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Comparison of psychodynamic and behavioral theory
Comparison of psychodynamic and behavioral theory
Psychodynamic approach to human behavior essay
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Many theories and perspectives exist concerning human behavior. One of these theories is the Psychodynamic Approach which deals with our internal state of mind in terms of human behavior development. One of the perspectives is The Social Behavioral Perspective which speaks of the environmental influence on human behavior development. Some of these theories and perspectives affect the underlying belief of the previous theory or shape the foundation of the next theory. While both have their positive aspects and can be useful when assisting clients, they have some flaws that cannot be overlooked. Thyer explained “The practice of social work is often seen as centered around various theories of the etiology of psychosocial problems, various theories (Hutchison, 2011) It is a vast view of different theories of how human behavior is developed through interactions with their environment. (Hutchinson, 2011) Environment has eight diverse compelling measurements. They are: the physical environment, culture, social structure and social foundations, dyads (connections between two individuals), families, small groups, formal associations, communities and social developments. (Hutchison, 2011) Some of the major ideas behind the Social Behavior Perspective are that all behavior is not concrete. Just as behavior is learned and adapted, it can also be defined and altered. (Hutchison, 2011) It also proposes that all human problems can evolve into troublesome demeanor. Lastly according to Hutchison (2011), “All human behavior is learned by the same principles of learning: association of environmental stimuli, reinforcement, imitation and personal expectations and meaning.” (pg. Watson and B.F. Skinner (Hutchison, 2011). Operant conditioning saw behavior as a product of positive and negative reinforcements. Behavior is learned and either acted out more frequently through rewards (positive reinforcements), that it receives, or weakened by punishments (negative reinforcements) which is a penalty of the behavior (Hutchison, 2011). According to Mae Sincero, behavior could also be learned “…indirectly (through observational learning)” (Mae Sincero, 2012). “Other examples of observational learning include: modeling, imitation, vicarious learning, identification, copying, social facilitation, contagion, androle play” (Bustamante, Howe-Tennant, & Ramo, 1996). This approach looked at the aftermath of the conduct as the structure for establishing behavior (Hutchison, 2011). An example of Operant Conditioning is, if every time the child cleans his room, his dad gives him ice cream. The child will continue to clean his room in order to keep receiving the ice cream. If every time, the child does not clean his room he gets a spanking. That will result, in the child started to clean his room because he does not want to be spanked. An example of observational learning would be a young teenage girl getting her belly pierced because she watched all her friends get a belly
Social Work is the study of people and how they interact with the systems in their environment and other people. Social Workers use theories, sets of ideas or concepts, of human behavior and apply them within their professional social work ethics to the problems facing clients in order to help them gain balance in the systems in their lives. Theories help to organize knowledge enabling social workers to help make sense of problems. There are many different theories. They have been grouped into broad categories called theoretical lenses (Rogers, A. 2013).
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Zastrow, C. H., & Krist-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (9 ed.). Belmont:
B.F Skinner developed operant conditioning. It’s the theory that one’s behavior is influenced by the actions that follow afterward. If the actions that follow afterward are consequences, then the behavior according to the theory will fade away. If the actions afterward is a positive action like a reward the behavior will continue on.
Psychology consists of countless different components that help describe various aspects of individuals both mentally and physically. Though Psychology is used for multiple different areas, one of the most common areas to observe in this field is behaviors. Behaviors range from person to person and can be altered by different situations and variables. The point when behaviors can become of interest is when an individual’s actions and behavior are extreme or they are inconsistent with the appropriate behavior in certain circumstances. These abnormal behaviors are often consistent and can be related to psychological disorders. Though some psychological disorders may be manageable to live
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
Skinner believed that all behavior is determined and operant behavior is the idea that operant behavior is the idea that we expect something because we preformed a certain behavior. Skinner also believed that operant conditioning’s purpose was to bring a change positive or or negative to any behavior.
In Psychology there are many different learning styles. One of the more famous learning styles is operant conditioning. In operant conditioning there are two major concepts; reinforcement and punishment. By using these two concepts, behaviors can be encouraged or reduce a certain behavior. Next would be the different schedules of reinforcement that effect how often a behavior is likely to continue. Lastly the article goes on to state how behaviors can be shaped using these and other various methods.
Operant conditioning can be attributed with behaviorist Edward Thorndike and his Law of Effect, which states that behaviors associated with good consequences are more likely to occur again in the future, while behaviors associate with bad consequences are less likely to occur (EdPsych Modules, p. 161). Behaviorist B.F. Skinner expanded on these ideas to form a three phase model of operant conditioning known as The ABC’s
The behavioural perspective to psychology’s assumptions are that all behaviours are learnt from the environment. The environment is made up of many aspects such as housing, local amenities, financial stability and education, these factors that influence are known as environmental determinism.
B.F Skinner developed operant conditioning."The consequences of behavior determine the probability that the behavior will occur again" (Skinner). It's the theory that behavior is determined by the consequences following afterward, making it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again. For example a young boy hitting a younger sibling repeatedly without consequences , would cause the behavior to become a habit. If the boy faced consequences he would be less likely to repeat the
Discuss the social psychological approach in psychology and identify the kinds of questions that social psychologists attempt to answer.
We start by defining both the term and the concept of social psychology. Social psychology is the study of how the conscious and unconscious mind interacts to influence our behaviors, emotions, and thought processes. The concept of social psychology allows us to understand how people react when there is an actual or implied presence of another individual and/or group. Society has a large influence over human behavior. Things such as peer pressure along with parental influences, in-group versus out-group bias, group dynamics, and the implied and/or actual presence of personal principles play a large role in how one functions in everyday life. Each of these moving factors according to Marcus Aurelius are merely stepping-stones to the path
PSYC321-Social Psychology taught me about the ways in which people are influenced by others, how people make decisions, inferences we make about others’ attitudes and personalities, and influence of situational and variables on behavior. I learned that people behave the way that they do for so many reasons. Behaviors are caused more by the social situation than they are by the characteristics of the individuals. One of the concepts that I recall is Lewin’s equation which indicates that the behavior of a person at any given time depends on both the characteristics of the person and the influence of the social situation. Some of the things we do can also be attributed to cultural influences and differences that exist between societies. I found
The behavioral perspective is a theoretical perspective that says that abnormal behavior is caused by flawed learning experiences (Halgin and Whitbourne, 2013). B.F Skinner, the most common behaviorist, believed a person’s environment or anything external can influence a person mentally (AllPsych, 2011). The main point of the behavioral perspective is how the environment affects a person’s overall behavior (AllPsych, 2011). The three types of behavioral theories are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and contiguity theory. Operant conditioning is when a person learns behaviors through reinforcement (Halgin and Whitbourne, 2013). Skinner studied operant conditioning by doing experiments using dogs that he placed in a “Skinner Box” (McLeod, 2011). Contiguity theory says that any stimulus and response that is connected will be associated with each other (Ramo and Howe-Tennant). Contiguity theory comes from the work of E. R. Guthrie (Ramo and Howe-Tennant). Classical conditioning is a learning connection between an original stimulus and a naturally evoking stimulus that causes an automatic reflexive reaction. Classical conditioning was the first type of learning to be discovered (Halgin and Whitbourne, 2013). Classical conditioning was also the first to be studied by behaviorist (Halgin and Whitbourne, 2013). Classical conditioning was discovered by Ivan Pavlov (AllPsych, 2011). During Pavlov’s experiments, he would put meat powder in dogs mouths that had tubes inserted in different organs to measure the dogs body responses (AllPsych, 2011). Pavlov found that the dogs began to salivate before the meat powder was presented to them (AllPsych, 2011). He also found that the dogs began to salivate as soon as the person feedi...