1.4 Seven Unifying Themes

Themes related to Psych as Field of Study

• 1. Psychology is Empirical
• 2. Psychology is Theoretically Diverse. No single theory can explain everything about behavior.
• 3. Psychology evolves in a socio-historical context. Trends, issues, and values in society influence psych's growth & progress in psych affects trends, issues, and values in society

Themes Related to Psych's subject matter

• 1. Behavior is determined by multiple causes.
• 2. Behavior is shaped by cultural heritage. Great diversity exists w/in any society or ethnic group. Both differences and similarities in behavior occur across cultures
• 3. Heredity and environment jointly influence behavior.
• 4. People's experience of the world is subjective.