Humanistic Psychology

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental process. It is consider a science because applies scientific methods to identify, investigate, collect and analyzed data, draw conclusions, and communicate the findings.

According to the earliest recorded pages of history, psychology started with the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato, but they separate it when researchers began to use scientific methods to study the behavior. By the 1920s the foundation of the new science, psychology, was developed.

Wilhelm Wundt, who is considered the father of psychology, used a method called introspection to examine the structure of the conscious mental experiences. His best student Edward Tichener, took

Behaviorism: Proposed by John B. Watson, is the study of behavior. According to Watson, behavior is observable and measurable and therefore objective and scientific.

2. Psychoanalysis: A theory developed by Sigmund Freud. Freud claimed that individuals do not consciously control their thought, feelings, and behavior.

3. Humanistic Psychology: Focuses on the uniqueness of the human beings and their capacity for choice, growth, and psychological health. This school rejects behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

4. Cognitive Psychology: Sees humans as active participants who look for experiences. Studies the mental processes such memory, problem solving, language, and other forms of cognition.

5. Evolutionary Psychology: Studies how human behaviors required for survival have adapted over the course of evolution.

6. Biological Psychology: Looks for links between specific behaviors and particular biological factor to help explain individual differences.

7. The Sociocultural Approach: Emphasizes the roles of social and cultural influences on when interpreting human

The neuron has three parts: the cell body, dendrites, and axon.

The cell body or soma is the metabolic center of the neuron. The dendrites are the branches that extend from the cell body and communicate with other neurons. The axon is the tail like extension that transmits the signal to other neuron and other parts of the body.

The human nervous system is divided into the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system.

The peripheral nervous system are the nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body. It is also divided into the somatic nervous system (skeletal and muscle control) and the autonomic nervous system (internal organ’s regulation) which is further divided into sympathetic nervous system (prepare body for action) and parasympathetic nervous system (return body to normal state).

The central nervous system is divided into the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is grouped into the forebrain, the midbrain, and the