Camps of Psychology

• Empiricism


  the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.

  
• Structuralism


  early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.
• Functionalism

  early school of psychology promoted by James and influences by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable the organism to adapt, survive and flourish.
• Behaviorism


  the view that psychology:

  1) should be an objective science

  2) studies actions without reference to mental processes

  Most research psychologists today agree with 1) but not 2). Skinner and Watson
• Humanistic Psychology


  historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people. (Rogers and Maslow)

  
• Cognitive Neuroscience


  interdisciplinary study of the brain actively linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
• Psychology


  the science of behavior (anything an organism does) and mental processes (internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior).

  
• Nature-Nurture Issue

  longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experiences make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.
• Biopsychosocial Approach


  integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological and social-cultural levels of analysis.
• Biological Psychology


  scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
• Cognitive Psychology


  scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communicating. (Piaget)
• Evolutionary Psychology


  study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection.

  
• Pscyhodynamic Psychology


  branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders. (Freud)
• Social-Cultural Psychology


  study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.
• Educational Psychology

  study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.
• Personality Psychology

  study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting.
• Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology


  application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in work places.
• Counseling Psychology


  branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.
• Clinical Psychology


  branch of psychology that studies, assesses and treats people with psychological disorders.
• Psychiatry

  branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (i.e. drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.