What is Psychology

Published on May 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 18 | Comments: 0 | Views: 179
of 5
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. As most people already realize, a large part of psychology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to applications for psychology. In addition to mental health, psychology can be applied to a variety of issues that impact health and daily life including performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, motivation, productivity, and much more.

Early Psychology

Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers including Aristotle and Socrates. The word psychology is derived from the Greek word psyche, meaning 'soul' or 'mind.' Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors.[1][2] Psychology has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases,[3][4] and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society. [5][6] In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioral, orcognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiologicaland neurobiological processes that underlie certain cognitive functions and behaviors.

Psychologists explore concepts such as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, phenomenology, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior, andinterpersonal relationships. Psychologists of diverse stripes also consider the unconscious mind.[7] Psychologists employ empirical methods to infer causaland correlational relationships between psychosocial variables. In addition, or in opposition, to employing empirical and deductive methods, some— especiallyclinical and counseling psychologists—at times rely upon symbolic interpretation and other inductive techniques. Psychology has been described as a "hub science",[8] with psychological findings linking to research and perspectives from the social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and the humanities, such as philosophy. While psychological knowledge is often applied to the assessment and treatment of mental health problems, it is also directed towards understanding and solving problems in many different spheres of human activity. The majority of psychologists are involved in some kind of therapeutic role, practicing in clinical,counseling, or school settings. Many do scientific research on a wide range of topics related to mental processes and behavior, and typically work in university psychology departments or teach in other academic settings (e.g., medical schools, hospitals). Some are employed in industrial and organizationalsettings, or in other areas[9] such as human development and aging, sports, health, and the media, as well as in forensic investigation and other aspects oflaw.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY CONSIDERED A SCIENCE Psychology is a science because: It studies human behaviour. Describes human behaviour. It follows the scientific method (a theory is constructed - a hypothesis is formed - data is collected - data is used to test the hypothesis) ie involves experimental investigation and theoretical explanation.

DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGTHS & MOVEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology.In the past, psychologists often identified themselves exclusively with one single school of thought. Today, most psychologists have an eclectic outlook on psychology. They often draw on ideas and theories from different schools rather than holding to any singular outlook.

The following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our knowledge and understanding of psychology:

Structuralism and Functionalism

Structuralism was the first school of psychology, and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components. Major structuralist thinkers include Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. The focus of structuralism was on reducing mental processes down into their most basic elements. Structuralists used techniques such as introspection to analyze the inner processes of the human mind. Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of William James. Major functionalist thinkers included John Dewey and Harvey Carr. Instead of focusing on the mental processes themselves, functionalist thinkers were instead interested in the role that these processes play.

Behaviorism Behaviorism became a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. It was based upon the work of thinkers such as:

  

John B. Watson Ivan Pavlov B. F. Skinner

Behaviorism suggests that all behavior can be explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces. Behaviorism is focused on observable behavior. Theories of learning includingclassical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of research.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. This school of thought emphasizes the influence of the unconscious mindon behavior. Freud believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the id, the ego and the superego. The id is composed of primal urges, while the ego is the component of personality charged with dealing with reality. The superego is the part of personality that holds all of the ideals and values we internalize from our parents and culture. Freud believed that the interaction of these three elements was what led to all of the complex human behaviors.

Freud's school of thought was enormously influential, but also generated a great deal of controversy. This controversy existed not only in his time, but also in modern discussions of Freud's theories. Other major psychoanalytic thinkers include:

  

Anna Freud Carl Jung Erik Erikson.

Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Humanistic psychology instead focused on individual free will, personal growth and the concept of self-actualization. While early schools of thought were largely centered on abnormal human behavior, humanistic psychology differed considerably in its emphasis on helping people achieve and fulfill their potential. Major humanist thinkers include:

 

Abraham Maslow

Carl Rogers. Humanistic psychology remains quite popular today and has had a major influence on other areas of psychology including positive psychology. This particular branch of psychology is centered on helping people living happier, more fulfilling lives.

Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt psychology is a school of psychology based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology began in Germany and Austria during the late 19th century in response to the molecular approach of structuralism. Instead of breaking down thoughts and behavior to their smallest elements, the gestalt psychologists believed that you must look at the whole of experience. According to the gestalt thinkers, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the school of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics.Cognitive psychology began to emerge during the 1950s, partly as a response to behaviorism. Critics of behaviorism noted that it failed to account for how internal processes impacted behavior. This period of time is sometimes referred to as the "cognitive revolution" as a wealth of research on topics such as information processing, language, memory and perception began to emerge. One of the most influential theories from this school of thought was the stages of cognitive development theory proposed by Jean Piaget. Schools of Psychology



Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and the psychodynamic approach to psychology. This school of thought emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Freud believed that the human mind was composed of three elements: the id, the ego, and the superego. Freud's theories of psychosexual stages, the unconscious, and dream symbolism remain a popular topic among both psychologists and laypersons, despite the fact that his work is viewed with skepticism by many today



Behaviorism

The term behaviorism refers to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism was established with the publication of Watson's classic paper Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It (1913). Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shapes our behaviors.



Humanism During the 1950s, humanistic psychology began as a reaction to psychoanalysis andbehaviorism, which dominated psychology at the time. Psychoanalysis was focused on understanding the unconscious motivations that drive behavior while behaviorism studied the conditioning processes that produce behavior. Humanist thinkers felt that both psychoanalysis and behaviorism were too pessimistic, either focusing on the most tragic of emotions or failing to take into account the role of personal choice. Humanistic psychology was instead focused on each individual's potential and stressed the importance of growth and self-actualization. The fundamental belief of humanistic psychology is that people are innately good and that mental and social problems result from deviations from this natural tendency.

branches of psychology There are many branches of psychology; how you split them up will usually depend on which part of the world you are, even which university or institution you were trained at. The following are seen as the main branches of psychology:



Clinical psychology - integrates science, theory, and practice in order to understand, predict and relieve maladjustment, disability, and discomfort. Clinical psychology also promotes adaption, adjustment and personal development. A clinical

psychologist concentrates on the intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human performance throughout a person's life, across varying cultures and socioeconomic levels. In other words, clinical psychology is the scientific study and application of psychology in order to understand, prevent, and alleviate psychologically-caused distress or dysfunction (disability) and promote the patient's well-being and personal development. Psychological assessment and psychotherapy ("What is psychotherapy?") are central to the practice of clinical psychology. However, clinical psychologists are often also involved in research, training, forensic testimony, and other areas.



Cognitive psychology - this branch investigates internal mental processes, such as problem solving, memory, learning, and language (how people think, perceive, communicate, remember and learn). This branch of psychology is closely related to other disciplines, such as neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics. At the center of cognitive psychology is how people acquire, process and store information. Many say that cognitive psychology is the study of intelligence. Practical applications for cognitive research may include how to improve memory, increase the accuracy of decision-making, or how to set up educational programs to boost learning.



Developmental psychology - this is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes that a person experiences over the course of his/her life span. Developmental psychology is often referred to as human development. It used to just focus on infants and young children, but also includes teenagers and adults today - the whole human life span. Developmental psychology includes any psychological factor that is studied over the life of a person, including motor skills, problem solving, moral understanding, acquiring language, emotions, personality, self-concept and identity formation. Developmental psychology also looks and compares innate mental structures against learning through experience. For example, babies are thought to be born with an LAD (language acquisition device) - an inbuilt ability to acquire language. A developmental psychologist will be interested in how the LAD works compared to the baby's development through experience, and how the two interplay. A developmental psychologist will be interested in how a person's characteristics interact with environmental factors and how development is impacted. Developmental psychology overlaps with several other branches of psychology, as well as other disciplines, such as linguistics.



Evolutionary psychology - this looks at how human behavior has been affected by psychological adjustments during evolution. Just as biologists talk about natural selection or sexual selection during evolution, this branch of psychology applies psychology to the same way of thinking. An evolutionary psychologist believes, for example, that language or memory perception are functional products of natural selection. Some evolutionary psychologists hypothesize that language learning is a capacity we are born with, making language learning a virtually automatic process - but not reading or writing. In other words, they believe our ability to learn language is inherited while our ability to read and write is not (language learning will happen automatically, while reading and writing has to be taught). A person who is born in a town that speaks French will speak French by the time he is 20. However, if he is not taught to read he will be illiterate - language is acquired automatically if it exists around you, while reading and writing are not. An evolutionary psychologist believes that our human psychological traits are adaptations for survival in the everyday environment of our ancestors.



Forensic psychology - this involves applying psychology to criminal investigation and the law. A forensic psychologist practices psychology as a science within the criminal justice system and civil courts. Forensic psychology involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to interact with judges, lawyers and other professionals of the legal system. Forensic psychology involves the ability to testify in court, to present psychological findings in legal language to the courtroom, and to provide data to legal professionals in a clear way. A forensic psychologist needs to understand the rules, standards, and philosophy of his/her country's judicial system.



Health psychology - also called behavioral medicine or medical psychology. This branch observes how behavior, biology and social context influence illness and health. While a doctor treats the illness, the health psychologist will focus more on the person who has the illness, by finding out about their socioeconomic status and background, behaviors that may have an impact on the disease (such as medication compliance), plus the biological reasons for the illness. The aim of the health psychologist is to improve the patient's overall health by analyzing disease in the context of biopsychosocial factors. Biopsychosocial refers to the biological, psychological, and social aspects in contrast to the strictly biomedical aspects of disease. Health psychologists generally work alongside other medical professionals in clinical settings.  Neuropsychology - studies the structure and function of the brain in relation to clear behaviors and psychological processes. Neuropsychology is also involved in lesion studies in the brain, as well as recording electrical activity from cells and groups of cells in higher primates, including some human studies. A neuropsychologist will use a Neuropsychological Evaluation - a systematic assessment procedure - to determine the degree of any possible behavioral problems following suspected or diagnosed brain injury in a patient. When diagnosis is made, some patients are treated with an individualized cognitive remediation protocol - a treatment that helps the patient overcome his/her cognitive deficits.  Occupational psychology (also known as industrial-organizational psychology, I-O psychology, work psychology, organizational psychology, work and organizational psychology, occupational psychology, personnel psychology or talent assessment) - studies the performance of people at work and in training, develops an understanding of how organizations function and how people and groups behave at work. The occupational psychologist aims to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction at work. The British Psychological Society says occupational psychology "is concerned with the performance of people at work in training, how organizations function and how individuals and small groups behave at work. The aim is to increase the effectiveness of the organization, and to improve the job satisfaction of the individual."  Social psychology - uses scientific methods to understand and explain how feeling, behavior and thoughts of people are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people. A social psychologist will look at group behavior, social perception, non-verbal behavior, conformity, aggression, prejudice, and leadership. Social perception and social interaction are seen as key to understanding social behavior.

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close