Compare and contrast two psychological approaches

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Compare and contrast two psychological approaches

The purpose of this assignment is to compare and contrast the following psychological approaches Behaviourism and Psychoanalysis, in doing this we will unpack the key points of these two approaches, highlighting the differences and explaining them.

One of the main psychologists in recent history is John B. Watson (1878 - 1958). Watson was responsible for creating Behaviourism by developing on theories discovered by earlier psychologist Pavlov (1849 - 1936). This phenomenon had a profound effect on how psychology developed. The general assumptions of the Behaviourist approach show that it relies on the study of objective and observable behaviours and does not take into consideration any internal thoughts or feelings. Basically, behaviourism is the study of the relationship between a person's environment and their behaviour whilst ignoring the internal thoughts and feelings of the individual. The Psychodynamic approach is a stark contrast. This approach was developed by Freud (1856 - 1939) in the 1890s in Vienna and looks at the internal conflicts within a subject's unconscious mind to create theories on the subject's personality development. It also allows treatment for psychological disorders based on these theories. In effect, Behaviourism and Psychodynamic approaches are