What Is Psychology?

               One of the most common questions asked by students new to the study of psychology is "What is psychology?" Misperceptions created by popular media as well as the diverse careers paths of those holding psychology degrees have contributed this confusion.

Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and behavior. Applications of psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, and many other areas affecting health and daily life.

Early Psychology

Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Such discussions of the two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers such as Aristotle and Socrates. The word psychology is derived from the Greek word psyche, meaning 'soul' or 'mind.'
A Separate Science
The field and study of psychology was truly born when Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany. Wundt's research utilized a school of thought known as structuralism, which involved describing the structures that compose the mind. This perspective relied heavily on the analysis of sensations and feelings through the use of introspection, a highly subjective process. Wundt believed that properly trained individuals would be able to accurately identify the mental processes that accompanied feelings, sensations, and thoughts.
Schools of Thought
Throughout psychology's history, a number of different schools of thought have thought have formed to explain human thought and behavior. These schools of thought often rise to dominance for a period of time. While these schools of thought are sometimes perceived as competing forces, each perspective has contributed to our understanding of psychology. The following are some of the major schools of thought in psychology.

•     Structuralism
•     Functionalism
•     Psychoanalysis
•     Behaviorism
•     Humanism
•     Cognitivism

Psychology Today

Today, psychologists prefer to use more objective scientific methods to understand, explain, and predict human behavior. Psychological studies are highly structured, beginning with a hypothesis that is then empirically tested. Psychology has two major areas of focus: academic psychology and applied psychology. Academic psychology focuses on the study of different sub-topics within psychology including personality psychology, social psychology, and developmental psychology.

These psychologists conduct basic research that seeks to expand our theoretical knowledge, while other researchers conduct applied research that seeks to solve everyday problems. Applied psychology focuses on the use of different psychological principles to solve real world problems. Examples of applied areas of psychology include forensic psychology, ergonomics, and industrial-organizational psychology. Many other psychologists work as therapists, helping people overcome mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.

Psychology Research Methods

As psychology moved away from its philosophical roots, psychologists began to employ more and more scientific methods to study human behavior. Today, researchers employ a variety of scientific methods, including experiments, correlational studies, longitudinal studies, and others to test, explain, and predict behavior.

Areas of Psychology

Psychology is a broad and diverse field. A number of different subfields and specialty areas have emerged. The following are some of the major areas of research and application within psychology:

    * Abnormal Psychology is the study of abnormal behavior and psychopathology. This specialty area is focused on research and treatment of a variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical psychology. Mental health professional typically utilize the Diagnosistic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) to diagnose mental disorders.

    * Biological Psychology, also known as biopsychology, studies how biological processes influence the mind and behavior. This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain injury or brain abnormalities.

    * Clinical Psychology is focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders.

    * Cognitive Psychology is the study of human thought processes and cognitions. Cognitive psychologists study topics such as attention, memory, perception, decision-making, problem solving, and language acquisition.

    * Comparative Psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. The study of animal behavior can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.

    * Developmental Psychology is the branch of psychology that looks at human growth and development over the lifespan. Theories often focus on the development of cognitive abilities, morality, social functioning, identity, and other life areas.

    * Forensic Psychology is an applied field focused on using psychological research and principles in the legal and criminal justice system.

    * Industrial-Organizational Psychology is the area of psychology that uses psychological research to enhance work performance, select employee, improve product design, and enhance usability.

    * Personality Psychology looks at the various elements that make up individual personalities. Well-known personality theories include Freud’s structural model of personality and the "Big Five" theory of personality.

    * School Psychology is the branch of psychology that works within the educational system to help children with emotional, social, and academic issues.

    * Social Psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods to study social influence, social perception, and social interaction. Social psychology studies diverse subjects including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice.

10 Things You Need to Know About Psychology

Are you new to the study of psychology? It may seem like a vast and daunting topic at first, but understanding a few basic facts can make it easier to get started. The following are just a few of the important things you need to know about psychology. Once you learn these facts, you will be better prepared to explore psychology in greater depth.

1. Psychology Is the Study of the Mind and Behavior

Psychology is the study of the mental processes and behavior. The term psychology comes from the Greek word psyche meaning "breath, spirit, soul" and the logia meaning "study of." Psychology emerged from biology and philosophy and is closely linked to other disciplines including sociology, medicine, linguistics and anthropology.

 

2. Psychology Uses Scientific Methods

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One of the most common myths about psychology is that it is just "common sense." Unlike common sense, psychology relies on scientific methods to investigate questions and arrive at conclusions. Psychologists use a range of techniques to study the human mind and behavior, including naturalistic observation, experiments, case studies and questionnaires.

3. Psychologists Take Many Different Perspectives

Emiliano Hernandez

Topics and questions in psychology can be looked at in a number of different ways. For example, psychologists may look at something like violence from a number of different perspectives. Some psychologists may look at how biological influences contribute to violence, while other psychologists might look at factors like culture, family relationships, social pressure and situational variables influence violence. Some of the major perspectives in psychology include the:

• Biological perspective
• Cognitive perspective
• Behavioral perspective
• Evolutionary perspective
• Humanistic perspective

4. Psychology Has a Many Sub fields 

There are many different branches of psychology. Introductory students often explore the basics of these various specialty areas, but further exploration of each individual field may depend on what course of study you select. Some of the biggest subfields within psychology are clinical psychology, personality psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology and social psychology.

5. Psychology Is Not Just About Therapy

Konstantin Binder

When you think of psychology, do you envision a therapist with a notepad jotting down ideas as a client recounts childhood experiences? While therapy is certainly a big part of psychology, it is not the only thing that psychologists do. In fact, some psychologists don't work in the field of mental health at all. Psychology encompasses other areas including teaching, research and consulting. Psychologists work in a wide variety of settings, including:

• Colleges and universities
• Private corporations
• K-12 Schools
• Hospitals
• Government offices

6. Psychology Is All Around You

Psychology is not just an academic subject that exists only in classrooms, research labs and mental health offices. The principles of psychology can be seen all around you in everyday situations. The television commercials and print ads you see everyday rely on psychology to develop marketing messages that influence and persuade people to purchase the advertised products. The websites you visit on a regular basis utilize psychology to understand how people read, use and interpret online information.

7. Psychology Explores Both Real-World and Theoretical Issues

As you begin your study of psychology, it might seem like some of the theories and research you learn about do not really apply to real-life problems. It is important to remember, however, that psychology is both and applied and theoretical subject. Some researchers focus on adding information to our overall body of knowledge about the human mind and behavior (known as basic research), while other concentrate directly on solving problems and applying psychological problems to real-world situations (known as applied research).

8. Psychology Offers a Wide Range of Career Options

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If you are thinking about majoring in psychology, then you should be pleased to discover that there are many different career paths to choose from. Different career options depend largely on your educational level and work experience, so it is important to research the required training and licensing requirements of your chosen specialty area. Just a few of the possible career options includeclinical psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology and industrial-organizational psychology. 

9. Psychology Studies Both Normal and Abnormal Behavior

When many people think about psychology, they immediately think about the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal behavior. However, it is important to remember that psychology studies normal behavior as well.

10. Psychology Seeks to Describe, Explain, Predict, Modify and Improve Behaviors

There are four major goals of psychology:

• To describe human thought and behavior
• To explain why these behaviors occur
• To predict how, why and when these behaviors will occur again in the future
• To modify and improve behaviors to better the lives of individuals and society as a whole.

10 Ways Psychology Can Improve Your Life

Do you think that psychology is just for students, academics and therapists? 

           Then think again. Because psychology is both an applied and a theoretical subject, it can be utilized in a number of ways. While research studies aren't exactly light reading material for the average person, the results of these experiments and studies can have important applications in daily life. The following are some of the top 10 practical uses for psychology in everyday life.

1. Get Motivated

Photo courtesy Sanja Gjenero

Whether your goal is to quit smoking, lose weight or learn a new language, some lessons from psychology offer tips for getting motivated. In order to increase your motivational levels when approaching a task, utilize some of the following tips derived from research in cognitive and educational psychology:

• Introduce new or novel elements to keep your interest high.
• Vary the sequence to help stave off boredom.
• Learn new things that build on your existing knowledge.
• Set clear goals that are directly related to the task.
• Reward yourself for a job well done.

2. Improve Your Leadership Skills

Photo courtesy Sanja Gjenero

It doesn’t matter if you’re an office manager or a volunteer at a local youth group, having good leadership skills will probably be essential at some point in your life. Not everyone is a born leader, but a few simple tips gleaned from psychological research can help your improve your leadership skills. One of the most famous studies on this topic looked at three distinct leadership styles. Based on the findings of this study and subsequent research, practice some of the following when you are in a leadership position:

• Offer clear guidance, but allow group members to voice opinions.
• Talk about possible solutions to problems with members of the group.
• Focus on stimulating ideas and be willing to reward creativity.

3. Become a Better Communicator

Photo courtesy John Evans

Communication involves much more than how you speak or write. Research suggests that nonverbal signals make up a huge portion of our interpersonal communications. In order to communicate your message effectively, you need to learn how to express yourself nonverbally and to read the nonverbal cues of those around you. A few key strategies include the following:

• Use good eye contact.
• Start noticing nonverbal signals in others.
• Learn to use your tone of voice to reinforce your message.

4. Learn to Better Understand Others

Much like nonverbal communication, your ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of those around you plays an important role in your relationships and professional life. The term emotional intelligence refers to your ability to understand both your own emotions as well as those of other people. Your emotional intelligence quotient is a measure of this ability. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, your EQ may actually be more important than your IQ (1995).

What can you do to become more emotionally intelligent? Consider some of the following strategies:

• Carefully assess your own emotional reactions.
• Record your experience and emotions in a journal.
• Try to see situations from the perspective of another person.

5. Make More Accurate Decisions

Rodin's "The Thinker" courtesy of Karora

Research in cognitive psychology has provided a wealth of information about decision making. By applying these strategies to your own life, you can learn to make wiser choices. The next time you need to make a big decision, try using some of the following techniques:

• Try using the “six thinking hats” approach by looking at the situation from multiple points of view, including rational, emotional, intuitive, creative, positive and negative perspectives.
• Consider the potential costs and benefits of a decision.
• Employ a grid analysis technique that gives a score for how a particular decision will satisfy specific requirements you may have.

6. Improve Your Memory

Photo courtesy Courtney Icenhour

Have you ever wondered why you can remember exact details from childhood events yet forget the name of the new client you met yesterday? Research on how we form new memories as well as how and why we forget has led to a number of findings that can be applied directly in your daily life. What are some ways you can increase your memory power?

• Focus on the information.
• Rehearse what you have learned.
• Eliminate distractions.

7. Make Wiser Financial Decisions

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Nobel Prize winning psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky conducted a series of studies that looked at how people manage uncertainty and risk when making decisions. Subsequent research in this area known as behavior economics has yielded some key findings that you can use to make wiser money management choices. One study (2004) found that workers could more than triple their savings by utilizing some of the following strategies:

• Don’t procrastinate! Start investing in savings now.
• Commit in advance to devote portions of your future earnings to your retirement savings.
• Try to be aware of personal biases that may lead to poor money choices.

8. Get Better Grades

Image courtesy Kendra Van Wagner

The next time you're tempted to complain about pop quizzes, midterms or final exams, consider this—research has demonstrated that taking tests actually helps you better remember what you've learned, even if it wasn't covered on the test (Chan et al., 2006).

Another study found that repeated test-taking may be a better memory aid than studying (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). Students who were tested repeatedly were able to recall 61 percent of the material while those in the study group recalled only 40 percent. How can you apply these findings to your own life? When trying to learn new information, self-test frequently in order to cement what you have learned into your memory.

9. Become More Productive

Sometimes it seems like there are thousands of books, blogs and magazine articles telling us how to get more done in a day, but how much of this advice is founded on actual research? For example, think about the number of times have you heard that multitasking can help you become more productive. In reality, research has found that trying to perform more than one task at the same time seriously impairs speed, accuracy and productivity. So what lessons from psychology can you use to increase your productivity? Consider some of the following:

• Avoid multitasking when working on complex or dangerous tasks.
• Focus on the task at hand.
• Eliminate distractions.

10. Be Healthier

Photo courtesy Cheryl Empey

Psychology can also be a useful tool for improving your overall health. From ways to encourage exercise and better nutrition to new treatments for depression, the field of health psychology offers a wealth of beneficial strategies that can help you to be healthier and happier. Some examples that you can apply directly to your own life:

• Studies have shown that both sunlight and artificial light can reduce the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
• Research has demonstrated that exercise can be an effective treatment for depression as well as other mental disorders.
• Studies have found that helping people understand the risks of unhealthy behaviors can lead to healthier choices.