Essay on Psychological Perspectives to Apply in My Life

Introduction

Psychology is a very critical concept that involves the study of the behaviors of people, mental operations as well as their performance. Psychology applies in my everyday life in a variety of ways. Psychology allows individuals to have a better understanding of themselves especially about how their mind and body functions. The paper shall illustrate five psychological perspectives, a brief description in detail and also the application of the concepts in my life.

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Psychological perspectives that I can apply in my life include Psychodynamic perspective, biological approach, behavioral perspective, cognitive approach and Humanistic perspective. They are the top five concepts in psychology that I can apply in my life.

First, biological concept. The perspective involves the application of principles in Biology in this case in the study of behavior and mental processes. Biological psychology subfields are cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience and also neuropsychology. Biological psychology, therefore, explores the connections that exist between my brain, hormones and my mental state to be able to examine my actions, moods, and thoughts (Hatch). In my life, the biological psychology will be critical for me to understand the way in which my brain gets built as well as to understand the needs of my body. The choices in my life get aligned to my body that is why it is vital to understand that disorders such as schizophrenia arise as a result of the genetic makeup, for instance, if any of my parents has a mental condition or schizophrenia it may also happen to me. In my personal life in case of a mental disorder, the biological perspective will assist to understand how brain damage and genetics have a link to the mental disorders.

The second, psychodynamic approach. The psychological concept involves the study of psychological forces that underly human behavior, emotions, feelings and the relations they have to the early childhood experience. The concept particularly emphasizes on the existing dynamic ties between unconscious and conscious motivation and informs that the behavior is as a result of the underlying conflicts which people have little awareness about them (Hatch). My habits today to play video games, for example, stem from my experiences since childhood. My experiences as a child in playing video games continue even today to shape my feelings and behavior throughout life, for instance, my mother often quarrels with me for taking so much time on video games than on my studies. I apply the concept to understand whether my childhood days influence my current behavioral characteristics.

The third, behavioral perspective. Behavioral psychologists hold the belief that external stimuli in the environment influence a person's behavior and therefore a person can get trained to act in a certain way (Brannon). In the behavioral approach, learning gets identified as a behavior change that gets molded through experience, for instance, when I first joined kindergarten as a child I cried when my parents left, but after about a week I adapted to the school life. I learned through the experiences. I apply the behavioral concept in shaping my behavior in the right direction because one can get trained in a particular way.

The fourth, cognitive perspective. The approach illustrates that my behavior gets determined by my emotions as well as my expectations. Cognitive psychology, therefore, examines the internal mental processes in a person, for instance, language, memory, and problem-solving (Green). As a person, I, therefore, remember things or situations depending on what I already know. I also solve problems based on my past experiences of the same, for instance, the expectations of my upcoming birthday party affect the way I feel and act on the momentous occasion. In many times the party will color my memory. I will apply the cognitive concept to effectively establish my expectations as well as to explain my mental state, for instance, a good mood in the case of a birthday party.

Lastly, Humanistic perspective. The approach is a holistic perspective in psychology that attributes actions and human characteristics to an innate drive and free will for self-actualization (Green). Humanistic psychologists believe that as a person I am motivated to be able to realize my full potential, for instance, recently at home, a humanistic therapist was called upon to talk to my siblings regarding drug abuse and me. The therapist instead puts more concentration on supporting and encouraging us and not directly advise us to quit in the case we are engaging in the vice. I will apply the humanistic concept to realize my abilities in my life, for instance, I am a talented painter as attributed to my characteristics and attributes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the psychological perspectives show that there are different ways people can think about human behavior. The humanistic, biological, behavioral, psychodynamic and the cognitive concepts in psychology I have identified will provide critical tools for me establish new ways to predict and also explain my behavior as well as another person's behavior. The concepts assist in developing approaches to any problematic behaviors.

Works Cited

Brannon, Linda. Gender: psychological perspectives. Taylor & Francis, 2016. Accessed 1 June 2018.

Green, Lorraine. Understanding the life course: sociological and psychological perspectives. John Wiley & Sons, 2016. Accessed 1 June 2018.

Hatch, Mary Jo. Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives. Oxford university press, 2018. Accessed 1 June 2018.