Psychology’s Perspectives
The Big Seven

Neuroscience Perspective
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Focus on how the physical body and brain creates our emotions, memories and sensory experiences.

If you could not remember the names of your parents and went to a psychologist who adheres to the neuroscience perspective, what might

Evolutionary Perspective
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Focuses on Darwinism.
We behave the way we do because we inherited those behaviors.
Thus, those behaviors must have helped ensure our ancestors survival.
Mother nature practicing selective breeding
How could this behavior ensured
Homer’s ancestors survival? Psychodynamic Perspective

What might a psychoanalyst say is the reason someone always needs to be chewing gum?

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Fathered by Sigmund
Freud.

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Our behavior comes from unconscious drives. 

Usually stemming from our childhood.

Behavioral Perspective
Focuses on our
OBSERVABLE
behaviors.
 Only cares about the behaviors that impair our living, and attempts to change them.
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If you bit your fingernails when you were nervous, a behaviorist would not focus on calming you down, but rather focus on how to stop you from biting your nails.

BEHAVIORISTS
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How people learn
Rewards and punishment John B. Watson

Cognitive Perspective
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Focuses on how we think (or encode information) How do we see the world? How did we learn to act to sad or happy events? Cognitive Therapist attempt to change the way you think.

Meet girl

Or get back on the horse Get Rejected by girl

Did you learn to be depressed Social-Cultural Perspective
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Focus on how your culture effects