PSYCHOLOGY AND

SCIENCE
F. MUMEENUL AFRIN
22PCP011
II M.SC CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
IS PSYCHOLOGY A SCIENCE?

• EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED LAWFUL

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CLASSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS (STIMULI)
AND CLASSES OF BEHAVIOR, AND THEY HAVE DEVISED RIGOROUS, REFUTABLE
THEORIES TO ACCOUNT FOR THOSE RELATIONSHIPS
• OTHER PSYCHOLOGISTS WORK HAND IN HAND WITH CHEMISTS AND
NEUROLOGISTS WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE THE BIOCHEMICAL
CORRELATES OF MEMORY AND OTHER COGNITIVE PROCESSES.
1. DETERMINISM:

• SCIENTIFICALLY ORIENTED PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE WILLING TO ASSUME

DETERMINISM WHILE STUDYING HUMANS.
• ALTHOUGH ALL DETERMINISTS BELIEVE THAT ALL BEHAVIOR IS CAUSED, THERE
ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DETERMINISM
1. BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
2. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM
3. SOCIO-CULTURAL DETERMINISM
BIOLOGICAL:
• BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF
PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OR
GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS IN THE
EXPLANATION OF BEHAVIOR.
• FOR EXAMPLE, EVOLUTIONARY
PSYCHOLOGISTS CLAIM THAT MUCH
HUMAN BEHAVIOR, AS WELL AS THAT
OF NONHUMAN ANIMALS, REFLECTS
DISPOSITIONS INHERITED FROM OUR
LONG EVOLUTIONARY PAST.
ENVIRONMENTAL:
• ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM STRESSES
THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
STIMULI AS DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR.
SOCIO-CULTURAL DETERMINISM:
• SOCIOCULTURAL DETERMINISM IS A FORM
OF ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM, BUT
RATHER THAN EMPHASIZING THE
PHYSICAL STIMULI THAT CAUSE
BEHAVIOR, IT EMPHASIZES THE CULTURAL
OR SOCIETAL RULES, REGULATIONS,
CUSTOMS, AND BELIEFS THAT GOVERN
HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
LIMITATIONS OF DETERMINISM:

• BEHAVIOR TYPICALLY HAS MANY CAUSES. AS FREUD SAID, MUCH BEHAVIOR IS

OVER-DETERMINED; THAT IS, BEHAVIOR IS SELDOM, IF EVER, CAUSED BY A
SINGLE EVENT OR EVEN A FEW EVENTS.
• SOME CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR MAY BE FORTUITOUS.
FOR EXAMPLE, A RELUCTANT DECISION TO ATTEND A SOCIAL EVENT MAY RESULT
IN MEETING ONE’S FUTURE SPOUSE.
 FORMS OF DETERMINISM

PHYSICAL
• GENES, ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI,
AND CULTURAL CUSTOMS ARE ALL
ACCESSIBLE AND QUANTIFIABLE AND
THUS REPRESENT FORMS OF
PHYSICAL DETERMINISM
PSYCHICAL
• PSYCHICAL DETERMINISTS CLAIMS
THAT, THE MOST IMPORTANT
DETERMINANTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
ARE SUBJECTIVE AND INCLUDE A
PERSON’S BELIEFS, EMOTIONS,
SENSATIONS, PERCEPTIONS, IDEAS,
VALUES, AND GOALS.
2. IN-DETERMINISM

• THIS PRINCIPLE SAYS THAT, ALTHOUGH HUMAN BEHAVIOR IS INDEED DETERMINED,

WE CAN NEVER LEARN AT LEAST SOME CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR BECAUSE IN
ATTEMPTING TO OBSERVE THEM WE CHANGE THEM.
• FOR EXAMPLE: IMAGINE A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY KIND AND
HELPFUL TO OTHERS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE SUDDENLY BECOMES DISTANT AND
UNCOOPERATIVE. AN IN-DETERMINISTIC VIEWPOINT SUGGESTS THAT THERE MIGHT
BE INTERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, LIKE FLEETING EMOTIONS OR
THOUGHTS, THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SUDDEN CHANGE AND ARE NOT ENTIRELY
PREDICTABLE.
3. NON-DETERMINISM:

• THESE PSYCHOLOGISTS, USUALLY WORKING WITHIN EITHER A HUMANISTIC OR AN EXISTENTIAL

PARADIGM, BELIEVE THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR ARE SELF-GENERATED.
• FOR THIS GROUP, BEHAVIOR IS FREELY CHOSEN AND THUS INDEPENDENT OF PHYSICAL OR PSYCHICAL
CAUSES.
• CONSIDER A PERSON WHO IS DECIDING WHETHER TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MEDICINE OR IN THE ARTS.
THEY MIGHT HAVE A STRONG FAMILY HISTORY IN MEDICINE AND EXCELLENT ACADEMIC SKILLS, MAKING
A CAREER IN MEDICINE SEEM HIGHLY PROBABLE. HOWEVER, THEIR PERSONAL PASSION FOR THE ARTS
AND THEIR DESIRE FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION MIGHT ALSO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THEIR
DECISION. NON-DETERMINISM IN THIS SCENARIO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WHILE CERTAIN FACTORS LIKE
FAMILY INFLUENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS ARE RELEVANT, INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES,
INTERESTS, AND PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.