Biological Foundations of Psychology, Assessment Example

Psychology consists of many different schools which have varying views upon the study of human behavior.  These views help psychologists better understand behavior and assist in particular situations, such as in counseling.  Additionally, the study of psychology based on biological methods has resulted in increased understanding of behavior, based on certain biological foundations.  Both biology and schools of thought affect the nature of the field of psychology as a whole.  They have both left longing impressions and impact on the field.

Schools of Psychology

Various schools of psychology represent different theories held in the field of psychology.  The ones covered here have been more influential than others; however there are others which are significant in psychology.  Most psychologists utilize and combine viewpoints of each school, which helps understand behavior and help individuals in life issues.

Behaviorism

Led by Ivan Pavlov, Edward Lee Thorndike, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner, behaviorism appeared in the 19^th century.  It is based on the belief that feelings, thoughts, and actions should be regarded as behaviors.  That is, everything that is performed should be thought of as a behavior.  There are different branches in behaviorism, including methodological, radical, teleological, theoretical, biological, and psychological behaviorism.

Behaviorism holds that behaviors can be described scientifically.  These scientific explanations do not need to be utilized by internal physiological events or to mental constructs, according to behaviorism.  Behaviorism lasted well into the 20^thcentury, where it was eclipsed by the cognitive revolution, which helped develop Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which uses cognitive models with behaviorist techniques.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is also known as Freudian psychology.  This field was developed primarily by the Austrian physician Sigmund Freud.  Freud laid the foundations for this major school of psychology.  It was later continued by other psychologists.

Psychoanalysis is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior.  It has three primary applications.  The first is in its method of investigation of the mind in order to understand the way one thinks.  Another is a systematized set of theories regarding human behavior.  The final primary application is in its method of treatment of illness, either of a psychological or emotional illness.

Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy was developed in the 1940s and 1950s.  Its prominent developers were Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman who helped established Gestalt therapy within the field of psychology.  It grew considerably through the 1970s and 1980s, though it was not aligned with formal academic settings.

Gestalt therapy is built upon the experiential present moment and the idea that everyone is caught in webs of relationships.  It emphasizes personal responsibility in the many different relationships, contexts, and adjustments that the individual makes in life, such as perception forming meaningful patterns (Coon & Mitterer, 2007).  The methods in Gestalt therapy have been combined with meditation practices to create a program of human development called Gestalt Practice.

Cognitivism and Functional Psychology

Cognitivism is largely a theoretical approach.  It approaches understanding the mind utilizing quantitative, positivist, and scientific methods, describing mental functions as information processing models.  Cognitivism comprises of a methodological and theoretical component.  It became dominant in the late part of the 20^th century, where it replaced behaviorism and that for understanding mental function.

Functional psychology is a general basis for developing psychological theories.  It is a philosophy which considers active adaptation to the individual’s environment, in order to see how it affects one’s mental life and behavior.  It sought to oppose structuralism in the late 19^th century; functionalism was founded by William James.

Biological Foundation of Psychology

Biology has long held importance in the field of psychology.  It is currently referred to as behavioral neuroscience, or biological psychology, biopsychology, or psychobiology, where the dedicated field applies principles of biology to behavior.  Often a biological variable is measure in order to relate it to another biological or psychological variable, to contribute to evidence based practice.

This field seeks many issues and subject areas as those in mainstream academic psychology.  Primary subject matter includes areas like emotion, sleep and biological rhythms, control of movement, motivated behavior such as hunger or thirst, learning and memory, and sensation and perception.  Additionally, abnormal psychology is dealt with in order to identify underlying biological functions relating to conditions like schizophrenia, clinical depression, autism, anxiety, drug abuse, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The field began in earlier biological studies.  Brain and physical responses were examined from those who suffered from head trauma.  When the memory could not be recalled which produced a response which was rendered from the event, interest was sparked.  From intentional lesions given to animals, parts of the brain were associated with emotional responses.  The first psychological lab was opened in 1879 by William Wundt in Lipzig, Germany (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).

References

Coon, Dennis and Mitterer, John. (2007). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education.

Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2005). Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Passer, Michael and Smith, Ronald. (2007). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.