Which of the contemporary perspectives in psychology makes the most sense to you? Discussion

Which of the contemporary perspectives in psychology makes the most sense to you? Discussion

It is evident that psychology is being increasingly used in daily events. Employment for

example, in Europe more companies are subjecting potential personnel to psychological

profile checks and psychological tests during interviews. Even our social lives are

becoming affected. People who are seeking the right partner are using psychological

techniques to establish the emotional state of their potential partners. As psychology

becomes more and more accessible and understandable to more people, I feel that it will

begin to influence our lifestyles more.

The evolutionary perspective "focuses on why a particular behavior or physical structure

developed and how the behavior or structure aids in adaptation to the environment"

(Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory.

This summarizes how a being can adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in

turn passing these traits along to future generations.

Sociocultural perspective "focuses on the different cultures, ethnic identity and other

sociocoultural factors to fully understand a person" (Lahey, 17) - which I think is makes

the most sense. At a point in time the psychology field was dominated by Caucasian

males. Females and people from different races were not allowed to be in the field or

even to obtain a doctoral degree. Thought the years, the percentage of men and women

in the field have changed dramatically. Once dominated by men, the field has shifted

more toward women dominating the field.

The contemporary perspective in psychology that makes the most sense to me is the

neuroscience perspective. I think the neuroscience perspective is very important

especially within the medical field. I understand why this course is a pre-req for entry

into pharmacy school. The neuroscience perspective "focuses on the nervous system in

explaining behavior and mental processes. Psychologists are interested in the structures

of the brain that play roles in emotion, reasoning, speaking, and other psychological

processes" (Lahey, 20). For example, after drinking alcohol you slur you speech and are

unable to walk a straight line. Alcohol affects the part of the brain that controls muscle

coordination. Also,the illegal drug MDMA/ecstasy effects serotonin levels in the brain.

This plays a role in emotion. While on the drug you have a wide range of good emotions.

After the drug is out of the brain you don't feel as good. The brains of people with

schizophernia, bipolar disorder, MS and Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's are different

than people without these conditions. MRI's, EEGS and PETS (scans of the brain) have

shown this difference. New drugs have been created to treat these conditions based on

neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain. With more and more research being today

on these diseases, better and effective treatments are being developed based on the

way are body/brains are built and function. Most psychologists agree "Human beings are

biological creatures" (Lahey, 26) The new drug Namenda, for Alzheimer's works by

attaching to a certain receptors and allowing just enough chemical that effects learning

and memory. Too much of this chemical and the nerve cells die, too little and information

cannot be stored.

I think all of the perspectives have some value. They are different and some similar in

explaining behavior and mental processes. "Generally, contemporary psychologists do

not align themselves with a single theoretical position. Rather, they integrate the best

contributions of each perspective into their own eclectic view." (Lahey, 25) I think when

evaluating behavior and mental processes, each perspective should be considered and

the best parts used.

I agree with Aga when she says in her post "The evolutionary perspective "focuses on

why a particular behavior or physical structure developed and how the behavior or

structure aids in adaptation to the environment" (Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the

innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory. This summarizes how a being can

adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in turn passing these traits along to

future generations." Many traits are passed along and also bipolar disorder can be

passed on to future generations. The behavior of a son/daughter having bipolar disorder

can be similar to the mother/father that has bipolar disorder. Also, bipolar disorder is

somehow connected with out physical makeup, DNA. That is how it is passed

on. "Although Darwin wrote long before the mechanisms of genetic inheritance were

understood, he hypothesized that variations occur occasionally in the process of

reproduction" (Lahey 20) Who knows maybe bipolar disorder was originally a "mutation".