The Classic Wanderer

What Is A Theoretical Perspective In Psychology?

• Sabrina Sarro
• 05.05.2023
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Theoretical Perspectives and Key Concepts Elizabeth B. Pearce We will examine families from a variety of theoretical perspectives. A theoretical perspective, or more briefly, a “theory” is not just an idea that someone has. Rather it is a structural framework, explanation, or tool that has been tested and evaluated over time.

1. Theories are developed and utilized via scholarship, research, discussion, and debate.
2. Theories help us to understand the world in general, and in this instance the ways in which families form, function, interact with, and experience the world.
3. In addition, we will define several key concepts including,, and the that are important to your understanding of equity and families in this course.

Because the study of families overlaps multiple disciplines, we will utilize sociological, human development, psychological, and anthropological theories and concepts. Play this video to learn about five of the foundational theories related to the study of families: Social Exchange, Symbolic Interaction, Feminist, Postmodern, and Life Course.

Table 2.2. Foundational theories related to the study of families.

Conflict	Opposition, power, and conflict within the family and society are needed for society to develop and change	Emphasizes the competing interests of familial roles including the male dominating the family and providing stability to society
Ecological Systems	Individuals are part of a group of concentric systems that impact their development and growth.	Children are influenced by the people and environments in which they spend the most time, as well as the greater social events, trends and values.	Micro, Meso, Exo, Macro, and Chronosystems.	Urie Bronfenbrenner developed this theory in the second half of the 20th century; he influenced the creation of HeadStart in the United States.
Exchange (aka Social Exchange)	Individuals have different strengths, resources and weaknesses and enter into relationships via the evaluation of benefits and costs.	Emphasizes the motivation for familial relationships: that each person is giving and gaining within the family.	The “breadwinner-homemaker family” is the classic example.
Feminism (aka Feminist)	Society is structured in a way that privileges men over women; the theory works to understand and to transform inequalities.	This theory emphasizes the way that gender roles are constructed within the family including the socialization of children.	Gender differences are mostly socially constructed. This theory draws on the Conflict, Exchange, and Symbolic Interaction perspectives.	Different from the Feminist Activist movement! Read and listen carefully, so that you can distinguish it.
Functionalism	Social institutions function together in order to meet individual and group needs.	The family can be seen as an institution (e.g. breadwinner-homemaker family) that contributes to a harmonious society		Formulated originally in 19th century France, it was the dominant sociological theory in mid-20th century United States
Hierarchy of Needs	Individuals meet one set of needs first in order to be motivated and able to achieve other needs.	This theory influences family life in its arrangement of what needs are most important.		There is evidence that indigenous cultures in North America developed a hierarchy of needs earlier than the more well-known model created by Abraham Maslow.
Life Course	Significant social and historical events shape the trajectories of birth cohorts and the individuals in them.	Family life is impacted by large national and international events: wars, natural disasters, pandemics, economic depressions. In particular, children and adolescents in a given cohort will be impacted by these events over time.	Emerging Early Adulthood: the period of life when people shift into adulthood as they end their education, start a career and begin families. This period of life has become more varied and complex because of societal change.	Do not confuse this with the Lifespan theory which has a different emphasis! Read and listen carefully, so that you can distinguish it.
Postmodern (aka Modernity)	Choice and individuality are emphasized in the postmodern era. Humans are able to act in the way they choose with society and within institutions.	Individuals have a much greater choice than they did in the past about how they form their families, the roles they play and who is in their family. History, family, and tradition have decreasing roles in family life.	Reflexivity: the way in which people take in new information, reflect upon it, and adjust and act with new knowledge	This theory is a very broad one and applies to many aspects of work, societal, and family life. Social Theorist Anthony Giddens has written about this theory.
Symbolic Interaction	This theory focuses on the changing nature of symbols and the ways we interact with one another based on those symbols. Humans see themselves through the eyes of others and this affects the roles they play.	Changing roles and symbols affect the ways family members interact with each other and with society. Societal expectations and social constructions of fathering and mothering roles have changed over time and this interacts with the way fathers and mothers actually behave.	Interpretation of shared understandings influences how humans respond and interact.	Has a basis in philosophy (George Herbert Mead) and in Sociology (Herbert Blumer.)

What are the 7 theoretical perspectives in psychology?

Perspectives in Psychology – Psychology is the study of people’s minds and behavior. Many psychologists defined and have presented different looks towards the interests and explanations of human behavior. Reasoning this, many perspectives in psychology emerged.

What is an example of a theoretical perspective?

A topic in research methodology A research project often adopts a specific theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective from which to understand the research focus and analyse the data collected. “Educational phenomena, teaching and learning and the social institutions intended support teaching, canbe very complex, and there are often alternative ways of approaching the conceptualisation of a particular research focus. Discussions of educational research often make references to the ‘ theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective ‘ informing a study, as something other than the ‘ conceptual framework <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of understanding a topic/phenomenon – usually reserved for more extensive mental structures than single conceptions<br />Read about 'Conceptual frameworks' in research(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/conceptual-framework/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>conceptual framework ‘ underpinning the study. theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>Theoretical perspectives can be thought of as well-developed theoretical positions about some aspects of a social or educational phenomenon that can act as starting points for making sense of research topics. An important point is that in education, there is no 1:1 correspondence between theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective and specific topics. Rather there will often be several theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspectives that might be relevant to a topic. These might sometimes be seen as based on competing theories, but often they might be better thought of as each illuminating some of the facets of a complex phenomenon.” Taber, 2014: 1854-1855 There may be a range of theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspectives relevant to a field, and sometimes several are pertinent to the same complex phenomenon One example of a theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective that might be drawn upon or adopted in work exploring how people understand their experiences would be ‘ constructive alternativism <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a philosophical perspective mooted by George Kelly, and used to develop his personal construct theory suggested we can always entertain alternative construals of experience<br />This(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/constructive-alternativism/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>constructive alternativism ‘, deriving from personal construct theory <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>was developed by George Kelly, from his position of constructive alternativism, and is a version of personal contructivism<br />"Kelly set out his theory as a set of principles or(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/personal-construct-theory/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>personal construct theory, A theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective that might inform studies of teaching and learning is constructivism <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>is a term with a range of meanings. It is used, <em>inter alia</em>, to describe perspectives on learning that see the learner as actively constructing knowledge by interpreting(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/constructivism/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>constructivism (or one of its variants). Sometimes a theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective leads to a particular methodology <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>Methodology, in everyday terms is, the way we go about something<br />Research methodologies are general strategies for carrying out research, such as experiments, surveys and so(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/methodology/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>methodology being developed. So the construct repertory test <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>(a.k.a. the method of triads) is a technique for exploring a person's system of personal cosntructs<br />"The basis of Kelly’s CRT, also known as the method of triads, is to provide(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/construct-repertory-test/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>construct repertory test and repertory grid <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>is a technique used to explore aspects of a person's construct system. The repertory grid is developed after carrying out the construct repertory test which elicits personal(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/repertory-grid/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>repertory grid were developed from personal construct theory <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>was developed by George Kelly, from his position of constructive alternativism, and is a version of personal contructivism<br />"Kelly set out his theory as a set of principles or(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/personal-construct-theory/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>personal construct theory, phenomenology <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a theoretical perspective (with associated methodology) concerned with people's lived experiences<br />See: Phenomenology<br> <br> Click on 'Term details' to visit glossary entry<br> <br> Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/phenomenology/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>Phenomenology is a term that can be used both to refer to a theoretical perspective <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>a way of thinking about a topic, usually used when choosing a particular viewpoint for making sense of a research focus and for analysing data collected<br />When researching complex(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/theoretical-perspective/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>theoretical perspective and the associated methodology <br> Glossary entry<br> <br>Methodology, in everyday terms is, the way we go about something<br />Research methodologies are general strategies for carrying out research, such as experiments, surveys and so(.) Term details ” href=”https://science-education-research.com/glossary/methodology/” target=”_blank” data-gt-translate-attributes=””>methodology,

What are the three main theoretical perspectives in psychology?

Explain what sociological theories are and how they are used. Understand the similarities and differences between structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.

Sociologists develop theories to explain social occurrences such as protest rallies. (Photo courtesy of voanews.com/Wikimedia Commons) Sociologists study social events, interactions, and patterns, and they develop a theory in an attempt to explain why things work as they do.

In sociology, a theory is a way to explain different aspects of social interactions and to create a testable proposition, called a hypothesis, about society (Allan 2006). For example, although suicide is generally considered an individual phenomenon, Émile Durkheim was interested in studying the social factors that affect it.

He studied social ties within a group, or social solidarity, and hypothesized that differences in suicide rates might be explained by religion-based differences. Durkheim gathered a large amount of data about Europeans who had ended their lives, and he did indeed find differences based on religion.

Protestants were more likely to commit suicide than Catholics in Durkheim’s society, and his work supports the utility of theory in sociological research. Theories vary in scope depending on the scale of the issues that they are meant to explain. Macro-level theories relate to large-scale issues and large groups of people, while micro-level theories look at very specific relationships between individuals or small groups.

Grand theories attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change. Sociological theory is constantly evolving and should never be considered complete. Classic sociological theories are still considered important and current, but new sociological theories build upon the work of their predecessors and add to them (Calhoun 2002).

1. In sociology, a few theories provide broad perspectives that help explain many different aspects of social life, and these are called paradigms.
2. Paradigms are philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them.

Three paradigms have come to dominate sociological thinking because they provide useful explanations: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.

Sociological Theories or Perspectives Different sociological perspectives enable sociologists to view social issues through a variety of useful lenses.

Sociological Paradigm	Level of Analysis	Focus
Structural Functionalism	Macro or mid	The way each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole
Conflict Theory	Macro	The way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power
Symbolic Interactionism	Micro	One-to-one interactions and communications

What are the 5 key theories in psychology?

The five major theories of psychology are behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, and biological.

What are the 8 major theoretical perspectives?

We have organized them into eight broad perspectives: the systems perspective, conflict perspective, exchange and choice perspective, social constructionist perspective, psychodynamic perspective, developmental perspective, behavioral perspective, and humanistic perspective.

What are the main theoretical perspective?

Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. From concrete interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behavior, sociologists study everything from specific events (the micro level of analysis of small social patterns) to the “big picture” (the macro level of analysis of large social patterns).

• The pioneering European sociologists, however, also offered a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of society and its workings.
• Their views form the basis for today’s theoretical perspectives, or paradigms, which provide sociologists with an orienting framework—a philosophical position—for asking certain kinds of questions about society and its people.

Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. The symbolic interactionist perspective The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other.

1. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber’s assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H.
2. Mead (1863–1931) introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s.
3. According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols.

Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the “sender,” and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the “receiver.” In other terms, words are not static “things”; they require intention and interpretation.

• Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them.
• Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself.
• Written music serves as an example.
• The black dots and lines become more than mere marks on the page; they refer to notes organized in such a way as to make musical sense.

Thus, symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols, as well as to those of others. Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage.

Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing “never ending love,” while the other may see them as a mere financial expense.

Much faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols. Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation—the “big picture.” In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the “trees” (for example, the size of the diamond in the wedding ring) rather than the “forest” (for example, the quality of the marriage).

The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. The functionalist perspective According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole.

The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families.

• In the process, the children become law‐abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state.
• If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity.
• If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and productivity.
• For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut.

Schools offer fewer programs. Families tighten their budgets. And a new social order, stability, and productivity occur. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole.

Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical solidarity. In contrast, organic solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, complex societies such those in large American cities like New York in the 2000s.

The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior.

1. Among these American functionalist sociologists is Robert Merton (b.1910), who divides human functions into two types: manifest functions are intentional and obvious, while latent functions are unintentional and not obvious.
2. The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community, but its latent function may be to help members learn to discern personal from institutional values.

With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. Yet this is not necessarily the case for latent functions, which often demand a sociological approach to be revealed. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole.

• Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce.
• Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society’s members.
• Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them.

Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. The conflict perspective The conflict perspective, which originated primarily out of Karl Marx’s writings on class struggles, presents society in a different light than do the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives.

1. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever‐changing nature of society.
2. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak.

Conflict theorists, for example, may interpret an “elite” board of regents raising tuition to pay for esoteric new programs that raise the prestige of a local college as self‐serving rather than as beneficial for students. Whereas American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist, the tumultuous 1960s saw American sociologists gain considerable interest in conflict theory.

They also expanded Marx’s idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists: racial, gender, religious, political, economic, and so on. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another.

This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever‐changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective point to its overly negative view of society. The theory ultimately attributes humanitarian efforts, altruism, democracy, civil rights, and other positive aspects of society to capitalistic designs to control the masses, not to inherent interests in preserving society and social order.

What best describes theoretical perspectives?

Which of the following best describes theoretical perspectives? They are paradigms for viewing the world. Which of the following is true of good generalizations? They are based on social scientific research.

What is theoretical vs practical perspective?

Theoretical Knowledge Vs Practical Application User Rating: 4 / 5 Manish Ramnani “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” -C.S. Lewis The knowledge you get is more important, than from where you get that knowledge. You can easily find examples of people who went or didn’t went to school but rather they went on to have a great success.

• Theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge are like two sides of the coin, both are equally important.
• It is necessary to understand both the ends of the spectrum.
• It takes hours to acquire the art of practical techniques putting in the time to understand how these techniques fit into a larger context and how they work.

Theoretical knowledge means learning anything without adopting practical approach. It helps you understand why one technique is successful while the other fails. Theory teaches you the experience of others. Theoretical knowledge can give you a deeper understanding of a concept through seeing it in the context of understanding the why behind it.

• Practical education is better because it makes you capable enough to know how things happen in the real world.
• The best part of practical application is whatever we learn through the practical way that knowledge will remain with us for a longer period.
• In practical application, we learn the facts in an interesting manner which are the best part of learning.

If you enjoy your study then you will never get bored or feel nervous of it. Today our education system needs a practical approach therefore, they put prominence on the experience of ‘hands on learning’. Practical knowledge can give the best exposure of learning.

1. The scope of practical knowledge is very wide, there are some things you can only learn through doing and experiencing.
2. For e.g.: An “on the job” experience which is also called Internship.) Practical knowledge can often lead to a deeper understanding of a concept through the act of personal experience.

Theoretical learning is what the knowledge is about and the practical application is how the knowledge learnt needs to be implemented in certain real life situations. The mode of practical application along with theory gives everyone a clear explanation about the facts.

• Theory teaches about the experiences of others while by practically experiencing the particular task you can build your own experiences.
• Philosophically, knowledge is intangible but the practical application made it tangible by applying those skills in practice.
• Having learnt the difference between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Let’s take an example of VESIM and the exposure it provided not only theoretical knowledge but also practical application. Right from Sell-On activity we were spurred to take on a practical approach and it seemed to continue as and when our MBA journey was progressing then be it the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Tree Plantation drive, Literati Fest, Basic 18, Yuva for Seva and the summer internship to the annual function, the Navratri function by CGPT there were ample opportunities created for us to successfully learn the art of management through practical approach of knowledge.

What are the 6 theoretical perspectives?

What are the 6 psychological perspectives? The 6 main psychological perspectives in psychology are: Biological, Behaviorist, Cognitive, Psychodynamic, Evolutionary, and Humanistic. Each perspective takes a different approach when it comes to understanding human behavior.

What is an example of a theory in psychology?

Emergent theories – Emergent theories often integrate mini-theories to develop research and ideas. These theories refer to the phenomenon of an entity only possessing certain characteristics when interacting with others. In psychology, emergent theories explore human behaviors in group settings or in crowds.

What are the 4 theories of psychology?

Abstract – Although the development of theoretically based and empirically verified practice guidelines is now possible, some health education practice still remains uninformed by this research-based knowledge. This article describes four psychosocial theories that have been useful in our practices: self-efficacy, stress and coping, learned helplessness, and social support.

The theories are introduced and compared; practical suggestions for their use in the development of health education interventions are then discussed. Skills mastery, modeling, reinterpretation of physical signs and symptoms, and persuasion are presented as ways of enhancing self-efficacy. Some similar strategies are presented as examples of coping techniques, including positive reappraisal or reinterpretation.

Other coping strategies such as confronting, distancing, self-care, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, escape avoidance or ignoring, problem solving, activity, distraction, self-talk, and prayer are also introduced. Cognitive restructuring is examined most fully as an example of an intervention strategy derived from learned helplessness theory.

How many theoretical approaches are there?

Different Theoretical Approaches Most forms of psychotherapy can be associated with four major theoretical orientations: cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, psychodynamic, and systemic. All of them are important to our understanding and conducting of psychotherapy.

We also believe that a fruitful way to capture the complexity of change and to improve our treatment of psychopathology is to consider contributions from each of these approaches. Accordingly, the work and research conducted in our lab takes place in the context of a movement called “Psychotherapy Integration”.

This movement involves four themes: theoretical orientation, systematic eclecticism, common factors, and assimilative integration. Included here are links to publications about the integration movement in general (; ), as well as a description of a personal and professional journey toward this movement (Castonguay, 2006). Although each theory of psychotherapy emphasizes specific concepts (e.g., distorted thoughts, transference) and particular techniques (e.g., cognitive restructuring, analysis of defense), research is showing that change in therapy is explained in part by factors that are common to different forms of therapy.

In this lab, we believe that identification of principles of change is a useful way to conceptualize and study these common factors. Among the principles of change that we focus most of our attention are the development and repair of alliance; the acquisition of a new perspective of self and others; and the fostering of corrective experiences.

Included here are links to theoretical and research publications address different types of common factors: One way to improve one particular form of therapy is to assimilate, within this approach, concepts and techniques that have been developed within other theoretical orientations.

What are the two related theoretical perspectives?

Comparing Macro and Micro Perspectives – This brief presentation of the four major theoretical perspectives in sociology is necessarily incomplete but should at least outline their basic points. Each perspective has its proponents, and each has its detractors.

• All four offer a lot of truth, and all four oversimplify and make other mistakes.
• We will return to them in many of the chapters ahead, but a brief critique is in order here.
• A major problem with functionalist theory is that it tends to support the status quo and thus seems to favor existing inequalities based on race, social class, and gender.

By emphasizing the contributions of social institutions such as the family and education to social stability, functionalist theory minimizes the ways in which these institutions contribute to social inequality. Conflict theory also has its problems. By emphasizing inequality and dissensus in society, conflict theory overlooks the large degree of consensus on many important issues.

1. And by emphasizing the ways in which social institutions contribute to social inequality, conflict theory minimizes the ways in which these institutions are necessary for society’s stability.
2. Neither of these two macro perspectives has very much to say about social interaction, one of the most important building blocks of society.

In this regard, the two micro perspectives, symbolic interactionism and utilitarianism, offer significant advantages over their macro cousins. Yet their very micro focus leads them to pay relatively little attention to the reasons for, and possible solutions to, such broad and fundamentally important issues as poverty, racism, sexism, and social change, which are all addressed by functionalism and conflict theory.

1. In this regard, the two macro perspectives offer significant advantages over their micro cousins.
2. In addition, one of the micro perspectives, rational choice theory, has also been criticized for ignoring the importance of emotions, altruism, and other values for guiding human interaction (Lowenstein, 1996).

These criticisms aside, all four perspectives taken together offer a more comprehensive understanding of social phenomena than any one perspective can offer alone. To illustrate this, let’s return to our armed robbery example. A functionalist approach might suggest that armed robbery and other crimes actually serve positive functions for society.

1. As one function, fear of crime ironically strengthens social bonds by uniting the law-abiding public against the criminal elements in society.
2. As a second function, armed robbery and other crimes create many jobs for police officers, judges, lawyers, prison guards, the construction companies that build prisons, and the various businesses that provide products the public buys to help protect against crime.

To explain armed robbery, symbolic interactionists focus on how armed robbers decide when and where to rob a victim and on how their interactions with other criminals reinforce their own criminal tendencies. Conflict theory would take a very different but no less helpful approach to understanding armed robbery.

It might note that most street criminals are poor and thus emphasize that armed robbery and other crimes are the result of the despair and frustration of living in poverty and facing a lack of jobs and other opportunities for economic and social success. The roots of street crime, from the perspective of conflict theory, thus lie in society at least as much as they lie in the individuals committing such crime.

In explaining armed robbery, symbolic interactionism would focus on how armed robbers make such decisions as when and where to rob someone and on how their interactions with other criminals reinforce their own criminal tendencies. Exchange or rational choice theory would emphasize that armed robbers and other criminals are rational actors who carefully plan their crimes and who would be deterred by a strong threat of swift and severe punishment.

What are the three theoretical perspectives most widely used by sociologists?

Major Sociological Theories – The three major sociological theories that new students learn about are the interactionist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the functionalist perspective. And each has its own distinct way of explaining various aspects of society and the human behavior within it. Taking a moment to compare and contrast sociological theories can provide further context.

What is the theoretical aspect of a study?

The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework introduces and describes the theory which explains why the research problem under study exists.

What are the 6 theoretical psychologies?

Six Major Psychological Theories A psychological theory is a laid down study backed by research that tries to explain certain behaviors and human thought. The much that is known about human ways of thinking and behaviors can be attributed to psychological theories.

What are the 7 theoretical perspectives in psychology quizlet?

Biological, behaviorism, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, socio-cultrual, and evolutionary.