--Original published at MaddieHinson
To discuss the issues relating to Miguel, I want to look at it from a humanistic perspective. From this, it is believed that Miguel is generally a good person, but his psychological issues are because he is not his true self currently. These psychologists believe in the importance of the hierarchy of needs being met. Abraham Maslow’s model has self-actualization, love and belonging, as well as physiological needs that need to be met in order to have a fulfilling life. Currently, Miguel isn’t sleeping well (physiological), he is arguing with his roommates (love and belonging), and he is a perfectionist who is making small mistakes (Self-Actualization). Based on this theory, these are the reasons Miguel’s life is not going in the right direction.
From a behaviorists’ point of view, they will observe Miguel’s behavior and look at different factors that could be causing his issues. For instance, Miguel picking fights with his roommates is due to the fact that he is getting bad grades in school and not getting enough sleep.
Using a cognitive psychology perspective, we would look at Miguel’s brain activity and how it links with his behavior. Being a perfectionist, Miguel is having a hard time processing all of the issues going on in his life right now.
Culturally, looking at what’s wrong with Miguel would be to take into account where he grew up, and what types of customs he was raised with. Different areas deal with failure in different ways, and Miguel might have been around people who get down on themselves when they mess up. So a cultural psychologist, would say that this is why Miguel is having these issues.
From a neuroscience perspective, it would be determined that Miguel has some type of mental disorder, whether it being depression, or anxiety that is making him lose focus and miss out on sleep.
Looking at Miguel’s issues from a psychodynamic point of view, it would be said that Miguel is having these issues due to something that happened earlier on in his life. This could be from earlier failures in his childhood, where his parents could have been strict about getting perfect grades or being the best athlete.