What is Free Will?
What is free will? To have free will we must be able to choose our behaviour- it is not determined by either the environment or our genetic inheritance or some form of soft determinism such as the Cognitive Perspective in Psychology would argue. Behaviourist argue that we do NOT have free will because our behaviour is determined by the environment, current or previous environmental experiences which will determine how we behave- we do not have a choice. To illustrate the behaviourist ideas we can consider the work or studies of firstly Pavlov. Pavlov showed how reflex behaviours could be conditioned by various neutral stimuli to become associated with an unconditioned stimulus to evoke a conditioned response such as salivation. This work was further supported by Watson's study on Little Albert which showed that humans could be conditioned to fear a previously 'un-scary' object which as a white rat. This study showed that Albert did not have free will, he was conditioned by the environment to fear the rat i.e. His behaviour was determined by the environment. However, often researchers such as Minoke found that it is easier to condition a fear in animals of snakes rather than flowers or guns... but this behaviour is still not free will rather it is genetic or biologically determined behaviour. In contrast to classical conditioning which appears to refute the idea of free
Discuss one or more theories of Moral Understanding and evaluate its conclusions.
Discuss one or more theories of the development of moral understanding and evaluate its conclusions. The term morality, according to Shaffer (1993) means "a set of principles or ideals that help the individual to distinguish right from wrong and to act on this distinction. Morality is important to society, as it would not function effectively unless there is some agreement of what is right and wrong. There are many underlying processes and environmental factors, which limit or promote social, cognitive and moral development in children. In modern society, television could be considered to be one of the major influences on a child's moral development. There are three approaches to moral development; the cognitive approach, the psychodynamic approach and the social learning theory. The Cognitive-Developmental approach of Piaget and Kohlberg studies how children become more able to reason morally and make moral judgements, whereas the Freud's psychodynamic approach is more concerned with the development of the conscience and moral feelings such as guilt and anxiety. The social learning theory of Bandura and Mischel investigates the development of moral behaviour and how role models in the family, society and the media, influence it. The theory I am going to discuss is Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Approach. His theory of moral development is concerned with how
Is Beauty the Key to a Better Life?
Shawna Danielson Kellie Clemmer Psych 1110 23 February 2009 Is Beauty the Key to a Better Life? . What am I being asked to believe or accept? Attractiveness plays an important role in whether or not an individual will be successful- both at home and in the workplace. Some individuals argue that attractiveness can hinder a persons chance for a successful relationship and can belittle their talents and intelligence. Others argue that attractiveness can improve an individual's chances of having a happy, successful relationship, and that beautiful people earn more, live longer, and have better lives. 2. What evidence is there to support the assertion? Our American culture looks to a women's body, and physical appearance, as a way of determining femininity (Kalof, 1999). There is evidence that suggests that physical attractiveness influences others perceptions and evaluation, treatment afforded by others, and overt behavior and self-perception. This occurs throughout an individual's lifespan, in both men and women, and in other cultures as well (Baron, Markman, & Bollinger, 2006). For centuries, beauty has been equated with having positive qualities. Beautiful people are perceived as having elegant homes, expensive cars, and successful lives. They are also expected to be healthy, wealthy, ad wise (Van Leeuwen & Macrae, 2004). They are also perceived as being more
Compare and contrast two psychological perspectives I am going to research the psychodynamic and Cognitive theory thoroughly
I am going to research the psychodynamic and Cognitive theory thoroughly, using different resources with this I will compare their strengths and weaknesses of each. The psychodynamic approach includes all theories in psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particular unconscious between the structures of personality. Freud's psychoanalyst was the original psychodynamic theory. Sigmund Freud's Theory is quite complex. He believed that different driving forces develop during these stages which play an important role in how we interact with the world. In An Outline of Psychoanalysis, Freud (1949) explains the principal tenets on which psychoanalytic theory is based. According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements, these three elements of personality is known as the id, the ego, and the superego which work together to create complex human behaviors. The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If
Perspectives on Divorce
3) There are many parts of the brain that effect the way we live and act every single day. There is the frontal lobe which controls planning, organizing, coordinating and controls movements, reasoning and the overall thinking process. I have used my frontal lobe today when I decided to write this essay, and how I was going to set it up. There is the temporal lobe which controls hearing. I used this today when I listened to my Ipod in the halls. There is the cerebellum which controls balance, movement, and coordination. I used this today when I tried to dance during lunch (key word tried.....). There is also the occipital lobe which controls vision. I used this today when I read a book during English. The possibly most important part of the brain is the medulla, which controls vital functions. I used this today when I had to go from the first floor to the third floor, and I had to catch my breath. When people say "your eyes don't see, your nose doesn't smell, your tongue doesn't taste, your ears don't hear, and your skin doesn't touch; your brain does it all" they are saying although we associate all of those senses with their respective body part really we cant see, touch, taste and so on without our brain first processing it and telling our bodies what is going on. 2) The psychoanalytical perspective says someone may get a divorce because their parents had gotten a
How useful is psychoanalytical approach to understanding a person? Choose one of Freud's case studies. How credible and useful do you find Freud's way of making sense of this person's problem? Which, if any, limitations of the theory do you see?
How useful is psychoanalytical approach to understanding a person? Choose one of Freud's case studies. How credible and useful do you find Freud's way of making sense of this person's problem? Which, if any, limitations of the theory do you see? Much controversy surrounds the psychoanalytical approach to personality. The psychoanalytical approach is primarily based of on Sigmund Freud's (1856-1939) theory of personality. Freud was, and still is, a great figure in personality psychology; he was one of the first to state a personality theory. He suggested that unconscious regions of the mind exist and aid in everyday living, this is somewhat supported through cognitive psychology (Cooper). His theory primarily explained the workings of a patient with 'hysteria', but was later noticed to be a broad theory which could explain a variety of behaviours. The psychoanalytical theory was based on the idea that internal forces drive human behaviour. The two main drives were known as Eros (life drive) and Thanatos (death drive). The Libido was thought to control the life drive and depending on the personality could be very different from person to person. This drive was assumed to determine all behaviours, depending on the people present and the ideas presented to the individual. Freud focused a lot of his workings on childhood development and split the development into stages. The
The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 - 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness
Zoë Wood Psychology Freud's psychoanalytic approach to psychology Tutor: N. Warmsley 9th October 2005 Freud's Psychoanalytic Approach to Psychology The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 - 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness. He preformed studies to look into human personality, psychosexual development and conducted method of treatments to determine the causes of neurotic mental illness. Freud thought that mental illness was caused by early childhood trauma of which treatment for such illness could only be successful when these childhood memories were dealt with and overcome. He developed his own technique to try and remember and overcome the events from their past that had disturbed their development. He made his patients describe anything that came into their mind no matter how silly they thought it may be. This technique helped Freud determine the cause of the mental illness and encouraged the patient to resurface repressed memories. Freud thought this would help them come to terms with the events helping overcome the illness, which was said to be 'removing the neurosis'. According to Freud, everything we do, why we do things, who we are and how we became like this are all related to our sexual drive. Childhood sexual experiences will
Discuss issues with biological therapies
Discuss issues with biological therapies Biological therapies arise from the medical model of abnormal behaviour: mental disorder is an illness which results mainly from a chemical imbalance. Biological treatments are designed to redress this imbalance, through the administration of chemical drugs known as chemotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and, in rare cases, psychosurgery. As well as mental disorders, the biological approach also gives an explanation and treatment for stress and the role of stress management. This approach also shows the link between stress and the immune system. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are also explained by the medical model. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to treat mental disorders. For example anti-anxiety drugs consist of a class of drugs called benzodiazepines and minor tranquilliser designed to reduce levels of anxiety. These include Librium and Valium which were introduced in 1950s, and soon became the most prescribed drug in the world. However, the side-effects include drowsiness, dependence, withdrawal and toxicity However, benzodiazepines have been found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and panic. Gelernter and found them to be more effective than a placebo for social phobia and Lecrubier found that 60% of patients with panic disorder remained free of panic while on medication. Antidepressant drugs are
Findings of the Obedience Studies
Consider whether the Findings of the Obedience Studies, of Milgram, Hofling and Zimbardo justify the Methods used to obtain them? Obedience is the act of obeying orders from others in the form of dutiful or submissive behaviour. We often don't notice how much of an influence people have on our behaviour, and there are many different factors which affect the way we act. For example, the people we are with, the level of authority that they may have compared to us, the setting, the situation and quite obviously our personality type. People obey authority for a number of reasons, such as to avoid punishment, for a reward or benefit and most importantly due to a certain person's authoritarian status. If somebody seems to have more power than ourselves, we tend to feel the need to obey them. Why do we feel obliged to respect and obey somebody, because of their high position in the hierarchy of authority? There have been many intriguing obedience studies which have helped psychologists to get a better insight into how and why us humans decide to obey or disobey, depending on the situation that we are in. although these studies have helped to reveal some important truths about human nature, does that make the unethical and unpleasant ways in which they were discovered acceptable? An impressive study which shows the power that people can have over our behaviour was carried out
How do individual differences influence stress levels?
How do individual differences influence stress levels? The extent to which stress can affect a person is largely dependant on the type of personality they possess. An individual with a Type A personality is categorised as having aggressive tendencies combined with being a competitive high achiever with a fixation on time management. It is thought that these types of traits lead to increased stress levels and blood pressure, which in turn increase the possibility of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). This theory was tested by Friedman and Rosenman in the Western Collaborative Group Study (1960). They used around 3000 middle aged men that lived in California, and tested them for indicators of CHD before assessing their personality. After eight years they found that twice as many participants diagnosed as Type A died of cardiovascular trouble than those diagnosed as Type B (personalities lacking in the traits characteristic of Type A). It was also found that Type As are more likely to smoke and had higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, all of which are causes of cardiovascular problems. This does show a correlation between this type of personality and stress related death, but not a definite cause and effect. The experiment also does not take into account that many Type As had a family history of cardiovascular problems, which is indicative of genetic condition
