The basic psycho-therapeutic schools of thought

Gestalt psychology is a school of thought that looks at the human mind and behavior as a whole. When trying to make sense of the world around us, Gestalt psychology suggests that we do not simply focus on every small component.

Have you ever noticed how a series of flashing lights often appear to be moving, but what actually happens is that the first light goes off and the second light turns on. Then the second light goes off and the third light turns on. This repeats for the remaining lights in a row.  According to Gestalt psychology, this apparent movement happens because our minds fill in the missing information.

At a restaurant, for example, the host or hostess might assume that people grouped next to each other in the waiting area are together and ask if they are ready to be seated. In reality, they may only be standing near each other because there is little room in the waiting area or because there were no open seats. The mind is good at extrapolation and assuming.

Behaviorism is another school of thought. It suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes only.

Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions. It does not explain how the same environment will affect 2 people differently. They:

  • Do not account for biological/genetic influences.  
  • Do not consider moods, thoughts, or feelings to explain actions
  • They think all learning is due to the environmental conditions only.

The Psychoanalytic School of Thought

Psychoanalysis is a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This school of thought emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Hypnosis is a branch of this. It assumes that most of our behaviour is not under our direct control but due to our subconscious mind. 

The Humanistic School of Thought

Humanistic psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Humanistic psychology instead focused on individual free will, personal growth and the concept of self-actualization. They believe that a person’s internal thoughts and feelings are more important than the environment. 

Cognitive School of Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the school of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. They use this to justify why drawing a mind map is easier to learn information than conventional learning. It also explains why when you buy something now, like a new jumper, suddenly you see other people also with the same jumper but you did not notice before.