Foundations
Psychology's Major Perspectives, Explained in Plain English
Every explanation in psychology comes from a point of view. Learn the perspectives first and the rest of the course stops feeling like a list of unrelated studies.
Below is each foundational term written the way I'd explain it out loud: a definition you can actually parse, plus one concrete example so the idea sticks to something real.
Study tip
For any behavior, try explaining it from three perspectives in a row. If you can do that, you understand the perspectives better than any flashcard drill will show.
9 terms, defined
Introspection
Looking inward and reporting on your own conscious thoughts, feelings, and sensations — psychology's earliest research method.
Example: Wundt's participants sipping coffee and describing the exact sequence of sensations they noticed.
Structuralism
An early school of thought that tried to break consciousness down into its most basic elements, the way chemistry breaks matter into atoms.
Example: Titchener asking participants to describe an apple purely as color, weight, and texture — never as 'an apple.'
Functionalism
An early school of thought focused on the purpose of mental processes — what behaviors and thoughts do for survival — rather than their parts.
Example: William James asking why fear is useful instead of what fear is made of.
Biological perspective
Explains behavior through genetics, brain structures, neurotransmitters, and hormones.
Example: Attributing depression partly to low serotonin activity rather than only to life events.
Behavioral perspective
Explains behavior as learned responses shaped by rewards, punishments, and associations in the environment.
Example: A student studying harder because good grades have consistently earned praise.
Cognitive perspective
Explains behavior through how people take in, store, interpret, and retrieve information.
Example: Two people leaving the same meeting with different memories because they focused on different details.
Humanistic perspective
Emphasizes free will, personal growth, and the drive to reach one's full potential.
Example: A therapist offering unconditional positive regard so a client can explore who they want to become.
Psychodynamic perspective
Explains behavior through unconscious motives, internal conflict, and early childhood experience.
Example: Interpreting a persistent fear of commitment as rooted in an early loss.
Sociocultural perspective
Explains behavior through the influence of culture, social norms, and group membership.
Example: Why direct eye contact reads as confident in one culture and disrespectful in another.
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Sort ten terms into the perspective that would explain them.
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Unit 1
Biological Bases
22 terms with examples
Unit 2
Cognition
20 terms with examples
Unit 3
Development & Learning
22 terms with examples
Unit 4
Social & Personality
20 terms with examples
Unit 5
Mental & Physical Health
20 terms with examples
Research Methods
Research Methods
12 terms with examples
Or browse every term in the glossary.