Essential Psychology Concepts & Thinkers

Classified in Psychology and Sociology

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Psychology

  • Definition: The scientific study of mind and behavior.
  • Pioneer: Wilhelm Wundt
  • Key Work: Principles of Physiological Psychology (book)

Consciousness

  • Definition: A person's subjective experience of the world and the mind.

Structuralism

  • Definition: The analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind.

Behavior

  • Definition: Observable actions of a human or animal.

Philosophers

  • Approach: Do not draw conclusions or seek truth by examining observable events (*empiricism*) but rather by using *rationalism*—drawing conclusions by reasoning and logic.

Nativism

  • Pioneer: Plato
  • Definition: The philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inherent.

Philosophical Empiricism

  • Pioneer: Aristotle
  • Core Idea: All knowledge is acquired through experience; the mind is a blank slate at birth.

Phrenology

  • Pioneer: Franz Joseph Gall
  • Definition: A discredited theory proposing that specific mental abilities and characteristics, ranging from memory to the capacity for happiness, are localized in specific regions of the brain.

Physiology

  • Definition: The study of biological processes, especially in the human body.

Functionalism

  • Pioneer: William James
  • Definition: The study of how mental processes enable people to adapt to their environments.

Natural Selection

  • Pioneer: Charles Darwin
  • Core Idea: Features that help an organism survive are more likely to be passed on to subsequent generations.

Sigmund Freud

  • Key Idea: Believed that patients' psychological problems could often be traced back to unresolved childhood trauma.

Psychoanalysis

  • Definition: A therapeutic approach focused on bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to better understand psychological behavior.

Humanistic Psychology

  • Pioneers: Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers
  • Definition: An approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings, asserting that human beings are at the center of all reality.

Abraham Maslow

  • Key Concept: Self-actualization—the realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone.
  • Hierarchy of Needs (simplified):
    1. Physiological (food, water)
    2. Safety
    3. Love & Belonging
    4. Esteem
    5. Self-Actualization

Carl Rogers

  • Key Concept: Self-disclosure—the idea that answers to problems are often found within oneself.

Evolutionary Psychology

  • Definition: Explains mind and behavior in terms of the adaptive value of abilities that are preserved over time by natural selection. Functions change over time to aid survival.

Cultural Psychology

  • Definition: The study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members, including personalities, belief systems, and personal values.

Absolutism (in Cultural Psychology)

  • Definition: The view that culture has no influence on psychological phenomena.

Relativism (in Cultural Psychology)

  • Definition: The view that culture has a significant influence on psychological phenomena.

Cognitive Psychology

  • Definition: The scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning.

Critical Thinking

  • Definition: The objective analysis and evaluation of information to form a judgment; using one's mind effectively.

Replicate

  • Definition: To repeat an experiment or study to confirm its results or to ensure reliability.

Empiricism

  • Definition: The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation and experience.

Survey

  • Definition: A data collection tool used to gather information about individuals, often through questionnaires or interviews.

Case Study

  • Definition: An in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event, often starting with a small unit and then potentially informing broader research.

B.F. Skinner

  • Key Idea: Associated with operant conditioning and the concept of reinforcing behavior; actions that are rewarded are more likely to be repeated.

Scientific Method

  • Definition: A systematic procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence (observations) and logical reasoning.

Naturalistic Observation

  • Definition: Gathering scientific information by observing people or animals in their natural environment without intervention.

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