Download schools of thought

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
in the Social Sciences
PSYCHOLOGY
Psycho-dynamic – focus on resolving patient’s conflicted
conscious and unconscious thoughts/feelings
(Psycho-analysis: Sigmund Freud was the ‘father’ of this
method)
• according to this theory the mind is divided into two
parts…..the conscious and the unconscious (not aware of).
Specifically the mind is further developed into 3 parts, the
id (unconscious – I want what I want, now! Devil on the
shoulder), ego and superego (conscience – ‘angel on the
shoulder’)
*KEY to understanding human behaviour is
‘unlocking’ the unconscious mind and resolving
conflicts*
- “talk therapy” (cognitive behavioural therapy)
- may include dream-analysis
Behavioural (Behaviourism)
• the branch of psychology that tries to control / regulate
human behaviour by identifying the factors that motivate it
in the first place/need empirical evidence obtained through
experimentation
 E. G. Albert Bandura and his Bobo doll experiment
 Children watched a video of an adult
punching/hitting a doll (control group did not
view a video), and then levels of aggression
were measured in the children
 Children who saw the video, had significantly
increased levels of aggression; control was not
a significant change
 Children who saw the violence, but the adult
was reprimanded, had a slight decrease in
levels of violence
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Humanist
- developed out of patient relationship idea of therapy
(clinical psychology)
- believe client should have a significant contribution in
their therapy (direction of, etc.)
- meant to empower the patient
- *huge shift in methodology*
- e.g. Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs)
o working towards ‘self-actualization’ (means
reaching your full potential)
o need to meet basic physiological psychological
needs in order to work our way to self-actualization
Cognitive
- the school of thought related to learning/learning
potential
- most behaviour is learned, therefore learning process is
most relevant to psychology
- often combined/paired with Behavioural (Behaviourism)
*Experimental Psychology – experiments set up and carried out
(manipulating variables) to learn the likely results
*Clinical Psychology – dealing with actual patients and their
treatment plan/process
ANTHROPOLOGY
Functionalism
• according to functionalists, all cultures are set up to deal
with the universal problems that human societies face
(physical, or psychological needs)
• societies must have a set standard of laws and practices to
provide stability. These are referred to as social
institutions
• functionalists investigate the social function of institutions
i.e.) what is the purpose? How are they run?
• a fundamental belief is that society is a logical institution
and functions in the best interest by the needs of the
majority
• culture then must be logical ----although a society’s
practices may at first seem strange to the outsider,
functionalists believe that the role of anthropologists is to
explain not judge
Feminist
*see Anthropology Graphic Organizer*
Post-Modernist
*see Anthropology Graphic Organizer*
Cultural Relativism
*see Anthropology Graphic Organizer*
Cultural Materialism
• according to cultural materialists, technology and
economic factors are the most important ones in moulding
a society. They also believe that types of technology and
economic methods that are adopted always determine the
type of society that develops. This is known as
determinism.
SOCIOLOGY
Structural Functionalism
• the idea that human societies have basic needs that must
be met, and they are stable when social institutions needs
are met (e.g. school, family, religion, etc.)
• a change in one thing in society will cause a change in
something else therefore disrupting social cohesion
- focus on the idea that institutions exist for a positive
function (this school of thought has been criticized for
not being able to explain things like poverty, racism)
E.g. Emile Durkheim (studied forces that unit individuals in
society, as he saw people essentially as social beings;
famous for his studies on suicide)
Feminist
• focuses on sex and gender issues, believing that women
have traditionally been disadvantaged in society because
men have discriminated against them
- 20th/21st Century feminism focuses on how traditionally
men have controlled the workforce/workplace, finances,
reproductive rights/choices
Symbolic Interactionism
• subscribes to the idea that humans have complex brains
and little instinctive behaviour; studies human interaction at
the micro-level (individuals)
- the individual is the key to understanding society
• individuals interpret what they see in society and
internalize it and give it meaning for themselves
• therefore, values and beliefs differ from person to person
E.g. Max Weber – theory called ‘rationalization’ (we defend our
choices/actions based on how we interpret the situation)
Conflict
- studies competition/conflict between groups for power,
resources, and other benefits; these things drive society
and personal actions
- gender and money are common basis competition
E.g. Karl Marx – concentrated on ‘class conflict’ (rich v. poor)
- said conflict between classes created isolation and
thus results in disruption, rebellion (and then social
evolution)