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Jul 16, 2024 · The nature vs. nurture debate in psychology concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities (nature) versus personal experiences (nurture) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits.
- Biological Psychology
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with...
- What is Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior,...
- Biological Psychology
- Determinism
- Different Levels of Determinism
- Freewill
- Critical Evaluation
- References
External Determinism
External (environmental) determinism sees the cause of behavior as being outside the individual, such as parental influence, the media, or school. Approaches that adopt this position include behaviorism and social learning theory. For example, Bandura (1961) showed that children become aggressive through observation and imitation of their violent parents.
Internal Determinism
The other main supporters of determinism are those who adopt a biological perspective. However, for them, it is internal, not external, forces that are the determining factor. According to sociobiology, evolution governs the behavior of a species and the genetic inheritance that of each individual within it. For example, Bowlby (1969) states a child has an innate (i.e., inborn) need to attach to one main attachment figure (i.e., monotropy). Personality traitslike extraversion or neuroticism a...
Psychic Determinism
Freud also viewed behavior as being controlled from inside the individual through unconscious motivationor childhood events, known as psychic determinism. Freud used this principle to explain phenomena like slips of the tongue(“Freudian slips”), dreams, and symptoms of mental disorders, arguing that they all have meaningful explanations rooted in the individual’s unconscious mind.
However, a problem with determinism is that it is inconsistent with society’s ideas of responsibility and self-control that form the basis of our moral and legal obligations. An additional limitation concerns the fact that psychologists cannot predict a person’s behavior with 100% accuracy due to the complex interaction of variablesthat can influen...
For example, people can make a free choice as to whether to commit a crime or not (unless they are a child or they are insane). One of the main assumptions of the humanistic approachis that humans have free will; not all behavior is determined. Personal agency is the humanistic term for the exercise of free will. Personal agency refers to the choic...
Psychologists who take the free will view suggest that determinism removes freedom and dignity and devalues human behavior. There are important implications for taking either side in this debate. Deterministic explanations for behavior reduce individual responsibility. A person arrested for a violent attack, for example, might plead that they were ...
Bandura, A. Ross, D., & Ross,S.A (1961). Transmission of aggression through the imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582 Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York: Basic Books. Chorney, M. J., Chorney, K., Seese, N., Owen, M. J., Daniels, J., McGuffin, P., … & Plomin, R....
Sep 3, 2024 · Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, according to the American Psychological Association. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes.
Aug 20, 2024 · psychology, scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and other animals. The discipline of psychology is broadly divisible into two parts: a large profession of practitioners and a smaller but growing science of mind, brain, and social behaviour.
- Walter Mischel
May 16, 2022 · Updated May 16, 2022. Image Credits. The field of psychology can be complex. But understanding basic psychology terms and their meanings is a good first step to understanding the study of the mind. Keep reading to learn all about psychology vocabulary, including psychological conditions and disorders. Basic Psychology Terms.
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Introduction. The concept of the self has beguiled—and frustrated—psychologists and philosophers alike for generations. One of the greatest challenges has been coming to terms with the nature of the self. Every individual has a self, yet no two selves are the same.
Jul 18, 2024 · Behavioral learning theory. Cognitive learning theory. Constructivist learning theory. Social learning theory. Experiential learning theory. Keep reading to take a closer look at thise learning theories, including how each one explains the learning process. Basic Principles of Social Learning Theory. Behavioral Learning Theories.
