Foundations of Psychology - the Psychodynamic Perspective

Foundations of Psychology

When people hear the word psychology they may not always perceive it as a science. The science of psychology is based on the mental processes and behavior of human beings, and in some cases, animals. The foundations of psychology rely heavily upon four individual schools of thought. This includes the following perspectives: psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, and evolutionary (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Although the biopsychological approach is not considered as one of the four major schools of thought within psychology, it plays an important role in the foundations of psychology. These perspectives focus on a unique viewpoint or approach toward the field of psychology and each brings new ideas and theories to the table.

The Psychodynamic Perspective

It can be said that Sigmund Freud was the father of the psychodynamic perspective of psychology. Freud developed this perspective based upon the idea that the unconscious self is responsible for certain "underlying wishes, fears, and patterns of thought from an individual's conscious, verbalized thought, and behavior" (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 13). Essentially, the psychodynamic perspective suggests that people's actions and thoughts are influenced by unconscious factors that they may not be aware of. The goal of psychodynamic psychologists was to discover how these unconscious factors influence the behavior and mental processes of human beings. Due to the nature of this perspective psychologists relied heavily upon the case study method which permitted observation and analysis of the patient's dreams, fantasies, and fears.

The psychodynamic perspective has been intensely criticized throughout the years because of the nature of the theories provided by this perspective. In fact, it is the most criticized perspective because it relies primarily upon interpretation. Psychologists who favor the psychodynamic perspective are often fascinated by "phenomena not amendable to more traditional experimental methods" (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 14).

The Behaviorist Perspective

One prominent name within the behaviorist perspective was that of a Russian psychologist, Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov discovered that his dogs had learned to anticipate a meal after hearing a specific sound. The dogs would salivate subsequent to hearing the sound because they had learned that the sound was associated with meal time. This led to the discovery that "human and animal behaviors are largely acquired by learning" (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 15). B.F. Skinner became a well-known name in behaviorism as well by observing how environmental consequences could either encourage or diminish the occurrence of certain behaviors, which ties directly into Pavlov's learning theory.

The behaviorist perspective is centered on how observable behavior is learned based on the influence of environmental stimuli. Unlike the psychodynamic perspective, the behaviorist perspective held that unconscious thoughts and feelings did not have an impact on one's actions and behaviors (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Rather, the behaviorist perspective was based upon the idea that environmental stimuli and learned behavior were the driving factors behind actions and thoughts of humans and animals. Behaviorists prided themselves on the fact that they were able to make precise and accurate observations on which to base their research and theories. Although the psychodynamic perspective used primarily case studies to obtain data, behaviorists

used experimental methods to study how the environment affected how humans and animals behave when presented with certain stimuli. The theories presented by the psychodynamic and behaviorist perspectives are at opposite ends of the psychological spectrum.

The Cognitive Perspective

Cognitive psychology is centered on how thought affects the way people "perceive, process, and retrieve information" (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 17). Cognitive psychologists compare the thought process of the human mind to the way computers process information. Depending on the type of information received the human mind will use various processes to translate, store, and retrieve that information, and this process will create specific outputs, much like a computer (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 17).

Memory functioning and decision making are two key concepts covered by the cognitive perspective. By using an internal thought process humans can make sense of external stimuli, such as speech or images. This process allows people to use their ability to retrieve memories or to make rational decisions.