Non Sscientific Psychological Approaches

Question: Discuss about the Non Sscientific Psychological Approaches. Answer: The inception of psychology in the modern times has witnessed the evolution of various theories pertaining to the explanation of the responses relevant to the mind, brain and behavior. However, many of these schools of psychological thoughts have faced criticism due to lack of scientific outlook. In this regard the Structuralism and Functionalism theory may be mentioned that has dearth of well defined and prudent application of the perceived ideas. Structuralism was proposed by Wilhelm Wundt and in general is linked to consciousness. The human mind is capable of undergoing subjective assessment through the application of this theory by virtue of division and generation of subsectors within it (Galotti, 2013). The breaking of the components of the mind into integral elements and their mutual interactions supported by the associations between the physical and mental relationships are achievable through structuralism. The concept of structuralism relies on the fundamental concept of int rospection encompassing the self reports of sensations, feelings, views and emotions thereby accounting for bridging connections to foster analysis of the human mind. The inner experiences of an individual are considered in this case. However the essential limitation of the theory is based on too much of dependency on the subjective maneuvers that considers the vital aspect of introspection that emphasized on carrying out observational studies through controlled set ups by trained professionals utilizing a stringently defined descriptive vocabulary (Keller Schoenfeld, 2014). Moreover, participants incorporated in the study are likely to engage themselves in higher levels of concentration related to their sensations and emotions so that they might be clearly explained to the experimenters at later hours. Thus the subjective consideration in such procedures reduces the accuracy and credibility of the structuralism concept thereby not being suitable for evaluation of the human minds. The criticisms for the structuralism theory paved the way for another theory called functionalism that was based on the propositions of the famous evolution theory by Charles Darwin. William James is considered as the proponent of this theory. The various elements pertaining to consciousness and behavior along with elaborate explanation of the major contributing factors are discussed in this theory (Olson, 2015). The individuals capacity to adapt to a given situation is generally determined by this theory. The involvement of the brain in improving the condition of the human behavior in an effort to survive within the given surrounding is a crucial operation of the functionalism theory. The capacity of the mind is the pivotal focus of this theory rather than the processing of the thoughts in ones mind. The feasibility of ideas is generally measured by virtue of their practical outcomes. The introduction of functionalism was done with the purpose of framing a counter argument for stru cturalism. However, more attention is laid upon objective aspects of consciousness and completely ignoring the subjective inclinations related to human behavior (Piaget, 2015). Therefore considering the propositions and philosophies behind each of the psychological theories associated with structuralism and functionalism, the loopholes and unscientific approaches may be easily identified. Too much of reliance on subjective experience and the inability to falsify the psychological perspectives culminate in rendering these methods as unscientific. The complexity of human mind was not effectively addressed and evaluated in any of the theories that further contributed to rendering these procedures as unscientific. References Galotti, K. M. (2013).Cognitive psychology in and out of the laboratory. SAGE. Keller, F. S., Schoenfeld, W. N. (2014).Principles of psychology: A systematic text in the science of behavior(Vol. 2). BF Skinner Foundation. Olson, M. H. (2015).An introduction to theories of learning. Psychology Press. Piaget, J. (2015).Structuralism (Psychology Revivals). Psychology Press.