Sanchez, Richard D.

PSY640 Sat 8:00 – 11:00 AM

Integration Questions/Finals
Question 1: All throughout the history of psychological theorizing, a number of issues have emerged which
have been the subject of controversy from the beginning up until the present. Discuss both sides of each
issue and then take your own position or stand for each issue. Explain your position or stand on each issue.

Answer:

• Mind vs. Body/ Dualism vs Monism

As I have read, this issue is one of the most prominent as this exists even in earlier times. This issue
discusses whether both body AND mind exist (dualism), or human beings are only governed by a single
entity, either the body OR the mind (monism). Personally, I am on the dualistic position. I am on this
stand as we cannot account the complexity of humans on the basis of monism. For example, the
behaviorists adapt the monistic view as they believe that the body only exists, and they disregard the
concept of the mind. I think this is too outdated and mechanistic view of humanity. I say this because if
the human person is only governed by the response of his or her body regarding what the environment
throws at him or her, then we will go back on the empiricist view, particularly the belief of Thomas Hobbes
that everything is mechanical and material. In my perception, this is not the case because humans can
ultimately think. As the popular saying goes, the human person is a rational being thus we cannot account
for the existence of the body alone because everything is also a product of the human mind. I believe in
the dualistic view that there is a relationship that exists between the body and the mind, in which even
though humans are operating based on what the environment throws at them, they can also ultimately
think for themselves thus they are both working together. In addition, I am on this stand as most of the
famous psychologists subscribed to this view, even Freud. Most theories in personality considered that
both the body and the mind exist thus I think this gives full support to my dualistic position.

• Subjectivity vs. Objectivity

This issue is mainly whether psychology can be seen and measured directly and precisely (objectivity), or
we can also consider the inner experience of the human person (subjectivity). On this issue, I am on the
subjectivity position. To supplement my stand, if everything is seen or measured objectively, then much
like to say that we are similar to animals that we can control or predict, but then again, human beings are
more than animals. If psychology should be seen only in this way, how do we account for human thoughts,
feelings, desires, etc.? What or where can we consider them if we will pursue psychology in an objective
sense? I believe psychology exists in the first place because of humans, and being a human means we
cannot separate from him his or her subjective experiences and being human naturally comes with it. I
also believe that everything is subjective, and we are just making or operationalizing it to make it on the
objective side. Moreover, many concepts and applications in psychology talk about inner experiences such
as emotions, motivation, the ontological character of willing and caring humans, and even the methods
of observation and introspection that require looking from within, this in return supports my view that
we simply cannot disregard subjectivity.

• Quantification vs. Qualification

As I have read, this is related to the abovementioned issue as subjective data are usually qualitative in
nature as this is difficult to put into numbers (qualification) while objective data comes from some
measurements and can be reported in numbers (quantification). My position on this issue is qualification
but of course, this is not to disregard the importance of quantification in psychology. I stand on this
position as I have seen and also based on my best judgment that being on the quantitative side means we
are putting aside the depth and richness of something that we can achieve. Being in the qualification stand
means seeing how humans construe their world and how they give meanings to certain experiences, and
I personally believe that this is one step above than having measurements and generalizability which are
Sanchez, Richard D.
PSY640 Sat 8:00 – 11:00 AM
Integration Questions/Finals
aspects of quantification. Also, being in the quantification stand means focusing only on a specific problem
thus it is limited and controlled, unlike with qualification which it can take us to new viewpoints and
perspectives that we are not aware of. Moreover, I stand on qualification because aside from the fact that
this was used by many psychologists to create their own theories of personality, this data or method is
also widely seen in clinical psychology.

• Determinism vs. Free-will

As I have read, this issue has philosophical roots. This issue discusses whether what is going in the present
is the result of the events that happened in the past (determinism), or it is NOT ultimately determined by
the past as humans are capable of making their own decisions (free will). Personally, I am on the free-will
position. Aside from my own preference that I am leaning towards humanism and existentialism instead
of psychodynamic and behaviorism, I stand on free will because I think determinism removes the special
qualities that humans have especially the attributes of personal freedom, responsibility, dignity, and
importantly it underestimates that people can think of themselves and what is good for them. Also,
another saying that we normally hear is that we cannot change what happened in the past, but we have
the free choice on how we will live our lives. I think this supplements my position that if we cannot change
the past, why not take the high road of having free choice and make something good? I know this stand
might be too idealistic and can be considered toxic positivity for some people, but I believe that humans
have the ultimate power to choose.

• Reductionism vs. Non-reductionism

This issue is mainly whether psychology should be reduced to a more basic level of analysis (reductionism),
or it can stand on its own as an independent science (non-reductionism). On this specific issue, I am on
the non-reductionism position. To supplement my stand, if psychology will operate on a reductionist
approach, then I believe that it makes the explanation of some complex behaviors a simple one as being
on reductionist stand means that we will not take into consideration other factors and their relationship
in affecting the human person. Ultimately, this is not the case as we should look at the whole picture when
studying individuals. I believe that psychology should take into account all possible angles or factors, their
relationships, and the complete and full explanation rather than considering only one cause. In addition,
aside from my support on the approaches of humanism and existentialism which focus on the entire
individual, when we apply this in assessment and most importantly in psychotherapy, it should be a non-
reductionist approach as we need to take the human person as a whole and not as bits and pieces.
Sanchez, Richard D.
PSY640 Sat 8:00 – 11:00 AM
Integration Questions/Finals
Question 2: Throughout the development of psychological thinking, several groups of people -
philosophers, scholars, scientists – forwarded their ideas and points of view as to the what and the why
of the existence of the things around them, using their own methods of investigation in the process of
acquiring knowledge, thus setting the direction as to where Psychology should go. Explain briefly each of
school of thought and identify one proponent for each.

Answer:

• Naturalism
Naturalism focuses on the nature of the universe. Naturalists believe in the world that they can observe
and live in the world through their senses. They also disregard the notion that the world consists of the
spirit or the soul. One proponent for this school of thought is Socrates.

• Empiricism
Empiricism emphasizes that all knowledge came ultimately from one source which is experience.
Empiricists believe that knowledge is gained as it is dependent on experience, and not other things such
as innate ideas. One proponent for this school of thought is John Locke.

• Nativism
Nativism emphasizes that human beings have inherent or given traits that are not dependent on
experience. Nativists believe that certain skills or abilities are hard-wired into the brain at birth. One
proponent for this school of thought is Immanuel Kant.

• Associationism
Associationism emphasizes that the human mind consists of a variety of elements such as ideas and
sensations in which they organize themselves through physical or mental associations. Associationists
believe that complex mental processes such as thinking, learning, and memory can be explained by
associative links. One proponent for this school of thought is Herbert Spencer.

• Structuralism
Structuralism focuses on the subject matter of conscious experience or consciousness. Structuralists
believe that the goal of psychology is to discover the nature of elementary conscious experience, that is,
to analyze the conscious experience into its component parts and to determine its structure. The main
proponent for this school of thought is Edward Titchener.

• Functionalism
Functionalism emphasizes that psychology should be understood in terms of its practical use and the goal
is to study living people as they adapt to their environment. Functionalists believe that the purpose of
consciousness is to guide people for survival and mental activities should be evaluated in terms of how it
serves the people in adapting to their environment. One proponent for this school of thought is William
James.

• Behaviorism
Behaviorism emphasizes that psychology should be understood in terms of observable behavior and that
all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviorists believe
that the goal of psychology is to predict and control one’s behavior. One proponent for this school of
thought is John B. Watson.
Sanchez, Richard D.
PSY640 Sat 8:00 – 11:00 AM
Integration Questions/Finals
• Gestalt
Gestalt emphasizes that human beings perceive things in unified wholes. Gestaltists believe that people
should look at the whole of experience and not by their individual elements. One proponent for this school
of thought is Max Wertheimer.

• Existentialism
Existentialism focuses on the basic question of human existence. Existentialists believe that people exist
first before their nature or purpose, and it is through the choices they make that give meaning to their
lives. They also maintain that people have the ultimate responsibility for who they are and what they
become. One proponent for this school of thought is Rollo May.

• Humanism
Humanism emphasizes that human beings are free agents capable of controlling their own lives, making
their own choices, setting goals, and working to achieve them. Humanists believe in the positive view of
human nature, in which humans are inherently good. One proponent for this school of thought is
Abraham Maslow.