Perspectives of Psychology

In chapter 1, King (2019) discusses the contemporary approaches to psychology. These include the following: biological, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, evolutionary, and sociocultural (pp. 8-11). The above video discusses these 7 approaches and gives you an idea about how each of the perspectives might look at a person with a fear of public speaking.

For your initial post: First: Using the textbook information and the information on the video, select 2 of the 7 perspectives. Compare and contrast these two perspectives. How are they similar and how are they different? Next: Read the following scenario about John. Consider the 2 psychological perspectives you chose above. How might a psychologist in each of these perspectives approach John’s situation? What might they think could be causing the situation? How might they try to resolve the situation? Scenario: John is a 15 year old male.

He lives with his mother who works multiple jobs to make ends meet. They reside in a rough lower socioeconomic neighborhood. He has not seen his biological father in 10 years. John spends a great deal of time with no adult supervision or influence and has started drinking alcohol.

John had a history of being abused as a young child. John comes from an ethnic background that celebrates the importance of toughness in males. He gets acceptance from his peers who praise him for his toughness.

Because he has had no real positive influences in his life, he often thinks very negatively about himself. He has been accused of bullying other kids in school and has been suspended on a number of occasions. He now faces the possibility of being expelled from school.

His mother talks to the school psychologist about helping him look for more positive ways to express his strengths and masculinity. Discussion instructions:  Your initial response is due on Thursday.

Your response should be on the 300-350 range. References and citations are expected to be used in the process of answering these questions. Additionally, respond to 2 of your classmates.

Find a classmate who has selected a different perspective than you did. Discuss with them the contrasts between their approach and yours. Remember that you must do this with 2 of your classmates.

Your responses to classmates should be in the 100-150 word range and should be more than just telling them they did a good job or stating your agreement with their response. 

Reference: King L. A., (2019). Experience psychology (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.