Human Sciences is an area of knowledge which aims to explore and interpret the different explanations behind human behaviour such as its interrelationships or thoughts . However, humans are very complex systems and in many cases in order to study them we tend to simplify its complexity by breaking it up into smaller components rather than by exploring them as a whole. This way of producing knowledge, which is mainly used in identifying the causes behind our behaviour, is called reductionism. One example, of this approach is the use of models in Psychology for predicting and justifying different behaviours. The use of reductionism is clearly intended to allow us to understand different phenomenon by simplifying its complexity, nonetheless we …show more content…
Furthermore, as the British writer Douglas Adam said “if you try to take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a non-working cat”. This indicates, that when studying something by breaking it up into smaller components for reducing its complexity, we are loosing properties of the studied thing which could only be revealed by looking it as a whole (adopting a holistic approach) and so accuracy is being lost. As a psychology student, I have been capable of seeing that in many cases we tend to explain human behaviours by just attributing it to either the biological, cognitive or sociocultural levels of analysis. The main limitation of using this reductionist approach in Psychology is that human beings are all very complex systems and it’s impossible to explain one human behaviour by just attributing it to only one of the three levels of analysis, as there are probably more factors influencing it. For example, we attribute insomnia mainly to imbalances in the levels of the hormone melatonin in the body and so for …show more content…
However, we should consider the extent to which we should sacrifice accuracy in order to obtain knowledge. As discussed before, knowledge in the human sciences is extremely convoluted with so many variables, that nowadays it’s practically impossible to take them all into consideration. Consequently, if we want to further our understanding on this areas of knowledge we have to simplify things despite diminishing accuracy, as it’s impossible for us, in our present days, to consider all the external variables that affect the explanations behind the behaviours of human beings. Additionally, for reaching different explanations, which precisely represent the reality of human sciences, we have to progressively increase our understanding on this explanations. Thus, as we gain more and more knowledge and understanding, the level of accuracy will increase. This gradual increase in gaining knowledge is also what occurs while being educated in school. For instance, what I learnt in IGSCE Maths was much simpler and inaccurate in comparison to what I’m learning now IB Maths. However, what I had previously learnt was crucial for developing my understanding in this subject despite being rather inaccurate compared to now. This indicates, that as a first step we can partially sacrifice accuracy so that we can be simple for being capable of gaining
The biological approach clarifies the behaviour in terms of biological processes within the body and it focuses on genes, chemicals like hormones and the brain. The only approaches in psychology that examine behaviours, feelings, and thoughts from a biological and physical point of view. Nevertheless, explains the aggressive behaviour in terms of hormones testosterone. The other one is sleep and it is a repair state of consciousness during which the body less active and less responsive to the outside world. Sleep is part of circadian rhythm which happens once in 24 hours.
Over the years, humans have evolved in many ways, but some patterns are recurring in the nature of humans and these patterns give us a chance to predict and to divide behavior into set timelines and phases. Similarly, all human relationships can be divided into stages also using some predictable events. Such a prediction of behavior, was invented in the form of a theory, by Professor Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese in 1975 (SUNNAFRANK, 1986). The theory was named the “Uncertainty Reduction Theory” (Hogg). The theory goes on to state that when two individuals begin to interact at first, they have some apprehensions and questions about the other which they normally resolve by asking certain questions.
level of explanation approach is put forward about the biological part of psychology. Those who support this view consider if psychology is a knowledge and psychology not different from biology, physics, or sociology. One of the people that support this view is David Myers. After David Myers, one that supports the level of explanation approach is Stanton Jones. He’s a psychology at Wheaton College.
However, due to the limitation of skills, most of the researches done are not well designed. A main limitation of psychology as a field of study is that it never captures the nature of consciousness (Willig, 2013), as human mind is bound up with meanings and interpretations which differ from one individual to another
Psychology can be broken down into six main perspectives. These perspectives are biological, behavioral, developmental, cognitive, whole-person, and sociocultural. The biological perspective focuses on the nervous system, the endocrine system, genetics, and physical characteristics. This perspective has very strong roots in medicine as well as biological sciences.
The main aim of this assignment is to find out the strength and weakness, similarities and differences between the different approaches of psychology such as biological approach, behavioural approach and psychodynamic approach. I have chosen mental illness to evaluate these approach. The biological, behavioural and psychodynamic approaches of psychology are connected to the nature and nurture argument. The biological approach highly talks about nature side of the argument and states that all behaviour is biological and is treatable.
When it comes to the science of psychology psychologist are looking deeper into what affects ones behavior and mental health. Looking at the environment, health issues, cognitive, learning, and etc… How does everything affect the overall mental health of a person? 2. Distinguish between a theory, a hypothesis, and an operational definition.
One of the most interesting subjects that depicts many explanations about human behavior is psychology. Every human being tends to have a distinct behavior, depending on the situation that he or she was exposed to. The presence of other human beings cause the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the person to be controlled or influenced. There is a considerable amount of factors in which the actions of human beings around them are responsible for the process of making their decisions.
Rachel Danzig AP Psychology Dr. Eisen August 20, 2015 I. Psychology’s History A. Psychology’s Roots 1. Prescientific Psychology a. Socrates and his student Plato stated that the human mind is separate from the body and our knowledge is born within us b. Aristotle, Plato’s student, disagreed, concluding that knowledge can not be preexisting and we grow it from our experiences within our memories c. In the 1600s Rene Descartes believed that the mind can survive the body’s death and our brain holds animal spirits in its fluid and flow from the brain through nerves enabling reflexes d. In 1620 Francis Bacon established that humans functioned around order and patterns e. Adding to Bacon’s ideas was John
The Traditional Western approach to modern psychology considers psychology as a science. The knowledge obtained needs to be free of values or predispositions as this could impact the theory or research completely. Our personal feelings need to be set aside to ensure accurate results. Psychology needs
Holism and Reductionism According to Hooft, (2011), holism is the approaches that study occurrence in their entirety and it is one of the single top qualities in ethical care for the patients. It involves utilization of a multifactoral and multidimensional approaches in dealing with ethical issues that arise when caring for the patients. Ebrahimi et al. (2015) hold the view that conflict and diverse standards form part of the morality.
The more important the information the more likely the individual will be able to recall that information later. However, the meaning is placed on the information itself and not on how the information obtained, as with the behaviourist approach. Cognitive learning theories deal with the issue of how people process and store information to gain an understanding of themselves and the environment, and how their thinking and reasoning influence their actions and reactions (Henson and Eller,
Although it is important to learn new things, the new material learned is not as important as the process of learning itself. In the process of learning, one’s mind is transformed and engaged. They will be introduced to new things and their ideas and thinking will be changed forever. When learning new things, seeing the value of things become
How can we know that the knowledge we have is trustworthy in Natural science and mathematics? Knowledge is facts, information or skills that are acquired through experience and education, its the theoretical or practical understanding of a certain subject. Knowledge that is trustworthy is knowledge that is able to be relied upon as honest and truthful information. While looking at Natural science and mathematics we will see that mathematics isn’t necessarily more reliable but the knowledge we obtain in these subjects will be different. Mathematics can be seen as more trustworthy because it uses reasoning.
to develop students' intellectual and moral qualities. Perennialist classrooms are also centered on teachers in order to accomplish these goals. The teachers are not concerned about the students' interests or experiences. They use tried and true teaching methods and techniques that are believed to be most beneficial to disciplining students' minds. The perennialist curriculum is universal and is based on their view that all human beings possess the same essential nature.