Philosophical Analysis Paper
Without much debate, the field of psychology has continued to evolve as psychological schools of thought work hard to provide structure and guidance for successful treatment in the clinical setting. However, which schools of thought best capture the human experience? Furthermore, how are these psychological perspectives navigated through the philosophical framework? For example, cognitive psychology has heavily influenced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) by providing a valuable framework for human behavior by detecting the faulty thought processing that allows the clients to discover the necessary coping skills to address their issues. On the other hand, individual psychology (IP) has also established significant theories that have made many contributions to contemporary psychology. Therefore, it is important to critically discuss the contributions of cognitive psychology and individual psychology in order to better understand their relationship to philosophical
…show more content…
Dreikurs (1983) discussed that the human race may have been initially weak to some of these threats but eventually overcame some of nature’s severity through compensation. This compensation from an ontological standpoint describes how the human race shares their knowledge of information in order to overcome these disasters which are important concepts that exist for the human race. In this case, the concept of the human’s weakness over nature exists and has been compensated by the development of intellect and knowledge because the human race has evolved in order to overcome the harsh conditions of nature (Dreikurs, 1983). Therefore, the ontological perspective of being and knowing what exists has influenced the concept of biological inferiority from the IP
The case would be approached with the notion that a persons' way of thinking affects their feelings and actions regarding any particular situation. Approaching the case from this perspective forms the basis for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The CBT approach allows the individual to develop a positive response to life challenges even though the situation may tend to remain similar. CBT focuses on learning, unlike other psychotherapeutic approaches which rely in abundance on analyzing and exploring individual's relationship with their immediate environment. The therapist’s role in CBT is to guide the patient through a learning process on how to develop and implement new methods of thinking and behaving throughout
Psychology comprises of two words originally used by the ‘Greeks’, ‘psyche’, defining the mind, soul or spirit and lastly ‘logos’ being study. Both words define together the ‘study of the mind’. Psychology perspectives evaluate the normal and abnormal behaviour and how persons’ deal with different concepts of issues and problems. Psychology theories’ are based on ‘common sense’, but its scientific structure, everything needs to be evaluated and tested, therefore, promoting different psychological theories’.
In proposing the integration of psychotherapy into psychology, the authors propose that “psychotherapy is the practice of psychology” (Sechrest & Smith, 2012, p. 170). This is a logical ascertain. Psychotherapy is an attempt to improve the psychic condition of a client experiencing some form of mental distress. Other professions aim to improve the situations of their clients: teachers practice education, doctors practice medicine, and auto mechanics practice automotive repair. It is only natural that psychologists practice psychotherapy. There exists a division, however, between clinical psychologists and the rest of the field of psychology.
The Psychodynamic Theory has not proven itself to be very effective. It helps people more when it is paired with other approaches, and is now the starting point, or basis, in other types of therapy (Comer, 2011).
Our text book, Systems of Psychotherapy, describes psychotherapy as “…the informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal stances derived from established psychological principles for the purpose of assisting people to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in directions that the participants deem desirable.”
Cognitions are the thoughts, beliefs, and the internal messages that individuals have about events within their lives (Gladding, 2005). This is the basis of cognitive theory and what counselors assist their clients in modifying. To execute this properly in helping clients professional counselors must know the major principles of cognitive theory, cognitive interventions, who may benefit from cognitive interventions, and examine case studies to identify and treat cognitive distortions that inhibit individuals.
The study of psychology began as a theoretical subject a branch of ancient philosophy, and later as a part of biological sciences and physiology. However, over the years, it has grown into a rigorous science and a separate discipline, with its own sets of guidance and experimental techniques. This paper aims to study the various stages that the science of psychology passed through to reach its contemporary status, and their effects on its development. It begins with an overview of the historical and philosophical basis of psychology, discusses the development of the various schools of thought, and highlights their effects on contemporary personal and professional decision-making.
In comparing and contrasting the definition of mental disorder in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5) to the Individual Psychology perspective, one is presented with the dichotomy between the mental illness model and the mental health model. The DSM-5, driven by the use of categorizations and classifications, tends to align with a more strict mental illness, or medical model. In contrast, the Individual Psychology perspective, aims to direct focus back onto the uniqueness of each individual. Individual Psychology returns attention to the significance holistic care plays in the wellness of the individual.
Cognitive psychology is concerned with the internal processes involved in making sense of the environment and deciding what action may be appropriate. These processes include attention, perception, learning and reasoning, (Eysenck and Keane, 2010).There are a number of approaches which can be used within this field, however for the purposes of the essay only two will be compared; cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. The aims of cognitive neuroscientists are often similar to those of cognitive psychologists; they are both interested in the brain and cognition, (Medin and Ross, 1996). Nevertheless, it could be argued that there are also some fundamental differences between the two approaches, especially in the research methods employed. This assignment will explain and evaluate the models in comparison to one another.
The biological approach is useful in regards to treatment. This approach has led to many forms of treatments. The cognitive approach is also useful and has made important contributions to the field of psychology, particularly that for the treatment of depression. The cognitive approach has been applied successfully in therapy. One of the core expectations of the cognitive approach is that mental processes influence our behavior. A further similarity between the two approaches is that both are seen as deterministic approaches. The biological approach believes that behavior is determined by functions of neurons and the structure and functions of the brain. It aims to ‘predetermine’ our behavior so therapy can be developed to aid abnormal behavior. The cognitive approach outlines the importance of schemas and stereotypes. Schemas are seen to be important in an individual’s behavior. We acquire schemas through direct experiences. Another way we acquire schemas is through social interaction. Through interactions we also learn stereotypes. These schemas and stereotypes determine the way we interpret a situation. Furthermore, both the biological and cognitive approaches use scientific methods. Both approaches believe that behaviour should be tested and measured in a systematic
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy appears to be a new treatment, although its roots can be traced to Albert Ellis’s Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, published in 1962. Cognitive therapy assumes that thoughts precede actions and false self-beliefs cause negative emotions. It is now known that most depression treatments have cognitive components to them, whether they are recognized or not. In the 1970’s many psychologists began using cognitive components to describe depression. From there, they developed cognitive forms to treat depression with impressive results (Franklin, 2003).
In this assignment I am going to introduce and unpack cognitive behavioural theory and psychodynamic theory. This will include the history of each theory and the theorists that discovered and developed both. I am going to link each theory to where they fit in Payne’s Triangle of Social Work as well as compare and contrast each theory. Both Cognitive behavioural theory and psychodynamic theory both support the purposes of social work in which I will cover beneath. This assignment will also include criticisms of both theories as well.
Whilst evaluating the cognitive approach to psychology there are many strengths such as that the cognitive approach takes an understanding of the influence from mental processes on one’s behaviour, focusing on an individual’s thinking patterns and their perception. This approach also relates to many known functions and operations that the human body performs such as memory and problem solving.
The psychological genre as it relates to sociological and medicinal matters has gained an increasing amount of scientific approval. Impartiality and the scientific method are both integral components to a psychologist’s mode of practice. However, even the most esteemed of psychologists can only speculate at what makes human beings act the way they do. Absolutes play no function in psychology. Everything is relative and open to conjecture. Theologians give us their visions or thoughts about life. In the field of psychology, there have been many different regions of interest and speculation.
Individual psychology was discovered by Alfred Adler who named his theory as such to emphasize the holistic perspective.