When it comes to the application of psychology in a therapeutic setting, there are more schools of thought than you might first assume. Beyond the stock references of Freud and Jung, which most people aware of, there are actually seven psychological perspectives (in modern psychology), each with their own benefits and uses as it relates to therapy. No one of these is necessarily better than another. Each might be more suited in other situations more so than others. These perspectives represent the current spectrum of psychology, but will surely be revised and added to in the coming decades as we make changes to the way we live our lives.
1. Psychodynamic Perspective
The psychodynamic perspective is rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud. This particular view of psychology is that the unconscious mind is responsible for much of our behavioural in the present. This, it is posited has its roots in our development in early childhood and any traumas which we may or may not experience due to the dysfunctional nature of our upbringing. From this, came the earliest forms of talk therapy, which is known as psychodynamic therapy. This explores the id, ego, and superego. It essentially involves making the connection between your unconscious mind and your actions, which extends to your emotion, relationships, and thought patterns. It’s very much a long-term approach to therapy and although it not as prevalent today, it can still be a useful therapeutic approach that can aid in treating, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse and a variety of other conditions.
2. Behavioural Perspective
As the name suggests, behavioural psychology focuses on the learned behaviours that we acquire whether through our environment, peer group or any other external stimuli. This approach was founded on the work by Edward Thorndike, and John B. Watson. Behaviourism differs from most other perspectives on this list as it focuses on observable behaviours rather than our emotional landscape. As such, behavioural therapy is very much an action-oriented approach to mental health. It is more proactive and practical compared with other therapeutic models. In a behavioural setting, you’ll dispense with talking about your emotions or digging into your psyche and instead focus on ways in which you can change your reactions to certain situations and patterns in your life that are causing your stress. Behavioural therapy is most effective for treating phobias, substance abuse disorders, ADHD, OCD and more.
3. Cognitive Perspective
The cognitive perspective is one that is perhaps most prevalent today out of all those listed here. It emerged during the 1960s and focuses on mental processes, such as memory, thinking, problem-solving, language, and decision-making. All of this informs the model that has become cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), today. In some ways, CBT is a hybrid of behavioural therapy in that it encourages you to find practical, skills-based solutions to your current challenges. With the guidance of your therapist, you’ll identify negative patterns and learn how they’re adversely affecting you. From there, you’ll explore ways in which you replace those old self-limiting beliefs and ways of doing things with behaviours that are more helpful and beneficial to your overall growth. CBT has been shown to be effective in treating conditions such as depression, bipolar, anxiety, phobias, eating disorders and insomnia.
4. Biological Perspective
The biological perspective is less of a direct therapeutic approach and relates more to the study of how our genes may affect our behaviour. Such variables that may influence the way we interact with the world are chromosomes, hormones and the brain. This approach focuses on more of the collective behaviours that we exhibit and why certain conditions may develop in the macro-scale rather than in a client-to-therapist setting. For example, one study has explored the implications of testosterone dropping the fathers of newborns immediately after their birth. This is two-fold and causes men to both seek new partners (infidelity) and also become less aggressive, which is useful when fathering a newborn baby.
5. Cross-Cultural Perspective
The cross-cultural area of psychology is a new branch, which has gained traction over the past twenty years. The name is quite literal in that it explores how different cultures may impact the way people think, act and feel. Again, as with the biological perspective, it’s not directly related to any therapeutic approach, but is instead a set of guiding principles, which can be used as a supplementary overlay to help inform the direction of a session where needed – or help add some context. This is useful for example, is say, you’re coming to therapy and belong to a culture that is collectivist in nature, and perhaps runs on a strict patriarchal hierarchy. This can often be a problem for people who live in western countries and who are the offspring of 1st generation immigrants who still hold onto the ways of their original homeland. This result in a clash of cultures in the sense of the individualistic – Western – approach meeting the more conservative collectivist ideals.
6. Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology is another branch that comes from a research-based mandate. It focuses on how the theory of evolution accounts for our psychological processes. And so this perspective suggests that certain behavioural reactions exist as hangovers that were once necessary in the recent past, which we may now have outgrown. The core tenets of this branch of thinking state that: your brain is the means by which you’re instructed to behave based on your environment. The neural circuitry in your brain helps you solve problems, and the way that circuitry was constructed was by natural selection over many generations. Most of your psychological behaviours are determined by your subconscious and your mind is based on adaptive changes that first occurred during the Pleistocene era.
7. Humanistic Perspective
The humanist approach was greatly influenced by the work of Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. This model emphasises the role of motivation in your thought process. As such, psychologists that work within this branch are primarily concerned with what causes people grow, change and realise their own unique potential. And so humanistic therapy is focused on understanding your worldview as it relates to your value system. But by extension, this approach also focuses on how you can develop self-acceptance so you may overcome direct or indirect criticism from others. In a way, it’s about building self-esteem and becoming more of yourself. Some such therapies which incorporate a humanistic approach include gestalt therapy, which has an emphasis on role-playing and client-centred therapy also known as person-centred therapy. Conditions that may benefit from a humanistic approach include: trauma, relationship difficulties, psychosis, and depression.
