Answers and responses essay

Discussion Question 1 Sun 05/01/2011 07: 19 AM , by: Instructor

The five major perspectives in modern psychology are psychodynamic, behaviorism, humanism, neuroscience, and cognitive. Psychodynamic deals with the idea that people are out of control of their actions and behavior, and that there is an underlying reason behind what people do. School psychology is a subgenre that deals with the behavior of elementary school children. Behaviorism emphasizes behavior that is observable and identifiable. Personality psychology addresses how people act and why they act that way.
Humanism is identified as an ethos wherein people are in control of the things they do – social psychology addresses humanism and how the behavior of others affects how someone acts.
Neuroscience deals with a more biological and organic perspective on how people think; behavioral neuroscience examines what biological processes lead to certain behaviors.
Cognitive psychology is a subgenre that talks about the higher functions of the conscious mind, describing how people think and why they think that way.

Discussion Question 2

I am quite interested in environmental psychology, as I am incredibly interested in how people’s surroundings affect the way they think and act. Certain places and households can foster healthier or more poisonous behavior in people, and I would love to know exactly how that works. If people are placed in the proper location or environment, they can thrive; I would love to learn more about how being placed in a new environment changes people.
Industrial/organizational psychology is another area of interest, as the workplace can be a very stressful and influential place for a person. Prejudices, attitudes and behaviors can come about from our experiences with our coworkers and superiors. We spend a great amount of time with these people, and therefore they would naturally influence how we act. I would love to learn the methods by which people affect each other, especially in a workplace environment.

Response #1 Tue 05/03/2011 02: 54 PM , by: Derek

Derek, those are very appropriate descriptions for these genres, and it helps me to better understand exactly how these disciplines are different from one another. I was particularly impressed with your interpretations of the subgenres, showing how they related to the larger discipline – I would agree with your placement of nearly every one, which is difficult, given the similarities of most of them. This response made me want to learn more about each of these different fields.

Response #2 Tue 05/03/2011 08: 12 PM , by: Latonya

Latonya, you managed to get into the heart of each of these disciplines, and delineate exactly what sets them apart from each other, something which should be commended. It helped me understand them better as I read your description of the assertions and examinations that come about from each subfield. You also capped off your response with a nice summary of the importance of differentiating the five perspectives.

Response #3 Posted: Tue 05/03/2011 11: 44 PM , by: Marta

Marta, your opinion on behavioral genetics is quite interesting, as it describes perfectly one of the stances that many behavioral geneticists take – that people determine their own fate and not their blood. The whole nature versus nurture debate is fascinating, and it is one I believe this subfield touches upon. I also appreciated your interest in the field, despite your already established opinion on it – it shows a great desire to learn and gain a full perspective on your own beliefs.

Response #4 Wed 05/04/2011 07: 31 PM , by: Veola

Veola, you discussed educational psychology, and explained your reasons for doing so – learning about the different ways in which people learn. This is also fascinating to me, and this pursuit can help bring about more effective learning tactics that all of us can use, not just our children. With the help of a greater insight into this field, we can all learn exactly how to motivate ourselves properly and gain the most from our education.