Three Theories of Psychology

The three types of theories I chose are Behaviorism, Psychodynamic, and Humanistic. I chose these three because they intrigue me the most. Psychodynamic psychology was one of the first types of theories created. The first studies were published by Sigmund Freud in 1895. The next one out of these three created was Behaviorism. In 1913 John Watson presents behavioristic views. Last was Humanistic psychology created in 1943 when Abraham Maslow publishes “A Theory of Human Motivation.” (Coon, 2006, pg. 22)

The basic idea behind psychodynamic views is behavior directed by forces within ones personality, often hidden or unconscious. It emphasizes internal impulses, desires, and conflicts mostly that are unconscious. The behavioristic view is behavior shaped and controlled by ones environment. It emphasizes the study of observable behavior and effects of learning. The humanistic view is behavior guided by ones self-image, subjective perceptions of the world by needs for personal growth. It focuses on subjective, conscious experience, human problems potential, and ideals.

Behaviorism focuses on a kind of learning called conditioning. It involves associations between environmental stimuli and responses. There are two types of conditioning, classical and operant. Classical conditioning is what happens before a response. You start with a stimulus that triggers a response. For instance you give a dog a bowl of food and he salivates. Then a week later you give the dog just the bowl without food in it and he salivates with out the food even being there. Operant conditioning is a response based on consequences. For instance a response is made by the type of reinforcers (i.e. food, punishment, or nothing). If you tell your child you will give them a cookie if they clean there room they are more likely to clean there room. If you tell them you are going to put them on a time out they might not be so thrilled to do it.

Psychodynamic theory is behavior that emphasizes internal conflicts, motives, and unconscious forces. Displacing, repressing, denying and regressing are all types of behavior that have to do with the first psychodynamic theory of personality. (Wade, 2006, pg. 454) It more or less is about the unconscious processes that are going through our mind, whether it is when we are sleeping, or day dreaming or just wide awake. Another way to explain it is the movement of psychological energy in a person, in ways of attachment, conflicts, and motivations. It believes that everything that happened to you as a child affects the person you are today. For instance if you are a man and were attracted to you mother as a child you are probably attracted to older women now, since as a child you like your mother who of course was older than you.

Humanists rejected the idea that we are ruled by unconscious forces (psychodynamic