Modern psychological perspectives provide many approaches for psychologists to assist their clients towards better mental health. While every perspective adds depth and knowledge, the various schools of thought in psychology cause some debate as well.
Evolutionary psychological perspectives
Evolutionary psychological perspectives have significant relevance in understanding how the human mind works from a biological standpoint. Our uniqueness as a species has many shared components with animals, especially other primates. Among the adaptations which have evolved over the course of many generations, only humans possess certain cognitive behaviors: among them, “language and a sophisticated folk psychology, read minds, invent complex technologies, and generate cumulative cultural knowledge and beliefs” (Fletcher et al., 2015, p. 20). Evolutionary psychology studies the relationship between human evolution of the brain, unique to humans, and the many biological functions which we do share with animals. Evolutionary psychologists rely on a substantial amount of information from biology, ethology, anthropology, and other branches of science to advance their theories effectively. This interdisciplinary approach allows them to gain increased insights on the physiological processes which affect human mental behaviors. In nearly all respects, these processes are intricately related. For example, the mating behaviors of mammals can provide evolutionary psychologists with answers to human pair-bonding: “the striking similarity between the behavioral manifestations of parent–infant love and romantic love suggests that evolution may have borrowed these ancient bonding mechanisms” (Fletcher et al., 2015, p. 20). The studies of evolutionary perspectives have continued to make substantial contributions to the field of psychology in many important ways.
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Humanistic psychological perspectives
Humanistic psychological perspectives focus on the individual, who is regarded as a whole person fully capable of directing his/her life on a positive trajectory given the proper directional tools. Humanistic psychology does not concern itself with evolutionary tendencies, subconscious mechanisms that have a negative consequence in a person’s life, or the conditioned stimulus/response methods of the behaviorists. According to humanistic psychology perspectives, these approaches may actually hinder a person’s progress towards well-being and effective personal solutions. Instead, the client will learn affirmative ways to make conscious choices based on an internal guidance within his own mind—a self-empowering technique by which to take control of personal issues and shape individual behavior. From this perspective, the psychologist effectually has a role as a facilitator in this process. These experiential methods are viewed as a way to “to heal the fragmentary character of contemporary psychology through an ever more comprehensive and integrative approach” (Waterman, 2013, p. 124). The holistic style of humanistic psychology provides an effective model for personal improvement.
Critiques of humanistic psychology have been formulated in the areas of social interaction, however. “For humanistic psychologists, establishing connections between people is seen as problematic, whether in normal social interaction or as psychologists when trying to understand the other or endeavoring to do psychotherapy” (Waterman, 2013, p. 127). The focus on individual aspects of personality may be viewed negatively in some psychological circles, and apparently has caused considerable debate in recent years. As positive psychology has grown in stature, some psychologists have “criticized humanistic psychology for its association with self-help movements and for encouraging self-centeredness, criticisms that appear seriously misplaced to humanistic psychologists” (Waterman, 2013, p. 124). Yet these issues provide an interesting conversation whereby unique perspectives all share a commonality—to promote an evidence-based, scientific understanding of psychology.
Sociocultural psychological perspectives
The primary focus of sociocultural perspectives in psychology centers on how people are shaped by their social environment. In this view, the sociocultural conditions of family, education, and community have a more prominent role than inner processes. Socialization occurs through various formative aspects of personality throughout life, which has an overall effect of shaping attitudes, perceptions, and a basic worldview. An example of this effect is when a child who grows up in an impoverished environment learns through neighborhood/community values that life is hard, and he internalizes a sense of injustice or even despair. A child who is born into an advantaged position may adopt feelings of entitlement or superiority towards others. Sociocultural psychological perspectives also address issues of race, ethnicity, gender issues, and other significant areas of the cultural milieu, not only in the background personal history of a client but in current situations. These include: “the social collaborative nature of human mind, the paramount role of social context and history in the production of psychological processes and outcomes” (Stetsenko & Arievitch, 2014, p. 60) and similar factors that work together in shaping the outlook of individual perceptions. In a rapidly changing global environment, sociocultural perspectives have an important role in bringing social groups from dissimilar backgrounds together: “With global urbanization and immigration, increasingly similar lifestyles emerge with significant implications for theory and applications regarding human development” (Kagitcibasi, 2012, p. 5). By working collaboratively with researchers from interdisciplinary fields of study, sociocultural psychology perspectives should have a significant role in the future as these issues continue to shape our world.
- Fletcher, G. J., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. C. (2015). Pair-bonding, romantic love, and evolution the curious case of homo sapiens. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(1), 20-36.
- Kagitcibasi, C. (2012). Sociocultural change and integrative syntheses in human development: Autonomous‐related self and social–cognitive competence. Child Development Perspectives, 6(1), 5-11.
- Waterman, A. S. (2013). The humanistic psychology–positive psychology divide: Contrasts in philosophical foundations. American Psychologist, 68(3), 124-133.
