PYC4808 Ecosystemic Psychology Exam Prep - A Comprehensive Guide
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Course
Pyc4808 Ecosystemic Psychology (PYC4808)
Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)
PARADIGM
“A set of presuppositions about what the world is like, problems to be investigated and
appropriate methods for investigation”. A paradigm is a set of interrelated ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions (Terre Blanche, Durrheim & Painter, 2006). Different paradig...
“A set of presuppositions about what the world is like, problems to be investigated and
appropriate methods for investigation”. A paradigm is a set of interrelated ontological, epistemological
and methodological assumptions (Terre Blanche, Durrheim & Painter, 2006). Different paradigms will view
reality differently and so will then influence the way you see the world.
Levels of Knowledge
The following are the levels of knowledge and how they are linked.
EPISTEMOLOGY
“A set of immanent rules used in thought by large groups of people to define reality” Epistemology
is deduced from what a person says and how
a person thinks, talks, and acts. Epistemology pertains to how rules that govern our thinking are created
and shared. How we come to know what we know.
Remember we said that some people use „paradigm‟ and „epistemology‟ interchangeably, for now it is
important to understand that your epistemology will shape your thinking as well as how you view and
understand the world.
Eg. Newtonian epistemology, Cartesian epistemology, Constructivist epistemology, African epistemology
THEORY
A set of connected principles serving to explain a group of phenomena of interest to the researcher, or
serving as a statement of relations believed to prevail in a body of observations. Theories are informed
and specified by particular epistemologies.
EG Psychoanalytic theory, Behaviourist theory, Existential theory, General Systems Theory
MODEL
A projection of the substance of a less understood or developed domain onto the structure of a more
developed system. You take what you see and project it onto something else. These models are
embedded within particular theories, which are also informed by specific epistemological assumptions. It is
important to understand how epistemology, theory and model link together coherently
Eg. Psychosexual Developmental Stages of Sigmund Freud, Operant
Conditioning
TECHNIQUE
“A rehearsed or practiced procedure or skill to achieve a particular end/outcome in accordance with a
model used”
Eg. conditioning; Positive reinforcement
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SYSTEMIC THINKING
Individual theories in psychology focus on certain aspects of the individual, for
example:
Behaviourism focuses on an individual‟s behaviour and
Psychodynamic theories focus on the unconscious painful experiences/wishes of
an individual.
Systems theory is not an either/or approach and does not take the stance that the
above examples are incorrect. Systems theory does, however, focus on the
interactional patterns between people.
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