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Perspectives: An Oral Defense
By Edward Morris, Ph.D.
University of Kentucky
Purpose:
- The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to personalize the basic theoretical approaches to psychology. During this activity, students adopt and defend one of the five major perspectives of psychological theory including: psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic and biological.
Method:
- After the initial instructional presentation of the five basic theoretical approaches, the instructor informs the students that they have five minutes to ask any questions concerning the theories that may have.
- After students ask their questions, they form small groups of approximately five students each. Students who have already "adopted" a theoretical position may declare which theory they wish to defend. The instructor should then assign all others an approach to defend.
- The instructor may arbitrarily pick a student in each group or ask for volunteers to begin. The selected student begins the discussion by declaring that his/her adopted position is correct and must give reasons to support this logic. Other students are expected to take exception and declare why their theory better explains some topic or phenomena better.
- Instructors may choose to have students identify themselves as important historical figures from each of these areas. For example, Freud should represent the psychoanalytic perspective; Skinner or Watson might portray the behaviorist perspective; Ellis could be used for the cognitive approach; and Maslow could represent the humanistic approach. Perhaps the name of a fictional physician on television could be used to represent the biological explanation for behavior. This use of specific names allows the instructor to reinforce the ideas of these original thinkers through the use of biographies.
- In the experience of the author, students spontaneously generate examples from current events and social issues and debate the relative merits of each perspective to explain the motivations and behaviors involved. Typically, a spirited and useful debate follows. A follow-up to the activity could be for students to switch their allegiance to one of the other perspectives and then argue its validity.
Discussion:
- While the discussions are in progress, the instructor should tour the classroom becoming involved in the debates and clarifying issues and principles. Instructors should refrain from identifying themselves with any specific theoretical approach. The author has found it useful to generate a list of current events that can be used as a starting argument in case the students fail to come up with examples of their own.
- Students will become aware of the ramifications of each of the theoretical approaches and how they affect their perceptions of the world. This writer's students were observed to leave the classroom after eighty minutes of class still arguing and defending different perspectives.
The above activity was originally published in the March/April 1997 issue of The Psychology Teacher Network. The activity is reprinted here with the permission of the Education Directorate of the APA. Further publication of the activity is not permitted without the express written consent of the Education Directorate.
For information on subscribing to The Psychology Teacher Network, write to:
- Psychology Teacher Network
Education Directorate
APA
750 First Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20002-4242
