Ayo Olagbegi Why Study Psychology?

9/11/11 Mr. Cox

Everything begins in the mind; every action, every statement, and every reflex. It is important to study the mind and gain an understanding of it, the very task psychology aims to accomplish and the very reason one should study it. Studying psychology and its various schools of thought, Behaviorism, Psychoanalysis, and Humanism helps people the world over gain an understanding of why they and others think and behave in the way they do. To begin, the Psychoanalytic school of thought was founded by Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s. Freud believed that the mind was composed of the unconscious, the subconscious, and the conscious mind. The unconscious housed primitive instincts such as sex and aggression, while the subconscious held thoughts and feelings that a person was not currently aware of, but which could easily be brought to consciousness, and the conscious mind consisted of all the thoughts and feelings a person is currently aware of. The mind was further divided into the id, the superego, and the ego. The id, an entirely unconscious portion demanded immediate gratification, whilst the superego was concerned with morality and doing what was right, whilst the ego mediated between the two. Freud believed that people could be cured of any mental disorders or neurotic symptoms by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations. For instance, after the end of World War I many soldiers began experiencing mysterious symptoms such as loss of vision. After many sessions with a therapist, one soldier who had inexplicably lost his vision was able to recall watching his high school classmate getting blown up beside him a week before the war would end. Remembering the traumatic incident enabled the soldier to confront his repressed memory and recover his vision. In the same way psychoanalysis can be used to help a person who has an anxiety disorder or phobia uncover whatever repressed roots of the problem in the unconscious into his or her consciousness in order to help the person confront the problem and move forward. Unlike the school of Psychoanalysis, the school of Behaviorism is primarily concerned with the observable behavior of human beings. The school of thought also believes that all behavior is learned from the associations one makes within the environment one lives in. Behaviorism pioneer B.F. Skinner believed that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences and soon discovered that behavior could be changed through the use of punishment or reinforcement. Behavioral therapy is highly applicable in modifying behaviors in classrooms and on the road. For instance a teacher who wants to reinforce proper playtime behavior in a preschool class might compliment his or her students for sharing and using polite words with each other. Likewise, a driver who is speeding and consequently receives a ticket will be less likely to speed in the future. Lastly, the Humanistic perspective was pioneered by Abraham Maslow and believes in the potential of the individual to grow and achieve and takes into account the free will of human beings. Maslow believed that the basic human tendency was to seek fulfillment and growth through personal change until one had reached self-actualization, the complete fulfillment of ones potential. However, in order for one to reach self-actualization one had to fulfill a number

of needs which Maslow grouped into a pyramid termed the Hierarchy of Needs. Another Humanism pioneer, Carl Rogers, developed the client-centered therapy approach in which the client had no diagnosis and was responsible for becoming the active participant in improving his or her life. Using this approach, Rogers was able to turn the therapists role into that of an enabler who listens to and encourages the client on an equal footing in order to help him or her fulfill his or her own potential. The Humanistic perspective has found a plethora of applications in society. For example, it is used in education to train teachers in how to motivate students and by helping students plan their own study. By helping students realize that they have the potential to be successful in any class they work hard in, teachers can help instill values of hard work and increase the self-esteem of their students. The hierarchy also helps patients establish an understanding of their own needs; it essentially enables them to de-clutter and organize their thoughts which helps provoke positive action in their lives. In management, the Hierarchy helps managers to understand the needs of their staff and therefore, motivate and encourage them, which in turn helps the manager get the best work from his or her staff. In conclusion, psychology is not only the study of the mind, but the study of the unique human individual and humans as a whole. It is a subject that needs to be studied in order for humans as a whole to gain better insight into how they and why they behave the way they do. The Psychoanalytic school of thought helps shed light onto the hidden emotions and drives of the unconscious mind, therefore helping one to confront and overcome them. At the same time, the school of Behaviorism helps one discover how to modify and change behavior through the use of punishments, rewards, and reinforcement. Finally, the Humanistic perspective encourages the human beings innate desire to achieve its full potential. Through Maslows Hierarchy one can discover which needs one needs to fulfill in both ones life, and in the lives of others in order to attain self-actualization and be all that one can be.