Psychology: The Quest for Understanding Essay

Much of the ever-changing creation of psychology had pose itself in the midst of diverse discussions based on both historic evidences and the latest discoveries, which were and be by-products of the complex minds of experts and heedful practiti whizrs. Some elements of psychological patterns whitethorn have existed ever since, while some had been subjects of criticisms and disputations for decades now. Nevertheless, this development never ceases to brook the base of perspective make upulation for slew studying psychology. It enriches their managements of interpreting behavior based on empirical evidences, depending on their change priorities and methodologies.psychological science employs the scientific methods in its efforts to discover the reasons for human behavior. There has been several un like approaches developed for psychology and each perspective seems to attri just nowe human behaviors and actions to diverse factors. In this paper, I shall be providing an insig ht of the five (5) major psychological Issues that have come about as a result of varying positions and be restfs, giving emphasis on their basic concepts, arguments, and my personal standpoints on each.The debate over whether humans ar the result of predisposed genetics or if their lives and personalities are shaped by the surrounding environment began in the 1600s when a man named Richard Mulcaster wrote his book, Nature Makes the Boy Toward, and Nurture Sees Him Forward. Arguments on this switch off contrasts genetic information against developmental process, instinct against fancying, and history against environment. Moreover, debates over whether lecture is innate or learned and behaviorism are among the most everyday topics of indicate for savvy 3 discussion under this matter.It is hard to conceptualize that something as complex as human behavior can be completely explained by each side of the argument. For instance, men are seen to be superior over women since birt h. Through time, women had proven that they are unspoilt as valuable as men, in all fields for that matter. In Psychology, womens contributions were overlooked. Who would have thought that the likes of Anna Freud, Karen Horney, Mealanie Klein, and Mary Whiton Calkins can surpass the underestimation to women during their time. It is just difficult to separate the role of genetics and environment.We should, rather, appreciate the interactions that take rank amongst nature and upgrade. Personally, I do non feel that either has any greater of an influence than the other. I retrieve that nature influences nurture and nurture influences nature simultaneously. We should seek a sense of equilibrium amid the two. This append tries to put a dichotomy to whether behaviors can be attributed to the unconscious or the conscious level of thinking. The raillery moral sense is derived from the Latin word conscientia which means knowledge within oneself. Sigmund Freud partially forged to the development of this issue with his Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality. Aside from the ego-ideal, he viewed conscience as a vital part of the superego. Within this proposition, commonwealth are hindered by the conscience to do immoral and punishable deeds, while the ego ideal motivates people to do morally acceptable acts. His theory also suggests that a peasants conscience is shaped by what is taught to him by his or her parents. On the other hand, dreams and slips of the tongue usually express the unconscious. Thoughts, memories, and desires, which comprise this spare-time activity for Understanding 4 level of the mind situated below the conscious has a considerable influence on ones behavior. Maslow supports Freuds claims regarding the conscience. He (Maslow) believes that it is our human nature to have a basically good nature and have an intrinsic conscience, which is based on the unconscious and preconscious perception of our hold nature, of our take in destiny, of our o wn capacities, of our own call in life. (Maslow, A. Toward a Psychology of Being. page 7).Also, Karen Horney speaks of unconditional love being valuable to a peasants well-being. She quotes Unconditional love is an essential for the childs normal development, and when this is ref accustomd, the environment comes to be dreaded it is perceived as a adventure to his mortality, his development, his automatic strivings to grow, his unthawdom and his happiness. In an environment in which the basic disquiet develops, the childs freehanded use of energies is thwarted, his self-esteem and self-reliance are undermined, fear is instilled by intimidation and isolation, his expansiveness is warped through barbarism or overprotective love. It is my utmost belief that each of us has a conscience, being the source of our judgments.As a child, many of us were brought up to distinguish and practice our moral values. That is, we always strive to do good things, and avoid actions that may b ring us feelings of frustrations and guilt. However, much is stochastic that many people have claimed consciousness, that sometimes justifies acts offensive to others. That is why move education, in addition to everyday life experiences to make it holistic, shall foster the rescue of our moral integrity. Situated at the core of our personhood, molded by our experiences form birth, it should be nourished and Quest for Understanding 5 developed.With regards to the unconscious, I aboveboard deem that it indeed has interplay with our conscious minds. Our aspirations, hidden thoughts, and memories do manifest with the way we think and react to every posts. B. F. Skinner is known to have pioneered the concept of behaviorism or the learning perspective. He argued that human beings respond to their environment, but also work on that environment to create certain consequences. This modelling is based on a scheme which states that all actions that living things do should be regarded as behaviors.It assumes that the material world is the absolute reality, where man exists in the absence of mind and soul that man is a biological appliance that responds to conditioning that we, human beings, are not responsible for our actions and that peoples behaviors can be predicted and manipulated. In brief, great are the ethical consequences of behaviorism. art object is reduced to a purely biological being, unaccountable for the consequences of his actions, exempted from his responsibility, informed freedom, and dignity. He is to be shaped by those who can utilize the tools of behaviorism efficaciously.Alternatively, the exam of Internal Mental Process such as problem solving, memory, and run-in comprises Cognitive Psychology. This psychological framework has its foundations in the works of Wertheimer, Kohler, Koffka, and Piaget. They were all cognitive psychologists who were very much interested in how people comprehend, diagnose, and solve problems, counsel on the pro cesses between stimulus and peoples response. It differs from behaviorism as it accepts the use of scientific method and openly acknowledges the existence of mental states like motivation, belief, and desire.Quest for Understanding 6 Underlying issues within the presumed dichotomy between behaviorism and cognitivism could include for instance how people use information in remembering and reasoning, how our senses define the character of our perceptions, how fear is learned from particular objects or situations, and the causes of anxiety and phobic disorders. I find it unethical to say that peoples behaviors should be manipulated and shaped, even by those who can effectively use the tools of behaviorism.Is there really such a person who can effectively do this? Are the minds of children for instance blank slates which shall be exclusively alter with his parents and teachers inputs? In our ever-changing world, especially that human beings are above the instinctive species, the concep t of behaviorism cannot be absolute if not, utilized. Humans always learn to adapt in varying situations. The concept of cognitivism, I should say, is agreeable as it is more organized, and provides for empirical evidences that acknowledge scientific processes.It paved the way for scientific tools to emerge and measure cognitive levels, consequently identifying learning methodologies most satisfactory for different kinds of people. Free leave alone is the belief that our choices are, ultimately, up to us and that an individual has control over his or her behavior and understands the motives behind it. Determinism, as one of the major concepts of psychoanalytical assumptions (Freud, 1940), asserts that our gestures, mistakes, and slips of the tongue are meaningful and non-accidental and that these seemingly artless errors are in fact outcomes of the unconscious area of the mind.Other determinists Quest for Understanding 7 further claim that behavior is determined by some force ove r which humans have no control, such as genetics, upbringing, or fate. Although there exists a discussion whether everyday occurrences are determined or not (determinism versus indeterminism), debates involving these concepts do not strictly lie at putting a line between the two. Interestingly, it is whether determinism and free bequeath can coexist (Compatibilism) or not (Incompatibilism).Compatibilism is the view that determinism and free provide can coexist, and stands in direct contrast to incompatibilism, which posits that either determinism or free will is true, but not both. Incompatibilists believe that if determinism is true, then we are not free and cannot be held responsible for our actions. Most of us would like to believe that we have free will because we would like to think that we have a mind of our own and that everything that we do is up to us and the events of our lives were caused by our own choice of actions. Religiously speaking, free will is what distinguishe s us from other creatures.It makes us believe that we control our lives. With that, it liberates us from the bondage of conforming and mediocrity brought about by our difficulty of fitting ourselves in. Accepting, however, that we are free consequently requires us to have a great deal of responsibility. And that responsibility makes free will not only a psychological issue. Mean to say, we cannot speak of free will without considering relationships, because we usually base our choices on existing political structures, our socio-economic situations, and heathen practices.Take a prostituted woman in a third world country for example. No girl has dreamt of being victimized by commercialized sexual exploitation. Most of us would easily throw criticisms on her situation as we righteously speak of the alternative choice she could have opted to take. Does Quest for Understanding 8 she really have a choice if she is the eldest of eight siblings, with her mother and father separated if po verty deprived her of application her studies and if her body was her last resort to earn money to support her familys needs?