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PSYCHOLOGY INTRODUCTION
Definition:
“ Study of behaviour and mental process scientifically is known as Psychology”
Word Psychology comes from the Greek “ Psyche” meaning (life, breath, principle of life, life soul) “Logos” meaning (explanation, speech, word, reason).
Why do we study psychology?
➔ To understand ourselves. ➔ To know our reaction to other people. ➔ To know how your brain and body are connected?. ➔ To improve learning abilities, sharpens our memory and enhances our perspectives. ➔ To know how to deal with stressful life and build critical thinking.
What do psychologists do?
A psychologist is someone who studies human behaviour, mental processes and by observing, interpreting and recording how people relate to one another and with their surroundings. Some psychologists work independently, doing research or working only with patients or clients. Others work as part of the healthcare team, others collaborating with physicians, social workers to treat illness.
SUBFIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Behaviour genetics/Psychogenetic: Studies the inheritance of traits associated with behaviour and to understand the origins and nature of individual behaviour. Behavioural neuroscience/Biological psychology: It’s the applying of psychological, genetic and developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals. Clinical psychology: It is a branch of psychology involved with the treatment of mental illness and assessment, psychiatric problems and abnormal behaviour. Clinical neuropsychology: Specialty within clinical psychology, dedicated to understanding the relationships between brain and behaviour. Counselling psychology: It is a general practice and health service provider specialty in professional psychology. It focuses on however individuals operate each in person and in their relationships in the least ages. Cognitive psychology: It is a scientific study of the mind as an information processor. Cross-cultural psychology: It investigates the similarities and variations in psychology functioning in and across varied cultures and ethnic groups.
Developmental psychology: It is essential to understanding how people grow and how humans learn, mature and adapt at different stages of life. Educational psychology: It is concerned with human maturation, school learning, teaching ways, guidance and analysis of power. Experimental psychology: It is concerned with testing theories of human thoughts, feelings, actions, and beyond- any facet of being human that involves the mind. Forensic psychology: It relates to the law. The major portion of this psychology is involved with the criminal justice system. Health psychology: It is a study of psychological and behavioural processes in health care. Industrial and organizational psychology: It is the study of human behavior in the workplace. Personality psychology: It is the branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation among individuals. Psychology of women: It focuses on problems like discrimination against women and causes of violence against women. School psychology: It general practice of health service psychology, is concerned with children, youth, families and therefore the schooling method. Social psychology: It is interested in all aspects of personality and social interaction, exploring the influence of interpersonal and group relationships on human behaviour. Sport psychology: Such psychologists are experts in helping athletes and professionals overcome problems.
HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
Pre-scientific psychology:
How are ideas formed?
● Socrates and Plato thought that ideas are inborn while Aristotle and John Locke
thought mind is a blank slate.
What is the relation of the mind to the body?
● Hebrews, Aristotle and Agustine thought that mind and body are connected while Socrates, Plato and Descrates thought mind and body are distinct from each other. After the mid 9th century, a new science was born known as PSYCHOLOGY by combining two disciplines PHILOSOPHY+PHYSIOLOGY.
PSYCHOANALYSIS
● Sigmund freud was the founder of psychoanalysis. (Psychoanalysis is both a theory of method of psychotherapy personality). ● He believes that our childhood has a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality. ● He developed his theories of the mind through investigations of psychopathology. ● Freud’s theory is the concept of the unconscious-the thoughts, attitudes, impulses, wishes, motivations and emotions of which we are unaware.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Basically it is an approach, the simplest way of staring at topics at intervals in psychological science. Following are the major perspective in psychology:
Neuroscience perspective: ● It is also called Biopsychology. ● It views behaviour on biological basis, brain, biological functions and nervous system. (Most complex structure in the universe). ● Neuroscience perspective focuses on how the body and brain enable emotions and sensory experience. ● How nerve cells are joined together in humans.
Psychodynamic perspective: ● Originating in the work of Sigmund freud. ● It emphasizes unconscious psychological processes. ● Treats psychological disorder. Behavioural perspective: ● John B Watson was the first pioneer of behavioural approach. ● It concerned how surrounding factors affect observable behavior. ● Examines how organisms learn or modify their behaviour based on their response to events in the enviornment. ● It proposes two main processes: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Cognitive perspective: ● It is concerned with “mental” functions such as memory, perception, attention etc. ● It can be characterized as the scientific study of learning. (The approach transpires partially because of the discontentedness with the behavioural approach).
Humanistic perspective: ● Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were the central figures in development of humanistic perspective. ● The approach that suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop and control their lives and behavior. ● It emphasizes the role of motivation in thought and behavior. ● Psychologists with a humanistic perspective focus on what drives humans to grow, modification and develop their personal potential.
