Humanistic Psychology
1. Representative Figures: Maslow, Rogers
2. Research Object: Personality
3. Research Methods: Holistic analysis, case study, phenomenology
4. Main Points
(1) View of Human Nature: Believes that human nature is inherently good; emphasizes that the significant characteristic of human nature is "continuous growth"; regards human nature as autonomous and capable of self-choice; views humans as whole individuals.
(2) Emphasizes "human-centeredness": Respects and values individuals' basic needs and self-worth. Focuses on the value of individuals and emphasizes their need for self-actualization.
(3) Theory of Needs: Needs are certain lacks or imbalances within the organism, manifested as the organism's dependence on objective conditions for survival and development. Needs serve as the active source of organismic activities. Maslow proposed the hierarchy of needs theory.
Zhao's mnemonic: Three needs of human nature
5. Historical Evaluation
(1) Contributions: Humanistic psychology is known as the "third force" in psychology, alongside behaviorism and psychoanalysis. It advocates for the inherent goodness of human nature and emphasizes the study of human nature with a humanistic care perspective. It has provided certain inspiration for criticizing traditional psychology. "The research concept of humanistic psychology dilutes the purely scientific nature of psychology." This is one of the two major characteristics of humanistic psychology, the other being "studying human nature from the perspective of human needs."
Zhao's mnemonic: Three dilutions of literature
(2) Limitations: Humanistic psychology mistakenly understands the essence of human beings, seeing them as beings of human nature rather than the sum of social relationships. Therefore, some descriptions of the inner world of individuals often start from an individual perspective. In addition, many assertions of humanistic psychology have a programmatic nature, with a lack of clear definitions for the terms used and a lack of specific explanations for the research methods employed, making it difficult to test its theories.
Zhao's mnemonic: Essence, assertions, methods
Cognitive Psychology
The study of cognitive psychology can be traced back to Jean Piaget's research on cognitive development in children in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1967, Neisser published the book "Cognitive Psychology," marking the birth of modern cognitive psychology.
1. Representative Figures: Piaget, Neisser, Newell, Simon
2. Research Object: Information processing processes
3. Research Methods: Reaction time method, verbal report method, computer simulation
4. Main Points
(1) Focuses on the psychological events that occur in the human brain, such as how people reason, remember, understand language, solve problems, interpret experiences, acquire moral standards, and form beliefs.
(2) The subject in learning is not passively accepting stimuli and making responses mechanically, but actively and selectively acquiring stimuli and processing them.
(3) Uses the viewpoint and terminology of information processing to explain human cognitive processes, likening the human brain to a computer.
(4) Believes that cognitive processes include the reception, storage, and application of information.
Zhao's mnemonic: Focus on the brain, active processing, liken to a computer, cognitive processes
5. Historical Evaluation
Cognitive psychology has rapidly developed since the 1950s. In recent years, the combination of cognitive psychology and neuroscience has given rise to cognitive neuroscience. Scientists believe that only by revealing the brain mechanisms of mental activities, especially the neurophysiological mechanisms of cognitive functions, can the secrets of the brain be truly uncovered and the characteristics of human psychological functions be understood. Cognitive psychology has become increasingly important in the field of psychology.