Why Do We Need Psychology Theories?

If you've ever taken a psychology class, then you've probably encountered many different psychological theories. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, Erikson’s psychosocial theory, the Big Five theory, and Bandura’s social learning theory are just a few examples that might spring to mind.

So why do so many different psychological theories exist? What purpose do they serve? The answer is that psychology theories help provide an organized framework for studying and understanding human behavior. These theories can help us explain and predict a wide variety of behaviors.

Why Theories Exist in Psychology

These theories serve a number of important purposes. Let’s look at three key reasons why psychological theories exist.

Theories Provide a Basis for Understanding

Theories provide a framework for understanding human behavior, thought, and development. By having a broad base of understanding about the hows and whys of human behavior, we can better understand ourselves and others.

Behavioral theories, for example, provide a basis for understanding how people learn new things. Through the lens of these theories, we can take a closer look at some of the different ways learning occurs and the factors that influence this type of learning.

Theories Inspire Future Research

Theories create a basis for future research. Researchers use theories to form hypotheses that can then be tested. As new discoveries are made and incorporated into the original theory, new questions and ideas can then be explored.

Theories Can Adapt and Evolve

Theories are dynamic and always changing. As new discoveries are made, theories are modified and adapted to account for new information. While theories are sometimes presented as static and fixed, they tend to evolve over time as new research is explored.

Attachment theory, for example, began with the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and has expanded and grown to include new descriptions of different attachment styles.

Types of Theories

There have been a number of key theoretical perspectives that have had an influence throughout psychology’s history. Even today, many psychologists tend to focus their research through the lens of a certain theoretical perspective.

Theoretical Perspectives

Psychology theories can often categorized into a few main perspectives. These include:

Psychoanalytic Theories

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory suggests that unconscious urges and desires drive human behavior. This perspective suggests that understanding these underlying and hidden thoughts can help alleviate different types of psychological discomfort and distress.

Behavioral Theories

The behavioral theories suggest that all human behavior can be explained by the learning processes. This approach to psychology emerged with the work of John B. Watson, who was interested in making psychology a more scientific discipline that focused exclusively on observable and measurable behaviors.

Biological Theories

Biological theories focus on understanding how biology affects human thought and behavior. Understanding the genetic factors that contribute to mental illness is an example of a biological theory.

Cognitive Theories

Cognitive theories suggest that internal cognitive stages play an important role in human behavior. These theories focus on understanding how the mind processes, stores, and utilizes information.

Humanist Theories

These theories are centered on the idea that humans are essentially good and that the desire to achieve fulfillment is a primary driver of human behavior.

Examples of Psychological Theories

Some examples of these theories include:

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Inspired by the work of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who had discovered and described the process of classical conditioning, Watson demonstrated how different behaviors could be conditioned. The later work of B.F. Skinner introduced the concept of operant conditioning, which looked at how reinforcement and punishment led to learning.

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget introduced another well-known grand theory. His theory of cognitive development described the intellectual growth of children from birth and into childhood. This theory suggests that children act much like little scientists as they actively construct their knowledge of the world.

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky proposed a sociocultural theory of development that is a good example of how new theories often build on older theories. Piaget influenced Vygotsky, but his theory suggested that much of learning results from the dynamic interaction between individuals and their culture.