The modern world is filled with many psychological theories that attempt to explain and predict a variety of behaviours. One of the initial things that a psychology student will realize is that theories will characterize in classes. These theories play very important roles. First, they create the foundation of understanding the human behavior as well as the mind processes. Every theory provides a lens of different perspectives in understanding human behavior and why things occur the way they do. Secondly, the psychological theories motivate individuals to engage in future research. As it will be seen in the presentation, a majority of the theories were developed a long time ago. Furthermore, theories have often acted as a guide for therapist during a counselling session. At no point in any counselling session, will a therapist achieve the therapeutic without having a theoretical framework. The paper will specifically talk about the understanding of three theories, which include behavioural, cognitive, and developmental models.
Behaviour Theories
Understanding the view of the man based on a behavioural model requires a critical assessment on conceptual and social grounds. As per the minds of the public and a majority of individuals within the field of psychology, behavior theory is often associated with “conditioning.” For the past centuries, the term behaviourism and conditioning have been linked to odious imagery such as salivating dogs and animal manipulation. Behaviour theories have often differed from psychodynamic theories in several ways. Instead of concentrating on the interplay of the hidden dynamic forces of the mind, they revolve around observable behaviours. Moreover, they do not base their arguments on the influences of the unconscious on the behavior, but they assert that the forces in the environment and outside the individual have the primary influence.
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The two major proponents of the theories included John Watson, BF Skinner, and Ivan Pavlov (Wilson, 1987). Skinner’s theory concentrated on the way human behaviours were shaped by the reactions of those behaviours. It is after the behaviours have happened is when it becomes shaped by the environmental reactions. According to Wolpe who used Pavlov’s ideas to establish therapeutic strategies, his approaches revolved around classical conditioning, where behaviours were triggered by environmental stimuli (Robin & Hayes, 1993). This means that occurrence in the environment will prompt behavior. Although behavioural theories are of many kinds, they share the same concepts.
The fundamental concepts of the behavioural approach
First, the focus is always on the behavior. According to many behavioural theorists, people are born as blank slates. Therefore, everything they learn is from their external environment as well as their life experiences. However, it should be noted that learning does not change the behavior of people; hence, behavior can be unlearnt. Additionally, human beings are capable of unlearning the thoughts, feelings, and distressful behaviours and replace them by learning healthy and pro-social behaviours. Unlike the psychodynamic theories, behavioural theories deal with the “here and now” issues and do not focus on the past.
Secondly, the focus is on the present. Whenever therapists engage in behavioural counselling, the primary focus lies in the present behavior. However, this does not mean that any case conceptualization cannot dwell on the past. Learning about the early life of a child will provide a basis for understanding the behavior. The primary focus is put on the maintenance of the current antecedents and consequences.
Thirdly, the environment shapes the behaviours. Particular behaviours are elicited by environmental stimuli. When Pavlov experimented on the dogs, the process of sounding the bell caused the dogs to salivate. Another relevant example could be the fear of a child in the presence of a rabbit. Assuming the rabbit has been exposed continuously and paired with a sound, it will reflexively make the toddler anxious. In this case, a child learns from the environment that if they see a rabbit, a sound will appear; hence, they will respond in fear.
Cognitive theory unlike the behavior theories, cognitive models enable us to understand the influences of thoughts on the emotions and behaviours. Human behaviours are perceived to be arising from the thoughts and the belief systems rather than from the unconscious source and the environment.
The two major proponents of cognitive theories included Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis. Even though the concepts of the two psychologists are similar, they differ in some significant ways.
The fundamental concepts of cognitive therapy
All human beings are rational and have the capacity to reason. In this ways, not two people will respond to an event in the same way. Usually, it is not the events that produce the bad feelings, but how they are interpreted. All behaviours and the emotions of the human beings are determined by thinking.
Belief system
All of us have beliefs about ourselves, for example, I am a hardworking person, and I am not very intelligent and so on. These beliefs extend to the lives of other people as well as the world around us. The beliefs are often organized in systems known as schemata. According to Robin and Hayes (1993), schemata are important beliefs and assumptions about the functionality of human beings and the world. They develop and progress depending on person’s experiences and observation. As a child grows, she establishes schemata about her capabilities, how the world, neighbours, teachers, and siblings treat her depending on her experiences with them. Let us take an example of two children in two different settings who are learning to ride a bicycle. The first one (X) is a child brought up in a family full of love and support and the second child (Y) is brought up in one that lacks these qualities. Eventually, child X will most likely develop a schema that reflects support, competency, success, and motivation because of the constant encouragements she receives from her family during this learning activity. However, child Y will most likely develop schemata that reflect feelings of failures, fear, and frustrations because the world around them is not a supportive place and full of criticisms. Robin and Hayes (1993) emphasize that schemata develop because they assist people to organize their experiences to make sense out of them as well as the world.
However, it is important to note that schemata can cause problems as they bias people’s perceptions about other people and the world around them (Beck & Weishaar, 1989). Becks referred to these biased perceptions as cognitive distortions. They are emotional disorders resulting from non-realistic and negative maladaptive thinking. More often than not, developing cognitive distortions would lead to catastrophizing, which can lead to the development of strong negative emotions and maladaptive behaviours. Furthermore, Ellis (1989) proposes that having the belief systems is important in our lives because it assists human beings to build rational and irrational beliefs. Human beings are naturally predisposed to build schemas. A concept that child psychologists Piaget and Vygotsky agrees with.
Based on Piaget’s belief of cognitive development, the most revolutionary ideas he came up with concerning the child included the perception of the child as a scientist. First, children construct their intelligence by experimenting on the world around them. Secondly, they learn several things on their own without the help or the intervention of the adults. Thirdly, they are intrinsically motivated to learn. According to his concepts, there are particular principles that will undergo changes depending on the stages and the properties. The principle of qualitative change purports that children of different ages think independently and differently. In broad applicability, the types and levels of thinking at each stage encompasses the relevant topics and content areas. Thirdly, children experience brief transitions to higher levels of thinking, which might not necessarily happen continuously. The last principle is that these stages have an invariant sequence meaning that they cannot be skipped. Furthermore, the three processes constant from birth during cognitive development include assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. When it comes to assimilation, individuals interpret information in the easiest way they can understand. On the other hand, accommodation allows the individuals to adapt to the contemporary knowledge structure in reaction to the new experiences. Lastly, in equilibration, individuals strive to balance assimilation and accommodation to establish a stable understanding. The therapeutic goal when using cognitive therapy is to assist the clients to identify the irrational or automatic thought that might affect their behaviours (Beck &Weishaar, 1989).
Developmental theories
Developmental theorists believe that the process of development should be smooth and continuous. As toddlers grow, they change very fast and with each new step, they undergo, they qualitatively respond to the world in a different way. The difference between toddlers and adults when it comes to maturity is the amount or the complexity. Development often occurs in three dimensions, which include physical, cognitive, and social. Every age period presents its demands and opportunities. The major period of human development in ascending order include prenatal (conception to birth), infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood.
Fundamental concept of development theories
Most theorists believe that development is multidimensional and multidirectional. This means that development does not only extend to enhanced performance. Instead, at every period, it is an integrated period of growth and decline. Secondly, development is plastic and flexible. For instance, it child may change their dreams of becoming pianist to a finance officer because of the new experiences they encounter. Thirdly, many interacting forces influence development. Pathways of change are usually diverse because of the influence they receive biological, historical, social, and cultural forces. Some of the theories that talk about development include Freud’s psychosexual stages and Erik Erickson’s psychosocial stages. In essence, developmental theories highly correlate to other theories because growth is perceived to be continuous. For instance, when dealing with a toddler who experiences trust issues, the therapist can use the behavioural or cognitive theory to conceptualize the case further. The child might be experiencing regression or have relationships issues because of the schemes they associate with their environment. Perhaps they received persistent criticisms while growing up or they learned from their caregivers that trusting someone is dangerous.
The theories I like and why
Based on these discussions, I would openly state that my favourite theories include cognitive behavioural theory and psychodynamic theory. I choose cognitive behavioural theory because it focuses on behavior change and allows for a wider interpretation of the issues clients are facing. This theory can be termed as collaborative empiricism because it helps the clients to identify the source of their problems and work towards clearing irrational thought and limit maladaptive behaviours. The basic role of a therapist in this scenario is to help the clients understand how their feelings influence their emotional behaviours. Besides, I like the theory because it does not take a long time to realize effectiveness. Also, the theory entails behavior modification techniques, which are interesting to apply. Behaviours can be measured using this theory; hence, it is easier for therapists to monitor any progress or failure.
On the other hand, I like psychodynamic theories because they strive to understand the interaction between a child’s instincts and her social environment to display many characteristics and behaviours. Child psychology is one of my favourite fields. Therefore, psychodynamic theories like the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Rodgers guides me to understand the conflict between human instincts and societal expectations. Ziegler (2002) proposed that all human are born with certain instincts, which will influence our behaviours in our entire lifetime. Furthermore, these theories evaluate levels of awareness in humans such as the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. Besides they also study the three parts of the mind, the id, ego, and the superego, which influences people’s behaviours and thinking.
The theories I dislike and why
One theory that I have often disliked is the rational choice theory because of the bias it gives the clients. Lack of empirical data states the success of using the theory. It gives the clients the full mandate to make their choices even when they are not in a rational position to do so.
How I arrived at the conclusions
Personally, I find each theory to be interesting because I am intrigued with how they assist me to understand my behavior, that of my family, friends, and children. It is true to admit that it can be challenging to understand different theories because their tenets and concept may be dissimilar. However, my experience in the field of psychology has enabled me to understand most of them and recognize their respective limitations deeply. Additionally, understanding these discussed theories has braced me with a diverse sense of complexity in human development as well as their cognitions. However, I am still on the journey of understanding the tenets of choice theory. I do not dismiss it as an effective theory, but I believe I still need to do more research and practice about it.
How these theories influence the future of psychology
The use of theories enhances and promotes the future of psychology because they explain the cause of different events as well as the prediction of future behaviours. The modern therapies have been enhanced by theories because therapists can conceptualize different cases using different angles. Different issues face clients. Sometimes viewing them from varied theoretical models enables the therapists to decide which model is effective and might yield faster results.
Moreover, the theories have created opportunities for future research. Some theories like rational choice models need more empirical basis to support their effectiveness. Besides, particular theories equip scholars with different research topics, which test varied hypothesis relating to psychology.
Explaining if there is a new method that can be applied to or research in psychology
According to my opinion based on these discussions, one method that can be introduced in the field of psychology is an integrated behavioural and psychodynamic model. Most times, the theories occur independently. Behavioural therapies often feel a little cold and mechanical because most times they ignore the fact the past influences the present. Hence, they are perceived to work faster, which might ignore several issues the client might be facing. However, if there is an integration of the psychodynamic and behavioural theories, solid and effective results can be realized. Therefore, a new dynamic in the theoretical framework can be researched to improve the future of psychology.
How the information in the presentation affects my worldview
The newest information learned from this presentation is that no theories can be termed as “better” because the personalities and the issues clients present are different. A particular theoretical framework may work best for one client out of two who are facing the same challenges. Therefore, my worldview has changed in that my initial sentiments concerning “working by the book” are challenged. I have learned that the success of any theory depends on the motivation of the client. Moreover, theories are a basic principle towards any therapy no matter the duration it takes.
Using critical and creative thinking making the presentation
During the essay presentation, I used critical thinking by basing my arguments on personal knowledge and then comparing them with acquired knowledge from the resource materials. For instance, while giving an example of classical conditioning in behavioural therapy, instead of using the Pavlovian example of a dog, I used the example of a child and a rabbit. This was a creative technique for the paper because the contemporary therapy is applied on human beings. Besides, using a tangible example equips the readers with ideas that can be helpful in the world of therapy. On the other hand, I managed to talk about relevant theories to create a wider perspective for the presentation.
In conclusion, psychological theories are many and are majorly classified into three categories, which are the cognitive, behavioural, and humanistic models. The theories may differ in many ways, but in the end, they aim at achieving the same goal, which is promoting the holistic health of the client. Above all, theories help to understand the causes of behaviours and cognitions of individuals as well as the best way to help them achieve wellness (Waldron, 1997).
References
Beck, A. T., & Weishaar, M. (1989). Cognitive therapy. In Comprehensive handbook of cognitive therapy (pp. 21-36). Springer US.
Guntrip, H. (1995). Personality structure and human interaction: The developing synthesis of psychodynamic theory . Karnac Books.
Robins, C. J., & Hayes, A. M. (1993). An appraisal of cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 61 (2), 205.
Waldron, H. B. (1997). Adolescent substance abuse and family therapy outcome. In Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 199-234). Springer US.
Wilson, G. T. (1987). Behavior therapy: Application and outcome. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
