IMPORTANT PROBLEMS AND DISCUSSIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY
There are several problems that psychologists have been trying to solve since the early days of psychology in trying to understand human behavior. Discussions on these problems actually determine the way scientists view these problems.
At the point reached today, researchers state that these debates are not the only answer, in fact, both views defended in the debates are important and that people’s behavior and mental processes are They agree that it will be useful for understanding.
Therefore, these views describing human behavior are not considered as rivals to each other, but as two ends of a plane. Researchers’ approaches can fall anywhere on this plane; that is, each approach may contain some point of view from both extremes, or may be closer to one side.
The following summarizes 3 issues discussed by psychologists.
Problem 1: Nature vs. Environment Controversy (Nature vs. Nurture Controversy)
How much of people’s behavior is due to hereditary and structural factors (nature) and how much is due to environmental factors (environment)? While naturists emphasize the role of heredity, environmentalists focus on family attitudes, child-rearing practices, socioeconomic status, etc. He argues that social, cultural and sociological factors such as
Which side of this debate the researchers are on depends a bit on which approach they are closer to. For example, while developmental psychologists who work closely with the neuroscience approach focus on the role of heredity in development, for developmental psychologists who work closely with the behavioral approach, environmental factors such as family or school factors may be more explanatory.
Problem 2: Are the Causes of Behavior Conscious or Unconscious?
The second important debate is whether the causes of behavior are conscious or unconscious.
How much of a behavior is determined by the individual’s awareness and how much is determined by subconscious processes? For example, clinical psychologists who adopt the psychodynamic approach look for subconscious causes at the root of mental illnesses. Clinical psychologists who determine the cognitive approach, on the other hand, investigate the effect of stereotyped thought systems of individuals on mental illnesses. The social-cognitive approach, which is gaining in importance today, shows that individuals can only cope with the large amount of stimuli they are exposed to at any given moment, but in combination with both automated subconscious processes and conscious processes that require more attention and effort. foresees.
Problem 3: Individual Differences – Universal Rules
A third debate is how much of people’s behavior is due to their unique and special characteristics, and how much is the result of the society and culture in which they live. it is on you. In fact, evolutionary psychologists at one end of this debate argue that behavior occurs entirely because of one’s belonging to the “human species” and is therefore universal. Universal rules apply especially to researchers who have adopted the neuroscience approach. For example, when they are investigating the functioning of the brain, they are not interested in what culture a person comes from. According to them, this personal difference does not make a difference in the basic mechanisms. On the other hand, personality psychologists who adopt a humanistic approach conduct studies on identifying the characteristics that make individuals different from others.
These three main debates are still going on today. In the units you will read in this book, you will be able to see on which side of these discussions different researchers are doing their work.
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