The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes Essay Example for Free

The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes Essay For example, a person who feels the need for sex but who has been told by their parents that sex is wrong may suppress this tendency. In order to receive positive regard from their parents they abide by this statement. In this way the person has received conditional positive regard from the parents. However, the need for sex remains, as this is an organismic value, which Rogers describes as our inborn set of values, possessed by all (Medcof Roth, 1979). When these needs are suppressed, Rogers sees neurotic and psychotic problems developing (Hays Orrell, 1987). Abraham Maslow believed that the way towards self-actualisation was to fulfil certain needs. These needs he arranged into a pyramid, which he referred to as the hierarchy of needs. Starting with simple needs, for example, hunger and thirst and then progressing upwards to security, belonging, esteem, understanding and aesthetic needs before reaching self actualisation (Rungapadiachy, 1999). Maslows theory appeared logical and optimistic and became very popular without much criticism. It became popular within business seminars as a training aid. However Maslows hierarchy of needs has not been supported by research. Hungry people may still seek esteem from others and a person who has satisfied their hunger may not necessarily seek higher needs (Wade Tarvis, 1993). Wade Tarvis (1993) also suggest that each person develops their own individual hierarchy from childhood to old age and although for some, the need for love and security will dominate, for others the need for power or achievement will rule. Both Maslow and Rogers believed that given the right conditions, Maslows satisfaction of basic needs and Rogers unconditional positive regard, people will naturally choose growth enhancing alternatives (Roth, 1979). The behaviourist approach arose as a backlash of other approaches at the time and rather than looking at the internal factors, behaviourism shifted its emphasis to the external factors. Psychologist John. B. Watson was becoming disenchanted with the attempts to study emotions, motives and thoughts as these were often vague and subjective and difficult to systematically study. Watson argued that psychology must be based on what is observable and measurable by more than one person (Gross, 1996). Watson believed that behaviour could be seen as a set of reactions in response to stimuli. In this way, if one knew the stimulus then they could obtain the desired behaviour. The two types of learning which behaviourists concern themselves with are classical conditioning and operant conditioning (Rungapadiachy, 1999). Classical conditioning refers to a behaviour that is reflexive or involuntary, for example, coughing, sneezing, shivering, sexual arousal (Rungapadiachy, 1999). Watson and Rayner (1920) conducted experiments into classical conditioning by establishing a rat phobia into an eleven-month-old child. The child was introduced to a white rat to play with and the child was pleased. However, a steel bar was introduced and whenever the rat was given to the child and the child reached out for the rat the steel bar would be struck to create a noise and frightening the child. Eventually on introduction of the rat without the steel bar the child would become frightened of the rat. Watson and Rayner had succeeded in creating a conditioned response (Wade Tarvis, 1993).