Resource 2D
Which approach to human behaviour is more relevant to current professional practice: process or person?
The process approach to psychology focuses on the analysis of the internal mental mechanisms which, scientists claim, can only be accessed through observable behaviour.
Since the mid-19th century, two contrasting approaches to understanding the mind and behaviour have been a topic of discussion: the scientific, or process approach, and the introspective, or person approach. The debate is important because it affects research methods and professional practice and, in the long term, commercial, medical and social progress. A review of these approaches will allow us to reach our own conclusions.
This view is largely supported by physiologists and behaviourists. The process approach is founded on Pavlov’s well-known research into stimulus and response, and supported by Watson, when he formulated the principles of behaviourism in 1913 (Gross, 2007). These include: complete scientific objectivity; the predictability and controllability of behaviour; and similarities between human and animal behaviour. It has been argued, however, that this last principle fails to take into account the existence of consciousness or self-awareness in humans. Countering this criticism, Watson maintained that introspection was subjective, unreliable as a data source and, therefore, unscientific.
In the late 19th century, John Dewey highlighted another limitation of the stimulus-response theory (Benjafield, 1996).
Dewey pointed out that, depending on their situation and intention, human beings will respond differently to a similar stimulus, unlike animals, which have a limited range of responses. For example, if we see a child crying and alone in public, we will probably assume that he or she is lost, and look for its mother. On the other hand, when we see a child crying and with its mother, we do nothing. Our responses are determined not only by the stimulus, but also by the social context. By relating behaviour to social context, Dewey foreshadowed social-constructivist theories which form part of the person approach.
The person approach emphasizes the importance of individual experience as a means of understanding mental processes, and of the effect of social interaction on behaviour.
This approach is supported by the psychodynamic, humanist and social- constructivist theories. For instance, Freud claimed that dreams were the gateway to our unconscious and that relating and interpreting them was a valid means of understanding our inner life. According to the humanist, Carl Rogers, self-awareness is at the centre of our human experience and each individual’s unique interpretation of reality is valid. Social constructivism looks beyond individual experience and explains behaviour as a fluid interaction between the person and a continuously changing society. The main argument against the validity of all theories supporting the person approach is that any data based on reported experience is necessarily subjective and, therefore, unverifiable.
An examination of two cases will illustrate the relevance of each approach in practice.
In the first case, a forensic psychologist planning a programme of rehabilitation for a prisoner may use techniques which include a scientifically standardized psychometric test, developed according to the process approach, and just as important, a direct interview – a technique belonging to the person approach. In another case, a biopsychologist taking the process approach to testing the effects of narcotics on behaviour may limit his or her observations to laboratory animals. However, during subsequent testing on humans, the researcher may take the person approach and obtain valuable additional information from individual feedback.
In conclusion, whilst the process approach is scientifically valid, the person approach provides a wealth of information not available from objective observation.
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Each of these approaches provides researchers and practitioners with data and techniques which are applicable not only in experimental contexts, but also in the field.
English for Psychology – Copyright © Garnet Publishing Ltd 2010
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