in specific ways is often too abstract; and it requires the aid of psychologists. But not all practicing psychologists share the same viewpoints with regards to how they interpret the human mind. This gave rise to the 7 perspectives of psychology. Here is an attempt to explaining them so that you can adopt a layman’s view of the intricacies of the mind.
The Neuroscience Perspective
This is one of the 7 perspectives of psychology centered around how biological predispositions can affect the way individuals react to external stimuli. In other words, the way our brain functions in the processes of memory, emotions and sensory experiences can be attributed to the physical body. So for example, when your palms get sweaty, this can mean that you are feeling stressed and anxious.
The Evolutionary Perspective
This perspective simply pins down the underlying behaviors of people to Darwinism. This psychological perspective centers around the belief that natural selection is why people act and develop specific ways of thinking. For example, the dependency of people on money in the modern age has led to selfishness and greed.
The Psycho-dynamic Perspective
This is one of the 7 perspectives of psychology that may be more common among individuals. This is because it stems from the belief that traumatic childhood experiences can unconsciously influence behaviors in adults. This can be a difficult one since it requires tapping into an awkward or painful past. An example of the psycho-dynamic perspective may be a foster child who has trust issues because of household instabilities. This can often scar the mind and leave unsettled feelings that carry over to one’s adult life.
Behavioral Perspective
The behavioral perspective essentially links up a specific behavior to the way a person feels or acts. So a nervous person fiddles with their hands. To stop the fiddling would according to the behavioral perspective imply stopping the act of fiddling. Similarly to get a student to do well, parents can establish good behaviors in their children. This could result in better grades through the use of an incentive system. For example they may say that for every “A” grade they would give their child a dollar bill. It could also be the reverse and parents could punish their children should the wrong behavior be practiced; this would inadvertently also result in the student getting “A’s” but often out of fear rather than excitement.
The Cognitive Perspective
This was written about in the article: Perspective taking exercises to make you more successful. This is one of the 7 perspectives of psychology that centers around how we view situations. Is it half glass full? or is it half glass empty? For example, How does one deal with rejection? do they see it as an opportunity for improvement? or do they see it as something that is wrong with you. If you can successfully change the way you see the world to something more positive; this can greatly influence the quality of your life. That is essentially the principles which cognitive perspective focuses on.
The Social-Cultural Perspective
The Social – Cultural perspective is the belief that our external environment; be it the news, social media, type of household, religion or influencers affect the way people behave and act. For example; if you are in a school that takes education seriously you will often be influenced to take education seriously.
The Humanistic Perspective
The Humanistic perspective of psychology often means focusing on positive growth to ensure that an individual reaches the ultimate goal of self-actualization. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs forms the backbone of this perspective. The 5 fundamental human needs below highlights self-actualization as the most important. We all strive to essentially reach a state in which we reach our full potential.
For a well rounded approach to maintaining a healthy mind read: The Ultimate Guide On How To Sustain Your Brain Health
To learn how to live life consciously and with a clear perspective; read this ultimate guide: A Mindful Approach To Self Actualization
