Psychology
Definition:
According to the American Psychological Association, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. It is the investigation of the mind, its operations, and how these influence behavior.
The Greek word psyche, which means spirit or soul, is where the word psychology comes from. The term "psychologyfinal "'s "ology" stems from the Greek word "ologia," which means "study" or "research." In his book Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae (Psychology, on the Nature of the Human Soul), the Croatian humanist and Latinist Marko Maruli used the Latin word psychologia for the first time. This occurred in the late 15th or early 16th century. The term "psychology" was first used in English by Steven Blankaart in The Physical Dictionary in 1694. "Anatomy, which treats the body, and psychology, which treats the soul," according to the dictionary.
Psychology was coined by William James in 1890 as "the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and their conditions." This definition has been widely used for many years. Radical behaviorists like John B. Watson, who claimed in 1913 that the field is a "natural science" with the theoretical objective "of the prediction and control of behavior," challenged this interpretation. Since James gave a definition of "psychology," scientific experimentation is now more firmly implied by the term. Folk psychology is the knowledge of human mental states and behaviors by regular people as opposed to psychological specialists.
History of Psychology:
Philosophy and biology were the ancestors of early psychology. These two topics have been discussed at length as far back as the early Greek philosophers Aristotle and Socrates.
Greek term psyche, which means "life" or "breath," is the root of the English word "psychology." The word can also be derived to signify "self" or "soul."
When Wilhelm Wundt founded the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, psychology actually began to emerge as a distinct and autonomous area of study.
Different schools of thought have developed over psychology's history to explain the human mind and behavior. In some instances, particular schools of thought gained popularity and came to predominate the psychology industry for a while.
What is psychology?
A psychologist's duties can include everything from helping people with anxiety to giving businesses advice on how to create stronger teams. Because of the complexity of the human mind, illnesses related to it can be challenging to cure.
Like a skin rash or a heart defect, thought processes, emotions, memories, dreams, perceptions, and so forth cannot be physically observed.
Many psychological theories are founded on the observation of human behavior, despite the fact that physical indications of some mental health conditions can be seen, such as the plaques that appear with Alzheimer's disease.
A professional psychologist will meet with patients, do evaluations to determine what issues are troubling them and what may be the cause of those issues, and then propose or give treatment, such as counselling and psychotherapy.
Psychologists might also play other functions. They may conduct research to advise health authorities and other bodies on social and other initiatives, evaluate kids who struggle in school, conduct workshops on bullying prevention, collaborate with hiring teams in businesses, and much more.
Major schools of thought:
Some of the main schools of psychology thought are listed here.
Structuralism :
The first school of thought was structuralism, developed by Wundt and Titchener, but others soon followed.
Functionalism:
William James, a pioneering psychologist and philosopher, was connected to the functionalism school of thought, which emphasized the function of human awareness and action.
Psychoanalysis:
These early schools of thinking quickly gave way to a number of dominant and significant methods of psychology, including psychoanalysis. The focus of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis was on the influence of the unconscious mind on human behavior.
Behaviourism:
The behavioral school of thinking aims to make psychology the study of observable behaviors rather than internal factors that impact behavior.
Humanistic psychology:
Later, the emphasis of the humanistic approach was on the value of self-actualization and personal development.
Cognitive psychology:
In the 1960s and 1970s, the cognitive revolution stimulated research into the inner workings of the mind, including reasoning, decision-making, language acquisition, and memory.
Even though these schools of thought are occasionally seen as rival forces, each one has advanced our knowledge of psychology.
Branches of psychology:
Distinct psychological approaches have different functions. Although there isn't a set manner to categories them, there are a few typical varieties.
Applied psychology
In order to comprehend, anticipate, and treat issues with adjustment, handicap, and discomfort, clinical psychology combines science, theory, and practice. It encourages personal growth, adaptation, and adjustment.
A clinical psychologist focuses on the cognitive, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral elements of human performance over the course of an individual's life, in contexts of various cultures and socioeconomic levels.
Clinical psychology can support an individual's wellbeing and personal growth by assisting in the understanding, prevention, and relief of discomfort or dysfunction that is psychologically based.
Clinical psychologists' primary areas of focus include psychological assessment and psychotherapy, but they also frequently work in research, education, forensic testimony, and other fields.
Cognitive psychology
Investigating internal mental processes including memory, learning, problem-solving, and language is the focus of cognitive psychology. It examines how humans see the world, communicate, learn, and remember. It has connections to linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience.
Cognitive psychologists study people's information gathering, processing, and storing processes.
Practical uses include ways to enhance memory, raise decision-making precision, or set up educational initiatives to promote learning.
Developmental psychology
This is the scientific study of the regular psychological alterations a person goes through throughout the course of their life, also known as human development.
It concentrates on teenagers, adults, and older individuals in addition to infants and young children.
Motor capabilities, problem-solving abilities, moral awareness, language acquisition, emotions, personality, self-concept, and identity formation are among the factors.
It also contrasts innate brain processes with learning through experience and examines how a person's traits interact with their environment and how this affects their development.
The study of development shares ground with disciplines like language.
Evolutionary psychology
The study of evolutionary psychology examines how psychological changes made during the course of human development have impacted behavior, such as language.
Numerous psychological characteristics of people, according to an evolutionary psychologist, are adaptive in that they have helped humans survive for countless generations.
Forensic psychology
Applying psychology to legal proceedings and criminal investigations is known as forensic psychology.
A forensic psychologist works in the criminal justice system and civil courts using psychology as a scientific discipline.
It entails evaluating the psychological elements that could have an impact on a situation or conduct and presenting the results in court.
Health Psychology
Medical psychology or behavioral medicine are other names for health psychology.
It looks at how social context, biology, and behavior interact to affect health and illness.
A health psychologist will concentrate on the whole person and what influences their health condition as opposed to a doctor, who frequently focuses first at the biological origins of an illness. This may include things like their socioeconomic position, education, and background as well as actions that might affect the sickness, such following directions and taking medication.
In clinical settings, health psychologists frequently collaborate with other medical specialists.
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology examines how the brain's composition and operation relate to actions and mental processes. If a problem involves brain lesions and tests that involve monitoring electrical activity in the brain, neuropsychology may be involved.
If a person has a suspected or confirmed brain damage, such as a stroke, a neuropsychological test is conducted to identify whether they are likely to develop behavioral issues in the future.
A doctor may be able to treat a patient based on the findings in order to assist them perhaps recover from cognitive loss.
Occupational psychology
The performance of individuals at work and during training is evaluated, and recommendations are made, by organizational or occupational psychologists.
They assist businesses in understanding how people and groups behave at work and in identifying more efficient methods to operate.
Effectiveness, efficiency, job happiness, and staff retention can all be enhanced with the use of this information.
Social Psychology
Science-based methods are used in social psychology to analyze how social factors affect people's behavior. It aims to clarify how the actual, fictitious, or suggested presence of other people affects our emotions, actions, and thoughts.
A social psychologist examines leadership, hostility, discrimination, nonverbal conduct, group behavior, and social perception. Understanding social behavior is thought to depend on social observation and interaction.
Military, consumer, educational, cross-cultural, and environmental psychology are further subfields. The number of branches keeps expanding.
Freud and his follower:
The psychoanalytic ideas and therapeutic techniques established by Vienna-trained physician Sigmund Freud and his numerous students—starting in the early 20th century and lasting for many decades—were at the same time challenging the conventional understanding of human nature as primarily rational. The unconscious and its frequently socially unacceptable illogical drives and wants, notably the sexual and aggressive, were the driving force behind much of human behavior and mental illness, according to Freudian thought, which put reason in the background. Clinical practitioners using this theory adopted the therapeutic goal of making the unconscious conscious.
According to Freud, a lot of what people feel, think, and do is unconscious, motivated by self-preservation, and uncontrollable. A large portion of it also reflects early childhood tensions that manifest as intricate patterns of seemingly contradictory behaviors and symptoms. His adherents, the ego psychologists, highlighted the significance of both an individual's psychological defensive systems as well as higher-order cognitive processes and functions (such as competence motivation, self-regulatory capacities, etc.). They also switched their attention to the functions of secure attachment and interpersonal relationships in mental health and adaptive functioning, and they were the first to analyze these processes in a clinical context.
A brief summary of psychology:
- · The study of behavior and the mind is known as psychology.
- · Psychology comes in many forms, including cognitive, forensic, social, and developmental psychology.
- · A psychological evaluation and course of treatment may be advantageous for someone who suffers from a mental health disorder.
- · A psychologist could recommend therapy that emphasizes behavioral modifications.
- · A psychiatrist is a medical professional who tends to concentrate more on the medical treatment of mental health problems.
