Unlike the biological perspective, which looks at the internal physical processes that dictate human behavior, the psychological perspective looks at the internal mental and psychological processes that shape a person’s behavior.
The psychological perspective combines aspects of cognitive theory, which focuses on the internal mental processes that are separate from the external stimuli, and psychodynamic theory, which focuses on the unconscious processes that are occurring within a person.
This perspective also tries to incorporate some of the humanistic, or personal, perspective into its scope of understanding. However, unlike humanism, the psychological perspective involves more scientific method and objective observation, or observations of things from an outside point of view.
EXAMPLE In cognitive behavioral theory, which tries to incorporate both aspects of cognitive theory and behaviorism, the goal of the practitioner is to use scientific observation of both those aspects to understand how they affect human behavior, as opposed to relying specifically on reports from the person. The psychological perspective operates similarly in that regard.
