Student Name: Malik Abdul Rauf

Roll No.: 21

BPA (Evening 2nd Semester)

Q No. 1: Define Psychology? Explain School of thoughts in Psychology?

Answer:
Psychology:
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting
behavior in a given context. It is the study of the mind, how it works, and how it affects
behavior. In psychology, we study about the mental characteristics or attitude of a person or
group.
There are four basic goals of psychology: to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior.
Although the last goal may sound threatening, it is actually the one the majority of those reading
about psychology are most interested in.
A psychologist treats a patient through psychotherapy, helping to relieve symptoms through
behavioral change. The role of the psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor, focuses more on
prescribing medication and other interferences to manage mental health conditions.

School of thoughts in Psychology

The different schools of thoughts in psychology represent the major theories within psychology.
Major Psychological Schools of Thought are the following
 Structuralism.
 Functionalism.
 Psychoanalysis.
 Behaviorism.
 Gestalt Psychology.
 Humanistic Psychology.
1: Structuralism
Structuralism was a school of thought that sought to identify the components (structure) of the
mind, the mind was considered the key element to psychology at this
point. Structuralists believed that the way to learn about the brain and its functions was to break
the mind down into its most basic elements. The Structuralism school of thought has influenced
psychology in its pursuit of the analysis of the adult mind.
An example of structuralism is describing an apple. An apple is crisp, sweet, juicy, round, and
hard.

2: Functionalism.
Functional psychology or functionalism refers to a general psychological philosophy that
considers mental life and behavior in terms of active adaptation to the person's environment.
As such, it provides the general basis for developing psychological theories not readily testable
by controlled experiments and for applied psychology.
For example, a functionalist theory might characterize pain as a state that tends to be caused by
bodily injury, to produce the belief that something is wrong with the body and the desire to be
out of that state, to produce anxiety, and, in the absence of any stronger, conflicting desires, to
cause wincing or moaning. According to this theory, all and only creatures with internal states
that meet these conditions, or play these roles, are capable of being in pain.

3: Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is defined as a set of psychological theories and therapeutic methods which have
their origin in the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. The primary assumption
of psychoanalysis is the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and
memories. The aim of psychoanalysis therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences,
i.e., make the unconscious conscious. It is only having a cathartic (i.e., healing) experience can
the person be helped and "cured."
For example, Sarah was adopted into a loving family when she was five. However, for years she
displayed aggressive behavior towards her adoptive parents and siblings, even though they were
incredibly kind to her. The adoption specialists advised the family not to take Sarah's behavior
personally, explaining that her anger was really directed at her birth parents and former foster
families for the way she had been treated.

4: Behaviorism

Behaviorism refers to a psychological approach which emphasizes scientific and objective

methods of investigation. The approach is only concerned with observable stimulus-response
behaviors, and states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment.
Behaviorism emphasizes the role of environmental factors in influencing behavior, to the near
exclusion of innate or inherited factors. This amounts essentially to a focus on learning. We learn
new behavior through classical or operant conditioning (collectively known as 'learning theory').
Behaviorism can also be thought of as a form of classroom management. Behaviorists believe
human beings are shaped entirely by their external environment.
An example of behaviorism is when teachers reward their class or certain students with a party or
special treat at the end of the week for good behavior throughout the week. The same concept is
used with punishments. The teacher can take away certain privileges if the student misbehaves.
5: Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt psychology is a school of thought that looks at the human mind and behavior as a whole.
When trying to make sense of the world around us, Gestalt psychology suggests that we do not
simply focus on every small component. Instead, our minds tend to perceive objects as part of a
greater whole and as elements of more complex systems. This school of psychology played a
major role in the modern development of the study of human sensation and perception.

The law of closure is one example of a Gestalt law of perceptual organization. According to this

principle, things in the environment often tend to be seen as part of a whole. In many cases, our
minds will even fill in the missing information to create cohesive shapes.

6: Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole
person. Humanistic psychologists look at human behavior not only through the eyes of the
observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving. Humanistic psychologists
believe that an individual's behavior is connected to his inner feelings and self-image. Unlike the
behaviorists, humanistic psychologists believe that humans are not solely the product of their
environment. Rather humanistic psychologists’ study human meanings, understandings, and
experiences involved in growing, teaching, and learning. They emphasize characteristics that are
shared by all human beings such as love, grief, caring, and self-worth.

Sensitivity training at a place of employment is an example of the humanistic perspective, where

individuals are taught to view those with whom they work as having the same needs and desires
as themselves. It is a way of downplaying differences in physicality, culture, skin color, and
belief, among other things.
Q No. 2: What is the biological aspect of behavior? or Why do we study
Biology in Psychology?

Answer:
The biological approach believes us to be as a consequence of our genetics and physiology. It is
the only approach in psychology that examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a
biological and thus physical point of view.
Therefore, all that is psychological is first physiological. All thoughts, feeling & behavior
ultimately have a biological cause. A biological perspective is relevant to the study of
psychology in three ways:
1. Comparative method: different species of animal can be studied and compared. This can help
in the search to understand human behavior.
2. Physiology: how the nervous system and hormones work, how the brain functions, how
changes in structure and/or function can affect behavior. For example, we could ask how
prescribed drugs to treat depression affect behavior through their interaction with the nervous
system.
3. Investigation of Inheritance: what an animal inherits from its parents, mechanisms of
inheritance (genetics). For example, we might want to know whether high intelligence is
inherited from one generation to the next.
Each of these biological aspects, the comparative, the physiological (i.e., the brain) and the
genetic, can help explain human behavior.
By looking at the biological bases of human behavior, psychologists are better able to understand
how the brain and physiological processes might influence the way people think, act, and feel.
Biopsychology is a branch of science that explores how the brain and nervous system influence
human behavior. Biopsychology, which is also referred to as psychobiology and biological
psychology, studies the functions of normal, injured and poorly developed brains.
Biopsychology’s subfields include neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience and behavioral
neuroscience.