Student 1
Contributors to Behavioral Theory
Based on behavioral theory, conditioning is the only reason behind the animal and human behavior. Skinner, Pavlov, and Watson indeed contributed to the development of behavioral theory. While Watson founded behavioral theory, it was Pavlov who originally introduced the idea of conditioning through various animal experiments. Both Watson and Pavlov focused on classical conditioning in which behavior relies on the way experience influences a person to behave or react to various stimuli (Halter, 2017). Based on the classical conditioning, I am afraid of specific objects because I relate them to frightening associations that happened in the past. Skinner, however, developed the operant conditioning theory that differed from the theories of Pavlov and Watson. The theory states that what comes directly after a behavior influences the behavior, not what comes before it (Irby, 2012). The negative or positive reinforcement that follows behaviors is what manipulates the behavior. My understanding of this theory is that the way I live my life is due to what I learned from all the associations that I made throughout the years.
Student 2
Contributions to Psychoanalysis
Both Freud, Carl, and Adler pioneered the field of psychoanalysis. While both Carl and Adler agreed with the idea of the unconscious mind and the significance of early childhood, they disagreed in other areas and proposed their personality theories. Freud’s explanations focused significantly on childhood experiences, sex, and psychopathology without considering the influence of culture and society on personality and behavior. Freud argued that most mental issues emerged due to suppressed sexual desires (Lawson, Graham, & Baker, 2015). He indeed proposed a mind model consisting of three parts, which included the conscious mind, preconscious mind, and the unconscious mind. Jung added a fourth component, the collective unconscious that contains mental patterns that all people share (Sigelman & Rider 2012). Jung, however, still emphasized the unconscious, even though he highly regarded the idea of collective unconscious instead of the personal unconscious while focusing less on sex. Based on this concept, objective mental issues emerge due to the attempt by the individual psyche to self-heal. The unconscious issues affect the physical body in which issues such as stress may lead to illnesses such as stomach ulcers. Adler on his part emphasized the role of social and interpersonal influences on human behavior while focusing less on the importance of the unconscious (Lawson et al., 2015). Based on Adler’s idea of the inferiority complex, people must compensate for their inferiority feelings. The inferiority complex emerge because people consider themselves to be unable to conform to society’s or people’s expectations.
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References
Halter, M. J. (2017). Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing-E-Book: A Clinical Approach . Elsevier Health Sciences.
Irby, B. J. (2012). Handbook of educational theories for theoretical frameworks . Greenwich, Conn: Information Age.
Lawson, R. B., Graham, J. E., & Baker, K. M. (2015). A history of psychology: Globalization, ideas, and applications . Routledge.
Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2012). Life-span human development . Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
