Which of the following is a characteristic shared by structuralism, Gestalt psychology, and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

• A. They all sought to understand the mind by examining conscious and unconscious mental processes.
• B. They all originated in the United States and emphasized the role of learning through reinforcement.
• C. They all used animal subjects as the primary source of psychological data.
• D. They all focused exclusively on observable behaviors and rejected the study of mental processes.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the main focus of each psychological approach mentioned: Structuralism, Gestalt psychology, and Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Structuralism aimed to analyze the basic elements of conscious experience, Gestalt psychology emphasized understanding the whole of mental processes rather than breaking them down, and Freud's psychoanalytic theory explored unconscious mental processes.
2. Step 2: Recognize that Structuralism and Gestalt psychology primarily dealt with conscious mental processes, while Freud's psychoanalytic theory introduced the concept of unconscious processes influencing behavior and thought.
3. Step 3: Evaluate the answer choices by comparing them to the core characteristics of these approaches. For example, consider whether they all originated in the United States, whether they focused on animal subjects, or whether they rejected mental processes in favor of observable behavior.
4. Step 4: Understand that none of these approaches focused exclusively on observable behaviors; in fact, they all valued mental processes, either conscious or unconscious, which rules out the option about rejecting mental processes.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the shared characteristic is their attempt to understand the mind by examining both conscious and unconscious mental processes, as this aligns with the fundamental goals of these three psychological perspectives.