Psychoanalytic Perspective
The psychoanalytic perspective of personality emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences and the unconscious mind. It was said that things hidden in the unconscious could be revealed in a number of different ways, including through dreams, free association, and slips of the tongue.
Humanistic Perspective
The humanistic perspective of personality focuses on psychological growth, free will, and personal awareness. It takes a more positive outlook on human nature and is centered on how each person can achieve their individual potential.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is different from most other approaches because they view people (and animals) as controlled by their environment and specifically that we are the result of what we have learned from our environment. Behaviorism is concerned with how environmental factors (called stimuli) affect observable behavior.
Biological Perspective
Genes affect behavior. Biological factors such as chromosomes, hormones and the brain all have a significant influence on human behavior, for instance, gender. The biological approach believes that most behavior is inherited and has an adaptive (or evolutionary) function.
