Comparing Two Schools of Thought

Behaviorism and psychoanalysis (or psychodynamic theory—not the psychotherapy approach) are sometimes considered theoretically opposite. However, they share some characteristics in common.

In a similar way, one could consider humanistic and cognitive psychology to be quite different, yet there are areas of common ground here as well. Thinking about similarities and differences of schools of thought can help us understand their unique characteristics.

Choose two schools of thought (the mental testing movement, behaviorism, psychoanalytic theory, humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology, or psychobiology) and discuss how they differ.

What distinguishes the schools of thought from each other, in terms of their principles, values, subject matter, research approaches, and applied methods?

Also address which factors they share with each other, using the aforementioned attributes as they apply.

Remember that we are exploring comprehensive theories of human nature and behavior, not psychotherapeutic techniques (for example, cognitive behavioral therapy or psychoanalytic therapy).