LibGuides: Psychology: Schools of Thought

Schools of Thought

Since its conception, the field of psychology has been divided into many different schools of thought. Some of the major schools of thought in the field of psychology are called Biological, Behavioral, Cognitive, Social, Psychoanalytic, and Existential-Humanistic.

The resources on the right are arranged by type: eBooks, journal articles, videos, and websites. They all relate to psychology schools of thought in some way, though individual resources may cover more focused specializations.

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Tyler Nordstrom

Schools of Thought

50 psychology classics by Butler-Bowdon, T.
Publication Date: 2017
Credo Reference
African American psychology: A positive psychology perspective by Craft DeFreitas, S.
Publication Date: 2019
ProQuest Ebook Central
Elementary psychology by Sinha, J.
Publication Date: 2018
Ebooks in EBSCOhost
New developments in psychology research by Grove, L. E.
Publication Date: 2019
Ebooks in EBSCOhost
Plato's psychology (2nd edition) by Robinson, T. M.
Publication Date: 2018
Ebooks in EBSCOhost
Psychology for a better world: A cross-cultural anthology on emotional well-being by Prasad Regmi, M.; Schmaling, K.; and Sochos, A.
Publication Date: 2019
ProQuest Ebook Central
Rewriting psychology: An abysmal science? by Ho, D. Y. F.
Publication Date: 2019
Ebooks in EBSCOhost

The 8 pillars of metacognition by Drigas, A. and Mitsea, E.
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning; 2020, Vol. 15 Issue 21, p162-178, 17p
Behavioral psychology in medicine: The good, the bad, and the unknown by Fasih, A.
AMA Journal of Ethics; Sep2020, Vol. 22 Issue 9, p757-759, 3p
Does social psychology persist over half a century? A direct replication of Cialdini et al.’s (1975) classic door-in-the-face technique by Genschow, O. et al
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 120(2), Feb, 2021. pp. e1-e7.
Epistemological foundations of humanistic psychology’s approach to the empirical by DeRobertis, E. M.
Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Jun 10, 2021.
Existential-humanistic therapy and disaster response: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic by Hoffman, L.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology; Jan2021, Vol. 61 Issue 1, p33-54, 22p
Psychology's status as a science: Peculiarities and intrinsic challenges. by Uher, J.
Integrative psychological & behavioral science [Integr Psychol Behav Sci] 2021 Mar; Vol. 55 (1), pp. 212-224.
States of mind in conflict: Offerings and translations from the psychoanalytic and psychosocial fields by Seu, I. B.
New England Journal of Public Policy. Spring/Summer2021, Vol. 33 Issue 1, p1-24. 25p.

B.F. Skinner, part 1
Alexander Street Video - 51:11
Dr. Skinner evaluates Freudian theory and discusses his views on motivation, operant conditioning, schedules of reinforcement, punishment, and teaching machines.
Cognitive psychology
Films on Demand - 25:34
This program presents perceptions from different theorists from past to present concerning cognitive psychology.
Concepts in Psychology: Part 1
Films on Demand (29:33 min)
Topics covered include: What are Ethics? Free Will and Determination, Situational Theory, Ethical Issues in Psychology, along with a segment introducing psychology as a subject.
Dr. Carl Jung: Part 1
Films on Demand - 58:44
In this video discussion, Dr. Carl Jung presents his views on personality organization and discusses the fundamental concepts of his theory.
Jung speaks of Freud
Films on Demand - 28:22
In this video interview with Richard Evans, Carl Jung talks about his early acquaintance with Freud and why he broke from some of Freud's theories to form his own school of thought. He explains how he came to the conclusion that Freud's theories on the ego, id, and oedipal complex were too limited.
Rollo May on existential psychology
Films on Demand - 29:22
In this video discussion with John Whiteley, Rollo May speaks about the theory and practice of existential therapy.
TEDTalks: Kay M. Tye - What investigating neural pathways can reveal about mental health
Films on Demand - 13:00
Neuroscientist Kay M. Tye investigates how your brain gives rise to complex emotional states like depression, anxiety or loneliness.

Classics in the history of psychology
(CHP) Classics in the History of Psychology is an effort to make the full texts of a large number of historically significant public domain documents from the scholarly literature of psychology and allied disciplines available on the World Wide Web. There are now over 25 books and about 200 articles and chapters on-line. The site also contains links to over 200 relevant works posted at other sites.
Cognitive Science Society
(CSS) The Cognitive Science Society brings together researchers from around the world who hold a common goal: understanding the nature of the human mind. The mission of the Society is to promote Cognitive Science as a discipline, and to foster scientific interchange among researchers in various areas of study.
Milestones in neuroscience research
(University of Washington) The following dates are a selection of important events to take place in neuroscience.
Office for human research protections
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) OHRP provides clarification and guidance, develops educational programs and materials, maintains regulatory oversight, and provides advice on ethical and regulatory issues in biomedical and behavioral research. OHRP also supports the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP), which advises the HHS Secretary on issues related to protecting human subjects in research.
Psychology resources
(Athabasca University) This list of psychology resources is based at the Centre for Social Sciences - Psychology of Athabasca University in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada.
Society for the history of psychology
(American Psychological Association) We are an international organization of scholars, teachers, and members whose interests and scholarship are concerned with understanding the historical events and important people who have shaped the development of psychological thought and practice.
Web links by psychology subject area
(Social Psychology Network) Social Psychology Network contains thousands of links related to psychology and neuroscience. This page offers a directory of links organized by sub-field.