Your behavior says a lot about you. Not just the way you act, but also why you act that way. Is it because of how you were raised or where you grew up or is it something deeper than that? Over the years, psychologists have studied, researched and worked diligently to figure out all aspects of the human psyche. To figure out what makes a person tick. 

In this article, we’re going to go over the seven approaches to psychology. The seven approaches to psychology offer various viewpoints and aspects to understand human life, whether on the nurture or nature side of argument. These perspectives have improved the lives of many people with all the insights and how each comprehensively discusses our individual realities. 

Biological Psychology

In biological psychology, psychologists study the links between biology and psychology, and how we are a product of our genes and hormones. Through the biological lens, this type of approach examines our thoughts and behavior and how they are connected and influenced by our genes, and may be the reason for our actions and thoughts. 

Biological psychologists use techniques and methods of modern science to investigate the idea that changes in biology lead to changes in psychology. Our brain, nervous system, immune system, and even our behavior, can be affected by our genetic codes and structures. The biological perspective is essentially a way of looking at human problems and actions. Experts implore you to consider something like the act of aggression. Biological psychologists believe that aggression is a result of a brain injury or one’s genetic makeup. Biological psychologists hone in on a patient’s genetic makeup. However, a drawback to biological psychology is that these psychologists fail to take into account how social pressures, environmental factors, childhood experiences, and cultural variables can also play a role in the formation of psychological problems. But don’t worry, there are six other approaches to psychology to look into if biological psychology isn’t right for you.

Evolutionary Psychology

Similarly to biological psychology, evolutionary psychology is the study of natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which specific genes become more or less common in a population of species through reproduction and mating. In other words, genes that contribute to survival are more likely to be passed on than those that don’t. Evolutionary biologists look at phenomena (like opposable thumbs or walking upright) as adaptations that thrived. Evolutionary psychologists take the same approach with psychological phenomena (like language, memory, attention, visual perception and happiness) and research how they have helped our ancestors adapt. 

It was Charles Darwin that proposed a general theory of evolution in his book On the Origin of Species. The principle of evolution, psychologists believe, can be used to understand human behavior. It puts emphasis on the concept that since our brain has been shaped by the process of natural selection, it now comprises many functional mechanisms called psychological adaptations or evolved cognitive mechanisms. In short, evolutionary psychology is focused on how evolution affects and shapes our mind and behavior. 

Psychodynamic Psychology

Psychodynamic therapy is the psychological interpretation of mental and emotional processes. Rooted in traditional psychoanalysis, it draws from object relations, ego, and self. It was developed as a simpler, less-lengthy alternative to psychoanalysis. 

Psychodynamic therapy aims to address the foundation and formation of psychological processes. In this way, it seeks to reduce symptoms and improve people’s lives. You’ve probably heard of Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, our behavior and feelings are powerfully affected by unconscious motives. The unconscious mind comprises mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but that influence judgments, feelings, or behavior. Freud also belived the subconscious mind is the primary source of human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see. Our feelings, motives, and decisions are actually powerfully influenced by our past experiences, and stored in the subconscious.

Unconscious thoughts and feelings can transfer to the conscious mind in the form of parapraxes, popularly known as Freudian slips. We reveal what is really on our mind by saying something we didn't mean to say. 

Behavioral Psychology 

This is the most studied approach to psychology. Behavioral psychology focuses on the learning process and learning behavior, and how people are controlled by the environment around them. It revolves around the idea of how our observable behavior is the result of environmental factors. The hope is that if psychologists can use behavioral psychology to help us predict how humans will behave, humanity can build better habits as individuals, create better products as companies, and develop better living spaces as communities.

John B. Watson is usually credited as the founder of behaviorism, with his publication of Behaviorism in 1925 being a seminal moment in the field and one of the earliest behavioral psychology books. Watson believed that classical conditioning was both necessary and sufficient to describe and account for all instances of learning across all species. 

Some 25 years later, B.F. Skinner developed the theory and principles of operant condition. Ultimately, the behavioral approach to psychology rejects the idea that people have free will, and that the environment determines all of our behavior. Its greatest strength is its ability to clearly observe and measure behaviors. 

Cognitive Psychology

This area of psychology focuses on mental processes, such as memory, thinking, problem-solving, language, and decision-making. It compares the human mind to a computer with the way it receives and processes information and how this information is stored and utilized. Cognitive psychologists are interested in mental plans and thoughts that guide and cause behavior and affect how people feel. Intelligence testing and information-processing theories are examples that fall within the cognitive metatheory. 

It revolves around the idea that if we want to know what triggers people’s reaction and why they act the way they do, we have to figure out what processes are actually going on in their minds. Think about when someone tells you to look on the bright side. They’re coming from a cognitive perspective. And when something bad happens, most people feel better if the issue is resolved. But how should you feel if nothing changes? Do you have to feel bad forever? Cognitive psychologists say no. In most cases, people can change the way they think about a situation. 

Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology focuses on the idea that people are driven to grow, do their best, and enhance themselves. It is a perspective that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans. While behaviorism focuses on how the environment affects an individual, humanistic psychology understands the true nature of the individual. This approach believes that we, as individuals, possess some degree of self-control and are capable of determining our own behavior, and that we possess free will and are ultimately responsible for our actions and behavior. Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of "client-centered therapy." His influence has spanned decades, but that influence has become so much a part of mainstream psychology that the ingenious nature of his work has almost been overlooked. 

Sociocultural Psychology

This is perhaps the newest and least researched approach to psychology. Sociocultural psychology looks at the important contributions that society makes to individual development. This theory stresses the interaction between developing people and the culture in which they live. Sociocultural theory also suggests that human learning is largely a social process. This type of approach believes that our social groups and subgroups, such as race and ethnicity, religion, gender, social class, etc., can affect our behavior and personality. 

Sociocultural theory grew from the work of seminal psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who believed that parents, caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher-order functions. According to Vygotsky, learning has its basis in interacting with other people. Once this has occurred, the information is then integrated on the individual level. Vygotsky's death at age 37, as well as the suppression of his work in Stalinist Russia, left him in relative obscurity until fairly recently.

Buying Guide

• If you’re interested in learning even more about psychology, consider taking courses from Coursera. 

• But if you’re looking to get a psychologist to learn more about your own mind, BetterHelp is the way to go.

• Keep your mind sharp with online brain teasers at MentalUP.

• Thriftbooks has all the psychology books you’d need to learn about what doctors like Freud, Skinner and Vygotsky discovered.

• And if you’re looking to delve into your past and how it’s affecting you now, sign up for 23andMe.