PSYCHOLOGY – SSC 210

LAHORE SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

HIRRA RANA
Gestalt psychology :German psychologist,
Max Wertheimer

 Gestalt means “form, pattern, or whole.”

Gestalt psychologists studied thinking, learning, and perception as whole units, not by
analyzing experiences into parts. Their slogan was, “The whole is greater than the sum
of its parts”
 Gestalt psychology
A school of psychology emphasizing the study of thinking, learning, and perception in
whole units, not by analysis into parts.
Sigmund Freud, 1856–1939

Freud believed that mental life is like an iceberg, Only a small part is exposed to view.

• He called the area of the mind that lies outside of personal awareness the
unconscious.
Unconscious: Contents of the mind that are beyond
awareness, especially impulses and desires not directly known
to a person.
According to Freud, our behavior is deeply influenced by unconscious thoughts,
impulses, and desires.

• Psychoanalysis, the first fully developed psychotherapy, or “talking cure.” Freudian

psychotherapy explores unconscious conflicts and emotional problems.
 Psychoanalysis :A Freudian approach to psychotherapy emphasizing the exploration
of unconscious conflicts.

 Psychodynamic theory : Any theory of behavior that emphasizes internal conflicts,

motives, and unconscious forces.
Abraham Maslow, 1908–1970.

• Founder of humanistic psychology.

Humanistic Psychology
• Humanism is a view that focuses human experience.

• Humanistic psychologists are interested in human potentials, ideals, and problems.

(Self-image is your perception of your own body, personality, and capabilities. Self-
evaluation refers to appraising yourself as good or bad. A frame of reference is a
mental perspective used to interpret events.)
 Maslow’s concept of self-actualization is a key feature of humanism.

Self-actualization refers to developing one’s potential fully and becoming the best
person possible. According to humanists, everyone has this potential. Humanists seek
ways to help it emerge.
Cognitive perspective
The approach that focuses on how people think,
Understand, and know about the world.

 One of the theoretical perspectives of psychology is cognitive.

• Psychologists who rely on the cognitive perspective ask questions on subjects

ranging from how people make decisions to whether a person can watch television
and study at the same time.
Neuroscience perspective :
The approach that views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous
system, and other biological functions.
 Psychological Perspective:
 Behavioristic View

• Key Idea: Behavior is shaped and controlled by one’s environment.

• Emphasizes the study of observable behavior and the effects of learning;
stresses the influence of external rewards and punishments

 Cognitive View
• Key Idea: Much human behavior can be understood in terms of the mental
processing of information.
• Concerned with thinking, knowing, perception, understanding, memory,
decision making, and judgment; explains behavior in terms of information
processing
 Psychodynamic View

• Key Idea: Behavior is directed by forces within one’s personality that are often
hidden or unconscious.
• Emphasizes internal impulses, desires, and conflicts—especially those that are
unconscious; views behavior as the result of

 Humanistic View

• Key Idea: Behavior is guided by one’s self-image, by subjective perceptions of the

world, and by needs for personal growth.
• Focuses on subjective, conscious experience, human problems, potentials, and
ideals; emphasizes self-image and self-actualization to explain behavior; positive,
philosophical view of human nature.