Studocu - PSYC1111 ASSIGNMENT 1 PART A&B PDF

Preview

Summary

PSYC1111 ASSIGNMENT 1 PART A&B...

Description

1

PSYC1111 Introductory Psychology I Assignment1

PART A Introduction

The modern perspectives of psychology are to understand and portray the human behaviour and different types of assumptions associated with a behaviour (Wade, 2016). The five perspectives are biological, learning, cognitive, socio-cultural and psychodynamic perspectives. Analysing the question “why a hypothetical twenty-year-old student called Lee might choose a career as an airline pilot” in the light of these five perspectives in my view can be described as following. Biological Perspective Biological Perspective emphasise on the effect on the human behaviour based on the bodily events (Wade, 2016). This perspective studies how a persons mental state and behaviour is affected in case of an alteration in normal physiological condition. Lee might have chosen the air pilot career because of a physical disability that have prevented him from achieving other careers available. For example, Lee is a person with an amputed leg and he is afraid of any hospital situation due to his hospital experiences in the past related to his condition, most of the high end careers are not achievable to him. Whereas an airline pilot career accomodates his disability and helps him to prove himself to be a succesful person. Thus, the fact that his physiological disability has lead him to chose a career that accomodates his condition explains the biological perspective of psychology. Learning Perspective Learning Perspective is based on the effect of environment and experiences of a person on their behaviour (Wade, 2016). This perspective has two studies which is behaviiourism and social cognitive learning. The behavioral study can be explained when Lee has selected the career beacause of his external conditions. To exemplify, if Lee was bullied and underestimated by his class mates for his disability and was called a failure many times, he might have wanted to show himself to them as a succesful person in a reputed position. This outside pressure may have

2

impacted his decision to be a pilot. On the other hand social Cognitive learning says that it is not only the environmental influences that affects a a particular behaviour but imitation anad other beliefs. So according to this Lee have selected this career being motivated by people like Jessica Cox who is a pilot with no arms (World, 2018). He might be trying to imitate Jessica Cox to show the world that he is also able to reach the top and cannot be held back because of his disability. Cognitive Perspective This perspective of behaviour studies what is happening in a persons brain[ CITATION CAR16 \l 4105 ]. This means our behaviour is a s a result of mental understanding of a persons experience. For example, Lee have determined to be a pilot since he has considered his situation in a positive way. If he had thought and believed that his peers are discouraging and teasing him and taken everything in a neagtive perspective, he will never be a succesful person in life. On the otherside he considered everything happening around him as motivational factors for his achievement and decided to prove him self to others being in one of the top notch careers. Thus his thoughts and beliefs had lead to the selection of his career. Sociocultural Perspective Sociocultural Perspective aims on social aswellas cultural aspects outside an individual (WADE, 2016). The social aspect focuses on social rules, roles, groups etcetra associated with a person. That is when Lee have chosen his career because of the society that’s around him. For example, his community who is always anxious about him and about what he will be able to achieve in life. The society’s curiosity might have pressurised him to think about the profession itself. On the Other hand the cultural psychology looks into one’s cultural norms and values. Placing Lee’s decision in a cultural perspective, he might be raised in a optimistic and a patient environmet and have very positive norms and values. Because if his culture was otherway round who would not have for sure taken things in the right way but might have be a more aggressive and cowardious due to his condition. Psychodynamic Perspective This focuses on how a persons unconscious dynamics like inner conflicts and forces affects his behavioral pattern (WADE, 2016). Considering Lee as an example he would have made the

3

decision to be an airline pilot might be due to the unconscious encounter between his physical condition and the urge to prove himself. Conclusion In a nutshell all the five perspectives of Psycholgy can be linked to a specific behaviour portarayed by a person. Eventhough, some perspectives like Psychodynamic perspective is not obvious in the first sight to a Psychologist and has some aspects of philosophy, it can be studied after a detailed understanding and analysing of the person’s issues. References WADE, C. (2016). PSYCHOLOGY. ONTARIO: PEARSON. World, D. (2018, 05 01). Disabled World. Retrieved from Disabled World towards tomorrow: https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/motivational/jessica-cox-pilot.php

PART B USING CRITICAL THINKING Option B—Money buys happiness Challenge the truth of this commonly held belief, using the critical thinking guidelines in Chapter 1. Give at least two examples for each critical thinking guideline. Guideline1- Ask questions, be willing to wonder Curiosity and asking many questions about the thought helps to identify the real problem and the challenges. Example1: Is it only money that can buy happiness? Example2: How can money buy happiness? Guideline2- Define your terms Explain the terms that you mean in a thought. Your meaning for a term might not be the one that another person has for it. So being clear and accurate about the terms that you mention in a thought must be defined.

4

Example1: What does the term “money” means here? Is it just liquid money or is it all worldly things? Example2: What does the term” happiness” mean? Is it the mental happiness or the physical state of well being? Guideline 3- Examine the evidence The evidences that is available to support your thought must be examined clearly because the evidences might not be always correct or true. It may be collected in a different scenario other than the one that you are thinking about. Example1: The evidence that I have is my experience where I am happier when I am given a wage raise. Examine it whether it is a momentary or long term. Example 2: if it is momentary can I call it as a complete happiness, to know it better I have to deeply analyse other things associated with it like the reasons for which I was offered a wage raise like increase in job duties, decreased hours etcetera. Gudeline4- Analyze Assumptions and biases Analyse the beliefs that you have about the thought and whether these beliefs are leading you to consider the evidence fairly. Example 1: I have assumed that money has the power to buy happiness from my childhood memories, where I depended on parents and did not have anything to worry about other than getting what I wished for. Example 2: I am wealthy and wants to prove others that money is everything and my statement is biased because of my financial status. Guideline5-Avoid emotional reasoning Your thought or experience about a particular situation or incident should not be a grading scale for your final opinion. Example1: I am making this statement as I want everyone to know that I am a happy person and is enjoying my life.

5

Example2: I want myself to be a dependable and accurate person and tries to support and prove it with such statements. Guideline6- Do not Oversimplify Generalising any thoughts might result in a wrong perception in the researcher. Hence it is important that nothing is generalised to make it oversimplified. Each parameter in a thought has its own importance. Example1: Do not consider everyone who has money to have happiness just like me. Generalisation of a belief might result in wrong conclusion. Example 2: What happiness is for one person is not happiness for another person so other factors lying beside what is obvious must be looked for. Guideline7- Consider other Interpretations Consider other possibilities about the thought and finalise with the most favourable one. Example1: Only a person who has a happy mind can make money. Good profitable business can be only run by a person who has an optimistic mentality. Example2: Friends can bring happiness to one’s life. But in order to maintain friendship a person needs money and it indirectly adds to happiness. Guideline8- Tolerate Uncertainty Sometimes our evidences might not be able to give an acceptable conclusion supporting our thought. Example1: I might not be able to conclude whether my thought as its still a debatable topic. Example2: My thought might have to be abandoned by myself if I encounter situations where money just gets the value of a paper and is helpless. For example, I am diagnosed with a deadly disease and my wealth is of no use at that point of time. That moment my belief is altered....