Perspectives in Psychology

Over time, psychological ideas have developed as psychologists grappled with the questions the subject poses. These different schools of psychology arose, often in reaction to the preceding ideas.

Psychodynamic theories: Starting with Freud, various psychologists have proposed theories about the unconsicous mind. These theories were mostly based on limited observation and much imagination and were hard to test in practice and rarely tested if testing were possible.  Psychodynamic theories have more in common with the great philosophical systems, or even theologies, than with scientific approach, in that a great deal of theory is created from a very small amount of evidence rather than the other way around.

Behaviorism: An extreme empiricist viewpoint whose adherents believed that previous ideas, such a psychodymanic theories about internal brain or mind processes were untestable and unscientific.  The extreme scientific position looked only at observable behaviours and the stimuli which caused them.  In behaviorism the brain in a blank slate which learns through experience by the processes of conditioning.  Therefore, all our behaviour, personality, beliefes are a consequence of our environment.

Nowadays, both Psychodynamic and Behavioural perspectives are of more historical value than as tools for current research. Most modern psychological research would primarily be investigating phenomena from a cognitive viewpoint, a physiological/genetic viewpoint or a combination of the two.