If you’ve ever taken a psychology class, then you’ve probably encountered many different psychological theories.
So why do so many different psychological theories exist?
What purpose do they serve?
Maskot / Getty Images
The answer is thatpsychology theorieshelp provide an organized framework for studying and understanding human behavior.
These theories can help us explain and predict a wide variety of behaviors.
At a Glance
Theories are more than just guesses.
They act as frameworks that help researchers and psychologists accomplish different goals in psychology.
They can help us explain different aspects of behavior.
Theories can also help us to make predictions about what might happen in certain situations.
Why Theories Exist in Psychology
These theories serve a number of important purposes.
Lets look at three key reasons why psychological theories exist.
By having a broad base of understanding about thehowsandwhysof human behavior, we can better understand ourselves and others.
Each theory provides a context for understanding a specific aspect of the human experience.
Behavioral theories, for example, provide a basis for understanding how people learn new things.
Theories Can Adapt and Evolve
Theories are dynamic and always changing.
As new discoveries are made, theories are modified and adapted to account for new information.
Even today, many psychologists tend to focus their research through the lens of a certain theoretical perspective.
Theories tend to fall into one of a few different types.
Theoretical Perspectives
Psychology theories can often categorized into a few main perspectives.
Behavioral Theories
Thebehavioral theoriessuggest that all human behavior can be explained by the learning processes.
Biological Theories
Biological theories focus on understanding how biology affects human thought and behavior.
Understanding the genetic factors that contribute to mental illness is an example of a biological theory.
Cognitive Theories
Cognitive theories suggest that internal cognitive stages play an important role in human behavior.
These theories focus on understanding how the mind processes, stores, and utilizes information.
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget introduced another well-known grand theory.
2017;11(8):ZC111ZC115.
