Different Approaches to Psychology

Structuralism

Jan 25, 1879

Study of basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences.

Inheritable Traits

Jan 25, 1883

Biological traits passed from parent to children.

Functionalism

Jan 25, 1890

Study of the function (rather than the structure) of consciousness.

Gestalt

Jan 25, 1900

Studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences.

Psychoanalysis

Jan 25, 1920

Studies how unconscious motives and conflicts determine human behavior, feelings, and thoughts.

Behaviorism

Jan 25, 1930

Analyzes how organisms learn or modify thei behavior based on their response to events in the environment.

Cognitive

Jan 25, 1950

Studies how we process, store, retrieve, and use information and how thought processes influence our behavior.

Humanistic Psychology

Jan 25, 1960

Believes that each person has freedom in directing his or her future and achieving personal growth.

Psychobiology

Jan 25, 1990

Studies how physical and chemical changes in our bodies influence our behavior.

Socioculture

Jan 25, 2000

Considers how our knowledge and ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving are dependent on the culture to which we belong.