any sample essay plans? i really need to get the structure right :/ for instance; Outline the behaviourist and cognitive approaches in psychology and evaluate at least one application of each approach.
Not that question but here's a plan I made with my teacher. Note though that individual AO1 and AO2 marks aren't picked out. The examiner reads the essay then decides how many marks they think it deserves.
Discuss the Humanistic Approach in Psychology. Refer to the behaviourist and/or psychodynamic approaches in your answer
A01 - Knowledge and understanding of the Humanisitc approach 1) Humanists developed their approach as a recation to the prevailing ideas of the behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches
2) Focus is the idea that humans have Free Will -- All people are essentially good (as opposed to being under the control of an "id" or animalisitc "evolutionary" impulses) and this means their subejctive experience of the world is most important.
3) Conditions of worth affect self esteem -- client centred therapy used to help individual corrrect his/her self esteem.
4) Rogers' emphasised the self concept -- ideal, percived and incongruent. Maslow the human concept, shown in the Hierarchy of needs.
A02 - Analusis of contributioons, relative strengths and limitations
1) - In general, humanists reject the scientific method -- focus on the individual means behaviour cannot be generalised, assuming science to be humanising. This brings questions about whether humanism can even be part of study of human behaviour.
2) + Put client in charge with the Client Centred Therpay -- the therapist's role is to provide support, making it a more appropriate private thereapy than the psychoanalysis. where the client is considered unware of their own illness, not in control and being told they are wrong. Sexton and Wiston (you could bring in any study, even if you've only seen it on Derren Brown or something so long as it supports the point) provided evidence that CCT is effecrive for some people. They respect positive personality changes.
3) + Q-Sort -- Clients sort cards to see how they percieve themsleves and that cues the type of therapy. Studies show positivive changes in self perception.
4) - However, some issues are not solved with CCT -- Schizophrenia and life disorders for instance.
5) - Fore some disorders like phobias, therapies like systematic desensitisation are very fast and reliable.
6) - We can never say the therapy itself is working -- may just be the relationship between the client and the therpaist
7) EVen though research shows people who leave therapy say it works, data is rarely collected about people that leave the therapy early
8) One final, major concern with the therapy is the idea that the clien is in control of "curing" his/herself -- which suggests that a failure to get better ius the clients fault -- perhaps raising ethical questions, especially when dealing with trauma survivors and the possible detrimental effect to a person's self esteem.
We can say that the Humanisitic approach, focusing on what is good about being human and how we're all unique can be seen as a positive aspect, but the rejection of science leaves the approach untestable, like the psychodynamic approach
On balance, despite their contributions, reminding us that people are unique, humanists haven't moved psychology forward as much as their contemparies and they have therefore been overtaken by more modern approaches like neurosicne and cognitive science.
Not that question but here's a plan I made with my teacher. Note though that individual AO1 and AO2 marks aren't picked out. The examiner reads the essay then decides how many marks they think it deserves.
Discuss the Humanistic Approach in Psychology. Refer to the behaviourist and/or psychodynamic approaches in your answer
A01 - Knowledge and understanding of the Humanisitc approach 1) Humanists developed their approach as a recation to the prevailing ideas of the behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches
2) Focus is the idea that humans have Free Will -- All people are essentially good (as opposed to being under the control of an "id" or animalisitc "evolutionary" impulses) and this means their subejctive experience of the world is most important.
3) Conditions of worth affect self esteem -- client centred therapy used to help individual corrrect his/her self esteem.
4) Rogers' emphasised the self concept -- ideal, percived and incongruent. Maslow the human concept, shown in the Hierarchy of needs.
A02 - Analusis of contributioons, relative strengths and limitations
1) - In general, humanists reject the scientific method -- focus on the individual means behaviour cannot be generalised, assuming science to be humanising. This brings questions about whether humanism can even be part of study of human behaviour.
2) + Put client in charge with the Client Centred Therpay -- the therapist's role is to provide support, making it a more appropriate private thereapy than the psychoanalysis. where the client is considered unware of their own illness, not in control and being told they are wrong. Sexton and Wiston (you could bring in any study, even if you've only seen it on Derren Brown or something so long as it supports the point) provided evidence that CCT is effecrive for some people. They respect positive personality changes.
3) + Q-Sort -- Clients sort cards to see how they percieve themsleves and that cues the type of therapy. Studies show positivive changes in self perception.
4) - However, some issues are not solved with CCT -- Schizophrenia and life disorders for instance.
5) - Fore some disorders like phobias, therapies like systematic desensitisation are very fast and reliable.
6) - We can never say the therapy itself is working -- may just be the relationship between the client and the therpaist
7) EVen though research shows people who leave therapy say it works, data is rarely collected about people that leave the therapy early
8) One final, major concern with the therapy is the idea that the clien is in control of "curing" his/herself -- which suggests that a failure to get better ius the clients fault -- perhaps raising ethical questions, especially when dealing with trauma survivors and the possible detrimental effect to a person's self esteem.
We can say that the Humanisitic approach, focusing on what is good about being human and how we're all unique can be seen as a positive aspect, but the rejection of science leaves the approach untestable, like the psychodynamic approach
On balance, despite their contributions, reminding us that people are unique, humanists haven't moved psychology forward as much as their contemparies and they have therefore been overtaken by more modern approaches like neurosicne and cognitive science.
thanks so much, so we don't need to mention topics/debates unless specified in section A ? (approaches section)
thanks so much, so we don't need to mention topics/debates unless specified in section A ? (approaches section)
Always mention topics -- on the approaches and the debates. Putting debates in the approaches essay is a pretty easy way of getting extra Ao2s without revising but you don't have to.
do we need to know 2 post-freudian theories because our class did jung and erikson, erikson's okay but i cant get my head around jung???????????????
alsoooo what are two similarities between biological approach and psychodynamic???
Unfortunately you do need to know 2 post freudian theories, but Jung is only likely to come up in essay evaluations.
Similarities: Both deterministic (Biological approach says behaviour is a result of genetics or neurochemicals, psychodynamic approach says that we are controled by unconcious forces, id, ego and superego) Both reductionist (Biological splits all behaviour into sequences of DNA or scans of brain activity and Psychodynamic approach looks at people in terms of their components, id, ego superego but equally Freud's case studies can be argued to be holistic)
do we need to know 2 post-freudian theories because our class did jung and erikson, erikson's okay but i cant get my head around jung???????????????
alsoooo what are two similarities between biological approach and psychodynamic???
Adler is another post freudian who devolped the concept of inferior complex.
2 simularities could be... both take the nature approach (biological has emphasis on genes, hormones... and psychodynamic focuses on innate biological drives) both are deterministic (no free will!) and reductionist.
Unfortunately you do need to know 2 post freudian theories, but Jung is only likely to come up in essay evaluations.
Similarities: Both deterministic (Biological approach says behaviour is a result of genetics or neurochemicals, psychodynamic approach says that we are controled by unconcious forces, id, ego and superego) Both reductionist (Biological splits all behaviour into sequences of DNA or scans of brain activity and Psychodynamic approach looks at people in terms of their components, id, ego superego but equally Freud's case studies can be argued to be holistic)
do we need to know 2 post-freudian theories because our class did jung and erikson, erikson's okay but i cant get my head around jung???????????????
alsoooo what are two similarities between biological approach and psychodynamic???
Also both can be idiographic and nomothetic. Biological approach sometimes uses post mortem to study individual characteristics which is idiographic. Psychodynamic uses case studies. But biological approach makes generalised laws- schizophrenia is due to neurotransmitters... and psychodynamic believes everyone goes through psychosexual stages so thats nomothetic. Even if the link between them seems weak, as long as you back up your answer then the examiner should give you the marks
Also both can be idiographic and nomothetic. Biological approach sometimes uses post mortem to study individual characteristics which is idiographic. Psychodynamic uses case studies. But biological approach makes generalised laws- schizophrenia is due to neurotransmitters... and psychodynamic believes everyone goes through psychosexual stages so thats nomothetic. Even if the link between them seems weak, as long as you back up your answer then the examiner should give you the marks
Would that be right for an essay or a shorter question?