Psychology's 7 Modern Perspectives

- [Presenter] Public speaking.

It's an act that can cause
paralyzing fear and panic.

It consistently ranks at the
top of our list of fears,

alongside death, heights, and snakes.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once joked

about the absurdity of this fear.

In a standup, he said,
"To the average person,

if you go to a funeral,

you're better off in the
casket than doing the eulogy."

But why do we fear public speaking?

It's not like you're in actual danger.

So to better understand the
multitude of possible reasons,

we turn to psychology.

In this PSYCHademia episode,

I explore psychology's
seven modern perspectives,

a set of approaches used
to explain why people think

and act the way they do,

and in this case, fear.

(bright upbeat music)

Psychology tells us
that there are many ways

to think about human behavior.

Psychologists use a variety of approaches

or perspectives to
explain why people think

and act the way they do.

In no particular order,

these perspectives are
behavioral, humanistic, cognitive,

psychodynamic, biological,
sociocultural, and evolutionary.

These perspectives are used to explain

all of human behavior,

like why do some people
enjoy extreme activities?

Why do people develop phobias?

And even why do people
feel certain emotions,

like sadness or anger?

These questions, and many
more, can be answered

through the lens of each perspective.

Let's explore each
perspective using our example

from the start of this
PSYCHademia episode,

why do people fear public speaking?

The answer: It depends on
which perspective you follow.

The behavioral perspective
explains human behavior

in terms of conditioning
and reinforcement.

It focuses on how we
learn certain behaviors.

Think about humans as passive
animals, like this dog,

only responding to simple
environmental stimuli.

The behavioral perspective argues

that we are more likely to do things

because of positive outcomes

and less likely to do things
because of negative ones.

From this perspective, there
really is no difference

between a dog being rewarded
with a treat for good behavior

and a student being rewarded

with verbal praise for good behavior.

A behaviorist may argue

that a person was conditioned
to fear public speaking

because they associate this experience

with negative responses,

like the audience chuckling
after misspeaking.

People may avoid public speaking
for fear of embarrassment,

which in this case is
a form of punishment.

The cognitive perspective

is a counterargument to behaviorism.

This approach contends that
our behavior is influenced

by more than simple
rewards and punishments,

rather, our behavior is
influenced by how we think

and interpret a situation.

We are not just headless
zombies walking around,

instead, we make decisions

based on our interpretation
of a situation.

A cognitive theorist may argue a person

has a fear of public speaking

because of irrational
or obsessive thoughts.

Thoughts like, "What if they see me fall?

What if my zipper is open?

What if they see me sweating?"

This is a constant worrier,
a critic of themselves.

In my opinion, the
psychodynamic perspective

is one of the most
controversial perspectives,

but also one of the most fascinating.

It is also one of the oldest.

The psychodynamic perspective argues

that the unconscious mind
controls our thoughts and actions.

Like an iceberg, our behavior is guided

by a large part of our mind
we cannot see or control.

Our unconscious mind is filled

with memories from our
childhood that are too traumatic

or distressing to think about,

so we repress them or push
them down into the abyss.

Our unconscious mind is
filled with primitive drives

that are in conflict with
societal norms and morals.

A psychodynamic theorist

may argue a person has a
fear of public speaking

because of a deeper underlying
issue in the unconscious:

the fear of rejection.

A person may fear public speaking

because of a repressed
memory of being belittled

or rejected by an overbearing
parent or a teacher.

The humanistic perspective was
developed as an alternative

to the behavioral and
psychodynamic perspectives

because it offered more
of a positive approach

to human behavior.

This is why humanism is often
considered the third wave.

In this perspective,

our behavior is not determined by our past

or simplistic rewards and punishments.

Instead, we choose our paths.

We make individual choices and
strive for personal growth.

Quite simply, the glass is
half full, not half empty.

A humanist may argue that
experiencing fear is a motivator.

Fear is not seen as a weakness.

People purposely seek out difficult tasks

to overcome their fears
and triumph over adversity.

There's an old saying in psychology:

Everything psychological is
simultaneously biological.

In the biological perspective,

the key idea is that biological processes

control our thoughts and actions,

including hormones,
neurotransmitters, and genes.

A psychologist from the
biologic perspective

may focus on the parts of
the brain that are key actors

in the production of fear and
anxiety while public speaking.

They may focus on the
amygdala, for an example,

an almond-shaped structure
deep within the brain

that alerts the rest of the brain

and body a threat is present.

A biological psychologist may also focus

on what specifically causes
physiological changes

in the human body, like
norepinephrine and cortisol.

The sociocultural perspective argues

that people's thoughts
and actions are influenced

by cultural factors,

like stereotypes, cultural norms, media,

and racial differences.

From the sociocultural perspective,

fear of public speaking may
be caused by cultural norms.

Every culture has implicit societal rules,

also known as folk ways,

on eye contact when talking,
use of hand gestures,

or how much emotion you express in public.

Another explanation is that people

from individualistic cultures,

like North America and Europe,

as opposed to collectivist
cultures like Asia,

may feel more pressure
to succeed on their own.

Lastly, the evolutionary
perspective argues

that people's thoughts and actions

are advantageous for survival.

These ideas were developed from
the work of Charles Darwin.

Evolutionary psychologists may argue

that fear of public speaking is caused

by our brain perceiving this event

as actual, real-life danger.

Our brain interprets public speaking

as a life or death situation,

same as being chased by
a saber-toothed tiger,

sending our body into
fight-or-flight mode.

The seven perspectives I just covered

are vital to know when
taking any psychology course.

They reappear in multiple units.

The key idea to understanding them

is to look for specific words

and apply them to new scenarios.

Let's take a look at the
seven key words on the left.

Can you match them to the
perspectives on the right?

Pause the video here and
take a moment to match them.

How'd you do?

Continue to brainstorm key
words for each perspective.

Lastly, on a separate sheet of paper,

explain each scenario above

through the lens of each perspective.

This will give you a better sense

of your overall understanding.

(bright music)