Trident University

Sean Frederick

Module 2: Case Assignment

PSY101: Introduction to Psychology

December 13, 2020

The field of psychology presents an array of different theories and perspectives on the

way the human mind works. Humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, and psychoanalytic

psychologists provide varying explanations and perspectives on why behaviors and situations

arise in the way that they do. The purpose of this paper is to examine school violence from the

perspective of a humanistic, cognitive, psychoanalytic, and behavioral psychologist.

Humanistic Psychologist Viewpoint

From a humanistic point of view, an individual can be who they want to be and express

themselves accordingly without any hesitation. People become who they are because of their

individual choices. The humanistic theory heavily emphasizes the role of subjectivity,

individualism, and dignity in shaping a person to be who they are. In line with this, the

humanistic theory states that the policies and values imposed by schools on their students can

restrict individuals from becoming who they are. Students who feel forced to conform to the

rules and regulations of their schools may feel troubled or anguished because they are unable to

express themselves freely and fully. Four factors that are important in creating a safe space in

schools are the students’ optimism, respect, trust, and care. Without these four factors, school

violence may occur.

To prevent school violence-related actions from occurring, Dr. Humine would propose

that students must have access to counseling and other related resources. This fosters peaceful

reconciliation and resolution of problems. At the same time, counseling would also prevent

conflict from escalating into unnecessary violence (Scholl et al., 2012).

Cognitive Psychologist Viewpoint

individual. Cognitive psychology states that the behaviors of individuals are reflected in their

mental reasoning and functioning. Negative social situations, including negative social

relationships, negatively affect the behavior academic performance of an individual in school.

People who are subjected to environments where their emotions and wellbeing are constantly

neglected are likely to develop a negative thought process. As a result, they end up showing

aggressive behavior (Sexton-Radek, 2005).

Dr. Cogent would likely suggest intervention and therapy as a solution to violence in the

school environment. During treatment, a cognitive psychologist would examine the negative

thinking patterns and memories that may have led to a violent incident in order to replace the

underlying issues of this behavior with more appropriate and pleasant behavior.

Behavioral Psychologist Viewpoint

Behavioral psychologists believe that a person’s behaviors and actions are acquired

through conditioning and shaped by responses to environmental stimuli. Furthermore, behavioral

psychology is centered on two core components: classical and operant conditioning. Classical

conditioning is the process wherein a neutral stimulus is paired with a naturally occurring

stimulus to condition an individual to evoke a response to the neutral stimulus similar to his or

her response to the naturally occurring stimulus. Meanwhile, operant conditioning is a learning

method wherein an individual is conditioned through reinforcements and punishments assigned

to behaviors. In other words, individuals learn behavior through the consequences of their

actions (Cherry, 2019).

obtained from the environment or other external factors. Individuals involved in the incident

were likely exposed to violence in their home environment or through other mediums such as

video games or movies that are violent. To address this behavior. Dr. Bean would recommend an

individual to undergo behavioral therapy to correct or learn acceptable behavior (McLeod, 2019).

Psychoanalytic Viewpoint

The psychoanalytic approach would involve a set of theories and therapeutic methods

based on Sigmund Freud’s belief that individuals have unconscious desires, feelings, thoughts,

and memories (McLeod, 2019). Dr. Freed, a psychoanalyst, would state that analyzing the

unconscious mind is a key process in understanding and treating psychological disorders such as

anxiety and depression. The psychoanalytic theory is governed by the following assumptions:

a. Psychological issues arise from the unconscious mind

b. Psychological symptoms are caused by concealed disturbances

c. Causes are usually caused by unresolved developmental issues or suppressed trauma

d. The cure lies in getting insight by freeing unconscious thoughts and motivations

e. Treatment is focused on bringing repressed issues to light so the patient can deal with

them (McLeod, 2019)

Given the basic principles of the psychoanalytic theory, Dr. Freed might schedule several

sessions with a patient to fully unravel and address the issues behind a school violence incident.

The patient would be asked to open up about memories and dreams stemming from their early

childhood. Several techniques may be employed to encourage the patient to share interpretations

and insights about their behavior such as parapraxes, inkblots, free association, transference, and
resistance analysis. Psychoanalysts believe that a person’s behavior is due to underlying conflict

within a person’s unconscious thoughts. Violent behavior may stem from an unresolved issue

that occurred during a person’s childhood. To address violent tendencies properly and

effectively, psychoanalysts must first unravel these issues within a patient’s mind (McLeod,

2019).
References

Cherry, K. (2019). Cognitive Psychology: The Science of How We Think. Retrieved December

10, 2020, from verywellmind: [Link]

4157181

Cherry, K. (2019). History and Key Concepts of Behavioral Psychology. Retrieved December

10, 2020, from verywellmind: [Link]

4157183#:~:text=Behaviorism%2C%20also%20known%20as

%20behavioral,environmental%20stimuli%20shape%20our%20actions.

McLeod, S. (2019). Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from

SimplyPsychology: [Link]

McLeod, S. (2019). Psychoanalysis. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from SimplyPsychology:

[Link]

Scholl, M., McGowan, A. and Hansen, J., 2012. Humanistic Perspectives On Contemporary

Counseling Issues. New York: Routledge.

Sexton-Radek, K., 2005. Violence In Schools. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.