Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Psychology

In this paper, I will explore some of the key issues addressed in chapters one, four, eight, thirteen, and fourteen of Psychology: An Introduction, by Benjamin B. Lahey. I will pick a few of what I feel are the most interesting points of the subject matter of each chapter and will examine these points in an analytical and reflective manner. In some instances I will be responding to the questions in the "Critical Thinking" sections, but in other cases I will be formulating and attempting to answer my own questions.

In Chapter One, "What Is Psychology?," Lahey defines psychology rather loosely as "the science of behavior and mental processes" and enumerates its goals of describing, understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior. My personal goals in studying psychology fit this format also. That is, I want to be able to understand why I and others around me act as we do; and I would like to be able to predict how I and others will react to certain situations in the future since knowledge of this sort is likely to enhance both my personal growth and my success in life.

I must admit that I also want to be able to influence others more effectively. Naturally, I realize that in order to understand, predict, and influence behavior, you must first be able to accurately describe it. After all, you don't have a hope of controlling X unless you know fairly precisely what it is. Thus, as Lahey points out in the "What Will This Course Be About" section, I find psychology interesting because it seems to have a special relevance to everyday life and real human problems that is missing (or at least is more indirect) in most other sciences.

This brings me to another question: is it valid to call psychology a single science when it encompasses such diversity? With origins as different as Wundt and Titchener's structuralism, James' functionalism, Pavlov and Watson's behaviorism (classical conditioning), Wertheimer's Gestalt p...

Page 1 of 13 Next >

More on Psychology...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Psychology. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 02:42, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684455.html