Active Learning Scenario
Module1
1. Identify various branches of psychology that have been developed throughout history.
Also, give a brief description of each branch and the key players.
Structuralism:
to identify the structure of mental life by identifying “elements” of conscious experience. The
primary method was the use of introspection.
Functionalism:
Sought to identify the functions of experience and how it helps us adapt to our surroundings (i.e.,
why do we experience anger and what value does it serve?)
The behaviorist perspective is concerned with how environmental factors (called stimuli) affect
observable behavior (called the response). The behaviorist perspective proposes two main
processes whereby people learn from their environment: namely classical conditioning and operant
conditioning. Classical conditioning involves learning by association, and operant conditioning
involves learning from the consequences of behavior.
Psychoanalytic Model:
,Focused on unconscious processes and unresolved conflicts that influence current behavior.
Freud’s psychoanalysis is both a theory and therapy. It is the original psychodynamic theory and
inspired psychologists such as Jung and Erikson to develop their own psychodynamic theories.
Freud’s work is vast, and he has contributed greatly to psychology as a discipline. Freud, the
founder of psychoanalysis, explained the human mind as like an iceberg, with only a small amount
of it being visible, that is our observable behavior, but it is the unconscious, submerged mind that
has the most, underlying influence on our behavior. Freud used three main methods of accessing
the unconscious mind: free association, dream analysis and slips of the tongue. He believed that the
unconscious mind consisted of three components: the “ id” the “ego” and the “superego.” The
“id” contains two main instincts: “Eros”, which is the life instinct, which involves self-preservation
and sex which is fueled by the “libido” energy force. “Thanatos” is the death instinct, whose
energies, because they are less powerful than those of “Eros” are channeled away from us and into
aggression towards others. The “id” and the “superego” are constantly in conflict with each other,
and the “ego” tries to resolve the discord. If this conflict is not resolved, we tend to use defense
mechanisms to reduce our anxiety. Psychoanalysis attempts to help patients resolve their inner
conflicts. An aspect of psychoanalysis is Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. It shows
how early experiences affect adult personality. Stimulation of different areas of the body is
important as the child progresses through the important developmental stages. Too much or too
little can have bad consequences later.
Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the
whole person (known as holism). Humanistic psychologists look at human behavior, not only
through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving.
, Cognitive Psychology revolves around the notion that if we want to know what makes
people tick then the way to do it is to figure out what processes are going on in their minds. In other
words, psychologists from this perspective study cognition which is ‘the mental act or process by
which knowledge is acquired. ’The cognitive perspective is concerned with “mental” functions
such as memory, perception, attention, etc. It views people as being like computers in the way we
process information (e.g., input-process-output). For example, both human brains and computers
process information, store data and have input and output procedures.
The biological perspective states that all thoughts, feeling & behavior ultimately have a
biological cause. It is one of the major perspectives in psychology and involves such things as
studying the brain, genetics, hormones, and the immune and nervous systems. Theorists in the
biological perspective who study behavioral genomics consider how genes affect behavior. Now
that the human genome is mapped, perhaps, we will someday understand more precisely how
behavior is affected by the DNA we inherit. Biological factors such as chromosomes, hormones
and the brain all have a significant influence on human behavior, for example, gender.
The Evolutionary approach explains behavior in terms of the selective pressures that shape
behavior. Most behaviors that we see/display are believed to have developed during our EEA
(environment of evolutionary adaptation) to help us survive.
1. Match the names to the various schools of Psychology. Wundt, Wethimer, Kuffka, Kholer,
Skinner, Freud, William James, Pavlov, Watson, and Chomsky,
, Wundt- Structuralism
Weithimer- Structuralism
Kuffka- Structuralism
Skinner-Behavorism
Frued- Psychoanalytic
William James- Functionalism
Pavlov-Behavorism
Watson-Behaviorism
Comsky-Behavorism.
3. What is the significance of the iceberg presented by Freud?
Freud’s iceberg theory metaphorically represents the mind’s three levels: the conscious (visible tip
of the iceberg), the preconscious (just below the surface), and the unconscious (vast submerged
portion).
ATI - Class Activity -2 (Practice: This is only practice and you do not necessarily need to do all of
them).