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Humanistic Psychology
MASK — Maslow's hierarchy, Actualizing tendency, Self-concept, Kongruence (Rogers)
The core ideas of Maslow and Rogers — the founders of humanistic psychology
Humanistic psychology rejected determinism — humans have free will and an innate drive toward growth
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological → Safety → Love/Belonging → Esteem → Self-Actualization (peak). Each level must be met before the next. Self-actualization: reaching full human potential. Rogers' person-centered theory: unconditional positive regard is essential for healthy development. Conditions of worth: if love is conditional, people develop distorted self-concepts. Congruence: alignment between real self and ideal self. Fully functioning person: open to experience, lives existentially, trusts their organism.
Maslow
5-tier hierarchy — deficiency needs then growth needs
Rogers
Unconditional positive regard + congruence = healthy self
Peak experience
Maslow — moments of intense joy during self-actualization
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cognitive Psychology
SAME — Schema, Attention, Memory encoding, Executive function
Four core constructs of cognitive psychology — the mind as information processor
Cognitive psychology replaced behaviorism by studying the mental processes between stimulus and response
Schemas: mental frameworks that organize knowledge and guide perception — can cause biases. Attention: selective, divided, or sustained — spotlight model. Working memory (Baddeley): phonological loop + visuospatial sketchpad + central executive + episodic buffer — about 4 chunks (classic estimate 7±2). Cognitive biases: availability heuristic (how easily examples come to mind), representativeness heuristic, anchoring. Beck's cognitive triad of depression: negative view of self, world, and future.
Schema
Mental framework — speeds processing but causes bias
Working memory
Baddeley's 4-component model — capacity about 4 chunks (Miller's classic estimate: 7±2)
Cognitive triad
Beck — negative self, world, future = depression
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Advanced
Evolutionary Psychology
SAFE — Sexual selection, Adaptation, Fitness, Evolutionary pressures
The evolutionary framework for explaining psychological traits and behaviors
Evolutionary psychology asks: what adaptive problem did this behavior solve for our ancestors?
Natural selection: traits that increase reproductive fitness are passed on. Sexual selection: mate preferences and competition for mates. Kin selection: helping relatives propagates shared genes — altruism explained. Inclusive fitness (Hamilton): organisms act to maximize genes in the population, not just personal reproduction. Evolutionary explanations for: fear of spiders and snakes, jealousy, status-seeking, parent-offspring conflict, gender differences in mate preferences (Buss). Criticism: just-so stories — hard to test, ignores culture.
Kin selection
Help relatives — you share their genes, altruism explained
Sexual selection
Mate preferences shaped by evolutionary pressures (Buss)
Criticism
Just-so stories — adaptationist explanations are hard to falsify
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Advanced
Biopsychosocial Model
BPS — Biological, Psychological, Social factors all interact
The integrated framework for understanding mental and physical health
No single factor causes psychological disorders — biology, psychology, and social context all interact
Biological: genetics, neurotransmitters, brain structure, hormones. Psychological: thoughts, emotions, beliefs, coping styles, learned behaviors. Social: relationships, culture, socioeconomic status, trauma, support networks. Diathesis-stress model: biological vulnerability (diathesis) + environmental stress triggers disorder. Example — depression: genetic predisposition (bio) + negative thinking styles (psych) + loss and social isolation (social). Replaces the old biomedical model which ignored psychological and social factors.
Diathesis-stress
Vulnerability + stressor = disorder — explains individual differences
Biological
Genes, brain chemistry, hormones, neural structure
Social
Culture, SES, trauma, relationships — often ignored in biomedical model
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Intermediate
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🧠 Psychology · Major Theories

Psychology tricks that make theories stick

Freud, Maslow, Piaget, Erikson — and how to keep them straight.

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Humanistic Psychology
MASK — Maslow's hierarchy, Actualizing tendency, Self-concept, Kongruence (Rogers)
The core ideas of Maslow and Rogers — the founders of humanistic psychology
Humanistic psychology rejected determinism — humans have free will and an innate drive toward growth
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological → Safety → Love/Belonging → Esteem → Self-Actualization (peak). Each level must be met before the next. Self-actualization: reaching full human potential. Rogers' person-centered theory: unconditional positive regard is essential for healthy development. Conditions of worth: if love is conditional, people develop distorted self-concepts. Congruence: alignment between real self and ideal self. Fully functioning person: open to experience, lives existentially, trusts their organism.
Maslow
5-tier hierarchy — deficiency needs then growth needs
Rogers
Unconditional positive regard + congruence = healthy self
Peak experience
Maslow — moments of intense joy during self-actualization
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Intermediate
🎥 Watch Instead
▶
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Flashcard
🃏 Humanistic Psychology
MASK — the key ideas of humanistic psychology?
Tap to flip
🃏 Answer
MASK — Maslow's hierarchy, Actualizing tendency, Self-concept, Kongruence (Rogers)
Maslow5-tier hierarchy — deficiency needs then growth needs
RogersUnconditional positive regard + congruence = healthy self
Peak experienceMaslow — moments of intense joy during self-actualization
Tap to flip back
Cognitive Psychology
SAME — Schema, Attention, Memory encoding, Executive function
Four core constructs of cognitive psychology — the mind as information processor
Cognitive psychology replaced behaviorism by studying the mental processes between stimulus and response
Schemas: mental frameworks that organize knowledge and guide perception — can cause biases. Attention: selective, divided, or sustained — spotlight model. Working memory (Baddeley): phonological loop + visuospatial sketchpad + central executive + episodic buffer — about 4 chunks (classic estimate 7±2). Cognitive biases: availability heuristic (how easily examples come to mind), representativeness heuristic, anchoring. Beck's cognitive triad of depression: negative view of self, world, and future.
Schema
Mental framework — speeds processing but causes bias
Working memory
Baddeley's 4-component model — capacity about 4 chunks (Miller's classic estimate: 7±2)
Cognitive triad
Beck — negative self, world, future = depression
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Advanced
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Flashcard
🃏 Cognitive Psychology
SAME — the key ideas of cognitive psychology?
Tap to flip
🃏 Answer
SAME — Schema, Attention, Memory encoding, Executive function
SchemaMental framework — speeds processing but causes bias
Working memoryBaddeley's 4-component model — capacity about 4 chunks (Miller's classic estimate: 7±2)
Cognitive triadBeck — negative self, world, future = depression
Tap to flip back
Evolutionary Psychology
SAFE — Sexual selection, Adaptation, Fitness, Evolutionary pressures
The evolutionary framework for explaining psychological traits and behaviors
Evolutionary psychology asks: what adaptive problem did this behavior solve for our ancestors?
Natural selection: traits that increase reproductive fitness are passed on. Sexual selection: mate preferences and competition for mates. Kin selection: helping relatives propagates shared genes — altruism explained. Inclusive fitness (Hamilton): organisms act to maximize genes in the population, not just personal reproduction. Evolutionary explanations for: fear of spiders and snakes, jealousy, status-seeking, parent-offspring conflict, gender differences in mate preferences (Buss). Criticism: just-so stories — hard to test, ignores culture.
Kin selection
Help relatives — you share their genes, altruism explained
Sexual selection
Mate preferences shaped by evolutionary pressures (Buss)
Criticism
Just-so stories — adaptationist explanations are hard to falsify
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Advanced
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▶
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Flashcard
🃏 Evolutionary Psychology
SAFE — the key ideas of evolutionary psychology?
Tap to flip
🃏 Answer
SAFE — Sexual selection, Adaptation, Fitness, Evolutionary pressures
Kin selectionHelp relatives — you share their genes, altruism explained
Sexual selectionMate preferences shaped by evolutionary pressures (Buss)
CriticismJust-so stories — adaptationist explanations are hard to falsify
Tap to flip back
Biopsychosocial Model
BPS — Biological, Psychological, Social factors all interact
The integrated framework for understanding mental and physical health
No single factor causes psychological disorders — biology, psychology, and social context all interact
Biological: genetics, neurotransmitters, brain structure, hormones. Psychological: thoughts, emotions, beliefs, coping styles, learned behaviors. Social: relationships, culture, socioeconomic status, trauma, support networks. Diathesis-stress model: biological vulnerability (diathesis) + environmental stress triggers disorder. Example — depression: genetic predisposition (bio) + negative thinking styles (psych) + loss and social isolation (social). Replaces the old biomedical model which ignored psychological and social factors.
Diathesis-stress
Vulnerability + stressor = disorder — explains individual differences
Biological
Genes, brain chemistry, hormones, neural structure
Social
Culture, SES, trauma, relationships — often ignored in biomedical model
📖 Full Lesson →
Difficulty: Intermediate
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🃏 Biopsychosocial Model
BPS — the biopsychosocial model?
Tap to flip
🃏 Answer
BPS — Biological, Psychological, Social factors all interact
Diathesis-stressVulnerability + stressor = disorder — explains individual differences
BiologicalGenes, brain chemistry, hormones, neural structure
SocialCulture, SES, trauma, relationships — often ignored in biomedical model
Tap to flip back
Maslow's Hierarchy
Maslow: Physiological → Safety → Belonging → Esteem → Self-Actualization
Maslow's Hierarchy
Five levels of human need — lower must be met before higher motivate
Hungry people aren't worried about self-esteem. Unsafe people aren't thinking about belonging. Work upward from survival needs to growth needs.
1
Physiological — food, water, sleep
2
Safety — security, stability
3
Belonging — relationships, love
4
Esteem — respect, achievement
5
Self-actualization — reaching full potential
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Difficulty: Beginner
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Flashcard
🃏 Maslow's Hierarchy
Maslow's hierarchy — the five levels in order?
Tap to flip
🃏 Answer
Maslow: Physiological → Safety → Belonging → Esteem → Self-Actualization
1Physiological — food, water, sleep
2Safety — security, stability
3Belonging — relationships, love
4Esteem — respect, achievement
5Self-actualization — reaching full potential
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Freud's Psychic Structure
Freud: Id (devil) + Superego (angel) = Ego (you)
Freud's Psychic Structure
Visualize the devil, you, and an angel — Id, Ego, Superego
Id: unconscious, pleasure principle, wants it NOW. Superego: moral conscience, idealistic. Ego: rational mediator, reality principle — navigates between id and superego.
Id
Unconscious pleasure principle
Ego
Reality principle — the mediator
Superego
Morality principle — internalized conscience
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🃏 Freud's Psychic Structure
Freud — id, ego and superego?
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🃏 Answer
Freud: Id (devil) + Superego (angel) = Ego (you)
IdUnconscious pleasure principle
EgoReality principle — the mediator
SuperegoMorality principle — internalized conscience
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Piaget's Cognitive Stages
Piaget SCFA: Sensorimotor → Preoperational → Concrete → Formal
Piaget's Cognitive Stages
Four stages of cognitive development from birth to adulthood
Sensorimotor (0–2): learns through senses. Preoperational (2–7): language, egocentric. Concrete operational (7–11): logical thinking. Formal operational (12+): abstract reasoning.
S
Sensorimotor — 0-2 yrs
P
Preoperational — 2-7 yrs
C
Concrete operational — 7-11 yrs
F
Formal operational — 12+ yrs
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🃏 Piaget's Cognitive Stages
Piaget's four stages — in order, with ages?
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🃏 Answer
Piaget SCFA: Sensorimotor → Preoperational → Concrete → Formal
SSensorimotor — 0-2 yrs
PPreoperational — 2-7 yrs
CConcrete operational — 7-11 yrs
FFormal operational — 12+ yrs
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Conditioning Types
Classical: Pavlov. Operant: Skinner. Both = learned associations.
Conditioning Types
Two types of behaviorist learning — both involve associations
Classical (Pavlov): pair neutral stimulus with unconditioned → conditioned response (dog salivates at bell). Operant (Skinner): behavior shaped by consequences — reinforcement increases, punishment decreases.
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🃏 Conditioning Types
Classical vs operant conditioning?
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🃏 Answer
Classical: Pavlov. Operant: Skinner. Both = learned associations.
Classical (Pavlov): pair neutral stimulus with unconditioned → conditioned response (dog salivates at bell). Operant (Skinner): behavior shaped by consequences — reinforcement increases, punishment decreases.
Tap to flip back
Behaviorism
Behaviorism: only observable behavior matters — Skinner, Watson, Pavlov
Behaviorism
Psychology as the science of observable behavior — not mental states
Watson and Skinner rejected internal mental states as unscientific. Only observable, measurable behavior counts. Led to behavior modification therapy. Largely replaced by cognitive psychology in the 1970s.
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🃏 Behaviorism
Behaviorism — the core idea and key figures?
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🃏 Answer
Behaviorism: only observable behavior matters — Skinner, Watson, Pavlov
Watson and Skinner rejected internal mental states as unscientific. Only observable, measurable behavior counts. Led to behavior modification therapy. Largely replaced by cognitive psychology in the 1970s.
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Social Learning Theory
Bandura: Social Learning Theory — people learn by OBSERVING others. Bobo doll experiment.
Social Learning Theory
Albert Bandura — we learn by watching, not just doing
Bandura's Bobo doll study: children who watched adults hit an inflatable doll imitated the aggression. Key concepts: observational learning, modeling, vicarious reinforcement. Self-efficacy: belief in your own ability to succeed — predicts motivation and performance. Bridges behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
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🃏 Social Learning Theory
Bandura's social learning theory — and the famous experiment?
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🃏 Answer
Bandura: Social Learning Theory — people learn by OBSERVING others. Bobo doll experiment.
Bandura's Bobo doll study: children who watched adults hit an inflatable doll imitated the aggression. Key concepts: observational learning, modeling, vicarious reinforcement. Self-efficacy: belief in your own ability to succeed — predicts motivation and performance. Bridges behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
Tap to flip back
Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology: Rogers — unconditional positive regard. Maslow — self-actualization. Focus on free will.
Humanistic Psychology
The 'third force' — optimistic, person-centered, growth-focused
Reaction against psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Carl Rogers: people need unconditional positive regard (acceptance without conditions) to grow. Person-centered therapy. Maslow: hierarchy of needs, self-actualization. Key assumption: humans are inherently good and capable of growth.
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🃏 Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology — Rogers and Maslow?
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🃏 Answer
Humanistic psychology: Rogers — unconditional positive regard. Maslow — self-actualization. Focus on free will.
Reaction against psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Carl Rogers: people need unconditional positive regard (acceptance without conditions) to grow. Person-centered therapy. Maslow: hierarchy of needs, self-actualization. Key assumption: humans are inherently good and capable of growth.
Tap to flip back
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology: thoughts influence behavior. Beck's cognitive triad — negative views of self, world, future.
Cognitive Psychology
How thoughts and mental processes shape behavior
Aaron Beck: depression involves cognitive triad — negative automatic thoughts about self ('I'm worthless'), world ('nothing works out'), and future ('it will always be this way'). Cognitive distortions: all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, catastrophizing. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) targets these.
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🃏 Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology — and Beck's cognitive triad?
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🃏 Answer
Cognitive psychology: thoughts influence behavior. Beck's cognitive triad — negative views of self, world, future.
Aaron Beck: depression involves cognitive triad — negative automatic thoughts about self ('I'm worthless'), world ('nothing works out'), and future ('it will always be this way'). Cognitive distortions: all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, catastrophizing. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) targets these.
Tap to flip back
Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt psychology: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Figure-ground, proximity, similarity.
Gestalt Psychology
How we perceive whole patterns rather than individual parts
German school: the brain organizes sensory input into coherent wholes. Figure-ground: perceive one element as foreground against a background. Proximity: nearby objects grouped together. Similarity: similar objects grouped together. Closure: fill in gaps to perceive complete shapes. Continuity: prefer smooth, continuous patterns.
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🃏 Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt psychology — the core idea?
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🃏 Answer
Gestalt psychology: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Figure-ground, proximity, similarity.
German school: the brain organizes sensory input into coherent wholes. Figure-ground: perceive one element as foreground against a background. Proximity: nearby objects grouped together. Similarity: similar objects grouped together. Closure: fill in gaps to perceive complete shapes. Continuity: prefer smooth, continuous patterns.
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Bowlby's Attachment Theory
Attachment theory: Bowlby — early bonds with caregivers shape all future relationships
Bowlby's Attachment Theory
The evolutionary basis of the parent-child bond
John Bowlby: attachment is an evolutionary adaptation — infants who stayed close to caregivers survived. Internal working model: mental representation of relationships formed in infancy shapes adult relationships. Secure base: caregiver provides safety for exploration. Disruption: maternal deprivation can cause lasting harm.
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🃏 Bowlby's Attachment Theory
Bowlby's attachment theory?
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🃏 Answer
Attachment theory: Bowlby — early bonds with caregivers shape all future relationships
John Bowlby: attachment is an evolutionary adaptation — infants who stayed close to caregivers survived. Internal working model: mental representation of relationships formed in infancy shapes adult relationships. Secure base: caregiver provides safety for exploration. Disruption: maternal deprivation can cause lasting harm.
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Biological/Neuroscience Perspective
Biological perspective: genes, brain, hormones, and neurotransmitters explain behavior
Biological/Neuroscience Perspective
Behavior as the product of biology — genes, brain, and chemistry
Twin studies: identical twins raised apart show similar traits → evidence for genetic influence. Brain damage case studies (Phineas Gage: iron rod through frontal lobe → personality change). Neurotransmitter imbalances: low serotonin → depression. Hormones: cortisol (stress), testosterone (aggression).
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🃏 Biological/Neuroscience Perspective
The biological perspective — what explains behavior?
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🃏 Answer
Biological perspective: genes, brain, hormones, and neurotransmitters explain behavior
Twin studies: identical twins raised apart show similar traits → evidence for genetic influence. Brain damage case studies (Phineas Gage: iron rod through frontal lobe → personality change). Neurotransmitter imbalances: low serotonin → depression. Hormones: cortisol (stress), testosterone (aggression).
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Early Schools of Psychology
Structuralism (Wundt) vs Functionalism (James): what the mind IS vs what it DOES
Early Schools of Psychology
The first two systematic approaches to psychology
Structuralism (Wundt, Titchener): analyze the basic elements of conscious experience through introspection — what is the structure of the mind? Functionalism (William James): how does the mind function to help organisms adapt? What do mental processes DO? Functionalism led to behaviorism, applied psychology, and educational psychology.
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🃏 Early Schools of Psychology
Structuralism vs functionalism?
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🃏 Answer
Structuralism (Wundt) vs Functionalism (James): what the mind IS vs what it DOES
Structuralism (Wundt, Titchener): analyze the basic elements of conscious experience through introspection — what is the structure of the mind? Functionalism (William James): how does the mind function to help organisms adapt? What do mental processes DO? Functionalism led to behaviorism, applied psychology, and educational psychology.
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