Main approaches to study of human psyche.

Psychology as a science.

Psychology, the science of mind and behaviour, emerged in the nineteenth century.

Once psychology was established as an area of scientific inquiry, it was shaped by influences of several different perspectives. The many influences in psychology’s past have helped to make psychology a very diverse field to-day.

Psychology is one of the most rapidly developing social sciences. It is touching almost every aspect of our lives.

It has as its principal focus the individual human being.

Psychology is the branch of biological science which studies the phenomena of conscious life and behaviour.

The main task of Russian psychology is materialistic investigation of the highest forms of human psychic activity.

Psychology is important, even for those who do not intend to specialize in the field.

Main approaches to study of human psyche.

There are 4 approaches to psychology: behaviourism, psychoanalysis, humanistic approach, Russian school of psychophysiology.

The American psychologist John Watson was the first, who advanced the view, that behaviour is the sole subject-matter of psychology. He believes that man is still basically what his environment makes him.

The basic problem is to find out how man behaves or responds as a result of changes or improvements in the environment or stimuli. This approach is often referred to as stimulus – response or S-R psychology.

Sigmund Freud founded the psychoanalysis. Personality depends on the actions of 3 major forces: the id, the ego and the superego. The ego is often under strain to withstand the pleasure forces from the id. The ego and the superego are the mere tips of the id.

The humanistic school view is that man becomes what he makes of himself by his own actions and thoughts. Humanists believe that man is born basically good and that conscious forces are more important than unconscious forces.

Russian psychology was inseparably linked with the development of research into psycho-physiology in the works of Pavlov, Beckterev and Orbeli.

Russian scientist asserted in psychology the Marxist teaching on activity and its socio-historical foundation, the ideas of Lenin’s theory of reflection.

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