Depending on where you focus on the same object, what you see can change. Both are correct perceptions.
In psychology, there are approaches (perspective) that study the same behavior from different perspectives. These approaches affect not only the questions asked, but also the data collection methods. Take, for example, the subject of “aggression”. While the biological approach examines the effects of the brain and nervous system on aggression, a researcher from the behavioral approach may be interested in whether rewards and punishments from the environment increase aggression. A researcher’s main interest in the sociocultural approach may be the influence of culture on aggression or how aggressive behavior changes in various cultures. While seeking answers to these questions, the biological approach uses neuroimaging methods or hormone measurements, while the behavioral approach can only use visible behaviors as data in a research.
Today, schools of thought in psychology, such as structuralism or functionalism, which were described in the previous section, have disappeared, leaving their place to various approaches such as biological, behavioral and cognitive. The important approaches of modern psychology are summarized below.
Biological Approach
The biological approach assumes that mental processes and behaviors are largely determined by biological processes. This approach is based on the influence of biological factors such as genetic factors, hormones and the brain on psychological processes. Studies within this movement examine physical changes and try to establish their connection with psychological phenomena.
Neuroscientific Approach
Neuroscience looks for explanations of human behavior in the brain, nervous system, and biological factors. The place of the neuroscientific approach in psychology is expanding, especially as the functioning of the brain can be studied thanks to advanced technologies. The most prominent focus of this approach, which stands close to a biological and evolutionary perspective, is to investigate the neurological basis of behavior.
Evolutionary Approach
The evolutionary approach to psychology is based on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Accordingly, the behavior exhibited by humans and animals today is a result of natural selection. Therefore, many behaviors such as the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, choosing a partner, and positive behaviors such as helping can be explained as a result of what has happened throughout the evolutionary process.
Psychodynamic Approach
Based on Freud’s psychoanalysis, this approach focuses on unconscious psychological conflicts within people. According to Freud, most internal struggles arise from the conflict between people’s desire to pursue their natural needs and social rules. Human behavior also takes place as a result of these internal conflicts that are not under the control of individuals.
Behavioral Approach
The behavioral approach focuses entirely on people’s observable actions and behaviors and how they are learned. Based on the perspective of Watson and Skinner, this approach argues that psychology should focus on objectively observable behaviors rather than unobservable processes in the human mind.
An important aspect of this approach is that it emphasizes that behaviors are learned later by the influence of the environment rather than arising from the innate characteristics and structures of people, and therefore it examines how learning processes take place.
Cognitive Approach
The cognitive approach is concerned with processes that go on in people’s minds and cannot be directly observed, in stark contrast to the behavioral approach, which focuses only on observable behaviors. This approach focuses on the effects of perception and processing of information on behavior. Most of these processes occur automatically and unconsciously. In line with this approach, people can be compared to a computer in terms of their perception of the world. Information from outside is perceived inputs to go through the cognitive process; behaviors are seen as outputs resulting from the processing of these inputs.
Humane Approach
Unlike biological, cognitive and behavioral approaches, within the framework of the humanistic approach, human behavior is associated with each person’s unique way of perceiving the world, not with biological factors, mental processes and what is learned from the environment.
The foundations of this perspective are based on the work of Rogers and Maslow. According to this perspective, people are in control of their lives and behavior; everyone acts to improve themselves and reach their potential.
Since all people are different from each other, a person’s behavior can only be interpreted through that person’s experiences and characteristics.
Sociocultural Approach
The sociocultural approach in psychology focuses on the significant impact of social and cultural influences on human behavior. According to this approach, it is of great importance to evaluate the impact of the social and cultural environment while explaining human behavior. This perspective is based on the idea that sociocultural factors, as well as genetic and biological factors, are effective in the formation of people’s attitudes and behaviors. Since behaviors can have different meanings in different cultures, the cornerstone of this approach is the view that the culture of origin should be taken into account when examining the behavior of individuals and that psychological research should be sensitive to culture.
Eclecticism
Today, psychologists study and try to explain people’s thinking and behavior from many different approaches, as explained in the previous section. Psychologists need not limit their work to just one approach.
Eclecticism means blending many approaches when explaining human behavior. For example, when trying to explain a person’s aggressive behavior, behavioral and sociocultural approaches can be used together, by focusing on both learned behaviors in the family and gender roles in the culture in which the person grew up. Thanks to eclecticism, more comprehensive and advanced theories can be produced and researches can be carried out by combining different perspectives.