【Psychology and Life】Chapter 01 — Main Points
* All the following abstractions are excerpted from <Psychology and Life>, Richard J. Gerrig & Philip G. Zimbardo, 19th edition
Chapter 01 — Psychology and Life.
— What Makes Psychology Unique?
Psychology is the scientific study of the behavior and the mental processes of individuals.
The goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict, and help control behavior.
— The Evolution of Modern Psychology
Structuralism emerged from the work of Wundt and Titchener. It emphasized the structure of the mind and behavior built from elemental sensations.
Functionalism, developed by James and Dewey, emphasized the purpose behind behavior.
Taken together, these theories created the agenda for modern psychology.
Women made substantial research contributions in psychology's early history.
Each of the seven perspectives on psychology differs in its view of human nature, the determinants of behavior, the focus of study, and the primary research approach.
The psychodynamic perspective looks at behavior as driven by instinctive forces, inner conflicts, and conscious and unconscious motivations.
The behaviorist perspective views behavior as determined by external stimulus conditions.
The humanistic perspective emphasizes an individual's inherent capacity to make rational choices.
The cognitive perspective stresses mental processes that affect behavioral responses.
The biological perspective studies relationships between behavior and brain mechanisms.
The evolutionary perspective looks at behavior as having evolved as an adaptation for survival in the environment.
The sociocultural perspective examines behavior and its interpretation in cultural context.
— What Psychologists Do
Psychologists work in a variety of settings and draw on expertise from a range of specialty areas.
Almost any question that can be generated about real-life experiences is addressed by some member of the psychological profession.