Key Concepts in Psychology & Organizational Behavior
Psychology: Understanding Human Behavior
Psychology is a scientific discipline that seeks to understand human behavior through scientific methods and the study of mental processes. Its primary aim is to improve the quality of life. The core goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior.
Psychology encompasses two main areas:
- Basic Research: Focused on understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of phenomena. Fundamental questions include the nature of free will, the comparison of
Behavior Therapy Foundations: Conditioning, Social Learning, and REBT
Chapter 8: Foundations of Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy is based on Ivan Pavlov’s concept of classical conditioning and B. F. Skinner’s work on operant conditioning. Studies on observational learning also provided a background for the development of psychotherapeutic behavioral techniques. Behavior therapists have been able to apply basic principles such as reinforcement, extinction, shaping of behavior, and modeling to help clients.
In behavior therapy, there has been a general trend from
Read MoreAdolescent Psychosexual Development Stages
Psychosexual Development Stages
Individuals go through different stages of development in which changes occur within themselves and in their relationships with others. These are called stages of psychosexual development, driven by libido, the psychic energy associated with sexual drives.
In these phases, the individual seeks various forms of sexual satisfaction and engages in fantasies.
The Latency Stage
This stage is characterized by a focus on acquiring skills necessary for life. Childhood sexual
Read MoreDevelopmental Psychology Concepts and Theories
Core Debates and Theories
Three Core Debates in Developmental Psychology
- Nature vs. Nurture: The debate about whether development is primarily influenced by nature or nurture. Nature refers to an organism’s biology and genetics. Nurture refers to its environmental experiences and influences.
- Stability-Change Issue: The debate about the degree to which early personality traits and characteristics persist through life or change. Does the individual (a) become an older version of the early self, with
Understanding Unaccompanied Minors in the Juvenile Justice System
Unaccompanied Minors in the Juvenile Justice System
When children, whether Spanish or foreign, enter the juvenile justice system for having committed a crime, the judge may impose measures based not only on the type of crime committed but also on personal, family, and social factors. Recently, both the number of measures and the number of them imposed have increased. This is consistent with the expansion of material and human resources for the implementation of these measures across the country.
Read MorePsychology Concepts: Consciousness, Sleep, IQ
Understanding Consciousness
Views on Consciousness
The Freudian Viewpoint
Three levels of awareness:
- Conscious mind: Contains thoughts and perceptions of which we are aware.
- Preconscious: Mental events that are outside current awareness but can easily be recalled.
- Unconscious: Events that cannot be brought into conscious awareness under ordinary circumstances.
The Cognitive View
Cognitive psychologists reject the notion of an unconscious mind driven by instinctive urges and repressed conflicts. Rather,
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