These theories are based on ahypothesis, which is backed by evidence.
It is often used to mean a guess, hunch, or supposition.
You may even hear people dismiss certain information because it is “only a theory.”
Verywell / Colleen Tighe
In science, however, a theory is much more than just a guess.
A theory presents a concept or idea that is testable.
Scientists can test a theory through empirical research and gather evidence that supports or refutes it.
The overall strength of a scientific theory hinges on its ability to explain diverse phenomena.
Each represents a different way of thinking about the human mind and behavior.
This doesn’t mean that any particular theory is “right” or better than the others.
It just means that various approaches exist to understanding, explaining, and predicting how people think and act.
There are five major types of psychological theories: behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and biological.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these psychological theories and how they work.
This approach doesn’t consider internal mental processes at all.
Advocated by famous psychologists such asJohn B. WatsonandB.F.
Skinner, behavioral theories dominated psychology during the early half of the twentieth century.
Today,behavioral techniquesare still widely used by therapists to help clients learn new skills and behaviors.
According tocognitive psychological theories, our thoughts are important in perceiving and responding to the world around us.
Other theories suggest that people form mental frameworks, orschemas, to help organize and interpret information.
How we interpret new information is then influenced by our existing schemas.
CBT focuses on helping people change their thoughts, which can help alleviate behavioral and emotional problems.
Psychodynamic Theories
Psychodynamic theories examine the unconscious concepts that shape our emotions, attitudes, and personalities.
Psychodynamic approaches seek to understand the root causes of unconscious behavior.
According to psychodynamic theorists, the unconscious continues to affect behavior even though we are unaware of it.
These theories are strongly linked withSigmund Freudand his followers.
Biological Theories
Biological theories in psychologyattribute human emotion and behavior to biological causes.
For instance, in thenature versus nurture debateon human behavior, the biological perspective would side with nature.
Developmental theoriesprovide a set of guiding principles and concepts that describe and explain human development.
Grand theories of development include psychoanalytic theory,learning theory, andcognitive theory.
Mini-Theories
Mini-theories describe a small, very particular aspect of development.
A mini-theory might explain relatively narrow behaviors, such as how self-esteem is formedor early childhood socialization.
Emergent Theories
Emergent theories are those that have been created relatively recently.
They are often formed by systematically combining various mini-theories.
Thesociocultural theoryproposed byLev Vygotskyis a good example of an emergent theory of development.
They also allow a deeper understanding of current theories.
Each one helps contribute to our knowledge of the human mind and behavior.
However, one must satisfy these needs from the bottom up, according to Maslow.
For instance, the most basic and most immediate needs are physiological.
Once those are met, you’re able to focus on subsequent needs like relationships and self-esteem.
The id, according to Freud, is a primal component of personality.
It is unconscious and desires pleasure and immediate gratification.
For instance, an infant crying because they’re hungry is an example of the id at work.
so that get their needs met, they respond to hunger by crying.
As you age, your ego develops.
For example, behavioral theories demonstrated how conditioning can be used to promote learning.
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