Summary: The article I chose to represent the behavioral perspective is about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It describes everything that has to do with PTSD. It includes notes from as early as the Civil War about PTSD. Also, it includes the terms that were developed as time went on such as shell shock, combat neurosis and operational fatigue. .
The article describes the diagnosis and treatment. It says that PTSD often goes untreated and that it is twice as common in women than in men. It notes that if the individual has been assaulted in any way as a child, then they become more likely to get PTSD. An interesting fact is that more than one-third of patients never fully recover. At the end of the article it even includes the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Theoretical Perspective Explanation: Behavioral Psychology focuses on observable behaviors and the fundamental laws of learning. This type of psychology was first founded by John B. Watson. Watson strongly believed that psychology should be redefined as "the scientific study of behavior". Behaviorism dominated psychology for more than fifty years. .
Behavioral psychologists study how behavior is acquired or modified by environmental causes. For example, these psychologists look at what makes people want to risk their lives for somebody they don't know. They study to see if these behaviors are a result of being rewarded by social recognition or parental approval. They also look at how behavior is acquired or modified by environmental causes. By doing so they learn to treat certain psychological disorders like PTSD.
Conclusion: As mentioned earlier, behavioral psychology deals with observable behaviors. In this article, it mentions all of the following: In treating and diagnosing PTSD, psychologists observe and read what soldiers and people experience in these types of situations. They ask questions to help in their diagnosis.