Foundations of Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundations of Psychology - Essay Example Through systematic observation of one's own conscious experience, subjects were exposed to different visual stimuli, optical illusions and auditory tones, and then made to analyze what they experienced ("Timeline," n.d.). Functionalism evolved as a reaction to structuralism. This school of thought was greatly influenced by the work of William James, the father of American psychology, and the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin (Wagner, n.d.[b]). Functionalism was a more systematic and accurate method than structuralism in that the former focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior while the latter focused on the elements of consciousness. Functionalism gave due consideration to individual differences, with a great deal of impact on education, supporting the view that "children should learn at a level for which they are developmentally prepared" (Wagner, n.d.[b]). According to behaviorism, all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, which happens through interaction with the environment, and behavior can be studied in a systematic, observable manner regardless of internal mental states (Wagner, n.d.[c]). There are two types of conditioning. Classical conditioning is a method whereby a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus so that eventually the latter evokes the same response as the former without the presence of the former. Operant conditioning uses rewards and punishments for behavior. Behaviorism does not consider free will or internal factors like moods, feelings and thoughts. The theory does not consider learning that does not use rewards and punishments. The adaptability of an individual in the face of new information is also not considered. Psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, focused on the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior (Wagner, n.d.[a]). The six basic assumptions of the psychoanalytic theory are that unconscious mental processes exist, that all human behavior is motivated and purposeful, that past experiences influence current changes and reactions, that personality functioning is very complex and can be understood through the Id, Ego and Superego, that thinking processes involve energy, strength and force, and that human behavior is influenced by interaction with the environment ("Timeline," n.d.). Humanists like Carl Rogers consider people to be basically good or healthy and they see mental health as the normal progression of life; any distortion to this natural tendency is called self-actualization. According to Rogers, people naturally know what is good for them, and what leads them astray is the society with its conditions of worth, often leading to discontent when they do not reach the standards applied to them by others. This disparity between the real self and the ideal self is called incongruity (Boeree, 2003). A healthy individual involves the following qualities: openness to experience; living in the present; organismic trusting, doing what feels right and comes natural; freedom and taking responsibility for one's choices; and creativity. Gestalt psychology evolved in response to the

Analyse the impact of factors that influence health and Essay

Analyse the impact of factors that influence health and well-being.(Health and Behaviour) - Essay Example Education serves as the most effective platform to not only empower people but also to introduce changes so that children can meet new challenges of the time with higher efficiency and adaptability. This is especially true for people with disability who have to face multiple barriers in the mainstream schools which are distinct in their lack of facilitating environment and insensitive approach to their needs and requirements. The various barriers to their inclusion in the mainstream schools necessitate social support and wider awareness of their needs and requirements that promotes or hinders their participation in the mainstream activities. Carrington & Holm, (2005) assert that in Australia inclusive education has evolved from the notion of integrating students with disabilities into regular schools. The paper would be discussing the myriad practices within the social support that may be adversely impacting the successful inclusion of children with disability into the mainstream Aus tralian education system. Health and environment have emerged as major social issues that are significantly impacted by the social parameters (hhb, 2011). WHO (2005) has broadly defined health as not merely being absence of disease or infirmity but a complete physical, mental and social well-being. Thus, holistic aspect of health becomes an important issue which incorporates the environment paradigms that influence the overall well-being of the individual. Key & Dowrick, (2001) claim that people with disability have always been marginalized in every sphere of life including education, employment and community living. The discrimination has adversely impacted not only their participation in the mainstream life but it has also been detrimental to their development as an individual. Thus the social model of disability has emerged as vital input that redefined disability in terms of facilitating environment that promotes their