Psychodynamics
Define psychodynamics in one sentence, emphasizing its core claim about what shapes personality.
Psychodynamics: a perspective emphasizing unconscious processes, internal conflicts, and early life experiences in shaping personality and behavior.
Provide a concise definition of behaviorism and its primary focus.
Behaviorism: focuses on observable behavior and how the environment (stimuli, reinforcement) shapes it.
Define humanism in psychology with emphasis on its view of human nature.
Humanism: emphasizes individual potential, personal growth, subjective experience, and the drive toward self-actualization.
Which perspective places the most emphasis on observable behavior and measurable outcomes?
What is behaviorism?
Name a key figure in psychodynamics and one of their contributions (extra point for each additional one)
Key figures: Sigmund Freud (developed psychoanalysis and concepts like the id, ego, superego), Carl Jung (collective unconscious, archetypes), Erik Erikson (psychosocial stages)
Name two influential behaviorists and state one idea or experiment associated with one of them. (Extra points for each additional one)
John B. Watson (advocated for strict behaviorism, Little Albert study idea), B.F. Skinner (operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules), Ivan Pavlov (classical conditioning—dogs salivating to bell).
Name two key humanistic psychologists and state one idea from either person. (Extra points for each additional one)
Abraham Maslow (hierarchy of needs, self-actualization), Carl Rogers (person-centered therapy, unconditional positive regard), Victor Frankl (finding meaning in life is primary motivational force), Rollo May (importance of human freedom and choice, anxiety serves an essential purpose in having us face ourselves)
Which perspective emphasizes free will and personal choice most clearly?
What is humanism?
Describe what is meant by "defense mechanisms" and give one example.
Defense mechanisms: unconscious strategies to manage anxiety (example: repression — pushing distressing memories out of conscious awareness).
Differentiate classical conditioning from operant conditioning with a brief example for each.
Classical: learning by association (Pavlov's dog — bell paired with food → salivation). Operant: learning by consequences (Skinner — pressing lever → food reinforcement).
Describe the role of unconditional positive regard in person-centered therapy
Unconditional positive regard: therapist accepts the client without judgment, creating a safe environment that fosters self-exploration and growth.
For each perspective (psychodynamics, behaviorism, humanism), give one educational application in a single sentence each.
Psychodynamics: informs understanding of emotional development and supports counseling for deep-seated conflicts. Behaviorism: use of reinforcement and behavior modification to teach skills and reduce problem behavior. Humanism: student-centered approaches that foster intrinsic motivation and creativity.
Explain how early childhood experiences are said to influence adult behavior according to psychodynamic theory.
Early experiences shape internal conflicts and unconscious patterns that influence adult reactions, relationships, and symptom formation.
Explain how reinforcement schedules can affect learning speed or persistence of a behavior (give one example).
Continuous reinforcement produces quick learning but faster extinction; partial schedules (e.g., variable-ratio) produce high persistence (e.g., gambling-like persistence).
Explain how the concept of self-actualization influences motivation and learning in educational settings.
Self-actualization motivates learners to pursue meaningful goals, creativity, and intrinsic learning when basic needs and supportive conditions are met.
Compare the primary research methods used by psychodynamics and behaviorism; explain how these differences affect the types of conclusions each can reliably make.
Psychodynamics relies on case studies and qualitative interpretation (rich, deep individual insights but limited generalizability); behaviorism uses controlled experiments and quantitative measures (strong causal claims about environmental effects but limited access to internal processes).
Identify one major strength and one major limitation of psychodynamic theory, and briefly justify each.
Strength: offers deep insight into personality, development, and emotional life (e.g., explains symbolic meaning of behavior). Limitation: less empirical and difficult to test; many concepts are not easily measurable.
State one major strength and one major limitation of behaviorism, and explain why each is considered such.
Strength: empirical, objective, effective for behavior change (widely used in therapy/education). Limitation: neglects internal thoughts/feelings and individuality; can be overly deterministic.
Identify one strength and one limitation of humanistic theory, and explain their implications for therapy or education.
Strength: promotes motivation, creativity, holistic well-being; emphasizes positive potential. Limitation: subjective, hard to measure, less empirically rigorous and structured.
A teacher notices a student acting out after repeatedly failing a unit test. Using each perspective (psychodynamic, behaviorist, humanist), provide a one-sentence explanation for the student's behavior and one intervention each perspective would recommend.
Psychodynamic explanation: student acting out due to unresolved early conflicts or unconscious anxiety; intervention: talk therapy to uncover underlying conflicts (psychoanalysis/psychodynamic therapy). Behaviorist explanation: acting out reinforced by attention or escape from difficult tasks; intervention: change reinforcement contingencies (ignore attention-seeking, teach alternative behaviors with positive reinforcement). Humanist explanation: acting out because needs for belonging or esteem are unmet, or because the student feels blocked from self-actualization; intervention: provide empathy, unconditional positive regard, and student-centered supports to restore intrinsic motivation.