Chapter 2: Introduction to Major Perspectives
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
- Understand the core premises of biological psychology and the early thinkers.
- Understand some of the psychological forces underlying human behaviour.
- Identify levels of consciousness.
- Critically discuss various models and theories of psychodynamic and behavioural psychology.
- Understand the concept of psychological types and identify applications and examples in everyday life.
- Understand the principles of behaviourist psychology and how these differ from the psychodynamic principles in terms of theory and application.
- Distinguish between classical and operant conditioning.
- Describe the key behaviourist theorists and approaches.
- Identify applications of the behaviourist models in modern life.
- Understand the key principles of humanist psychology.
- Differentiate humanistic psychology from biological, psychodynamic and behaviourist psychology.
- Critically discuss and differentiate between key humanistic concepts such as motivation, need, adaptation and perception.
- Identify how humanistic psychology, and its related streams of cognitive and evolutionary psychology, have influenced aspects of daily life and work.
- Critically evaluate empirical support for various biological psychological theories.Explore applications and implications of key concepts of this perspective.
