Question

1. Please list one pro and one con for each of the following theories. Please complete answers with at least 3 sentences for each pro and for each con. So, each theory would have a total of at least 6 sentences.

a. psychoanalytic theory

b. behaviorism

c. cognitive theory

d. sociocultural theory

**You may use reliable, trustworthy resources and APA referencing should be implemented.

Please help. If possible need by tommorrow.

Answer 1

• a)The psychoanalytical theory started from the works of Sigmund Freud as he did clinical work with some patients who were impaired with mental illnesses. He then came to develop a theory based on his findings stating: childhood experiences and unconscious desires influenced behavior. “According to Freud, conflicts that occur during each of these stages can have a lifelong influence on personality and behavior”
• Pros:
• Unlike other theories of the time, this theory relied on, and was based off of, experimental psychology.
• This theory has been able to explain aspects of the human personality, and as such, has led to more theories such as Erikson's theory on psychosocial studies.
• Based on Freud's findings and new theory, it allowed for a new perspective on mental illness, and allowing people to see that talking about problems with professionals could actually help their symptoms.
• Cons:
• Freud's theory overemphasized the unconscious mind, sex, aggression and childhood experiences.
• This theory is difficult to access the accuracy on a wide variety of patients as every person is different and deals with problems differently.
• Most of Freud's findings were based off of case studies and clinically observations.
• b)Pros of behaviourism:-
• Behaviorism is based upon observable behaviors, so it is easier to quantify and collect data and information when conducting research. Since research and experiment is a very powerful tool in providing explanations and clear evidences about a certain phenomenon, early theorists and proponents of behaviourism took pride in initiating the studies of observable behaviors rather than those that cannot be observed and measured (like unconsciousness and repressed sexual desires as the bases for psychodynamic theory).
• Effective therapeutic techniques such as intensive behavioral intervention, behavior analysis, token economies and discrete trial training are all rooted in behaviorism. These approaches are often very useful in chbehaviorismanging maladaptive or harmful behaviors in both children and adults.
  
• Cons:-
• Many critics argue that behaviorism is a one-dimensional approach to understanding human behavior and that behavioral theories do not account for free will and internal influences such as moods, thoughts and feelings. It only considers what is observable and measurable, well in fact there are various unseen aspects of an individual that are very vital in his or her personalities and learning capabilities.
• c)Pros of Cognitive theory:-
• Unlike the behavioral approach (which focuses only on outward actions), the cognitive approach tries to look inward and find out how the brain interprets stimuli. It highlights how cognition greatly affects behavior and why it’s important for people to understand how their brain works. This is greatly helpful for those who want to “cheat” their brain and change their behavior for the better.
• Cons:-
• Those who believe in the cognitive approach think that everything boils down to one thing: cognitive processes. It doesn’t take into account other factors that may affect behavior, such as genes, individual experiences, biological structures, and even chemical imbalances. This can lead to the generalization of human behavior, which doesn’t sit well with many people who think that each individual is different.
• d)Pros of sociocultural theory:-
• A strength of the sociocultural perspective is the emphasis on the role of adults in childhood cognitive development through guided participation. Vygotsky introduced the idea that children learn in a zone of proximal development. Meaning the distance between what an individual can do alone and what they can do with guidance and assistance from a capable member of society.
  
• To Vygotsky, learning in collaboration with more knowledgeable companions drives cognitive development. This is true throughout the world. Children in many cultures learn from a teacher, from family members, and many others.
• Cons:-
• Vygotsky’s descriptions of developmental processes were cited as being vague and speculative.Vygotsky’s theory focused more upon the processes through which children develop rather than the characteristics of that children of particular ages are likely to demonstrate.
• For Vygotsky, cognitive, social, and motivational factors were interrelated in development. However, it has been pointed out that children’s reasoning skills do not necessarily appear at the same ages in different cultures.