What is Psychology?

Instructor by ; HIRA AZAM

lecture 1 and 2
What is psychology?

Definitions
Branches
Goals
Activity
 Psychology meaning?

 The word 'psychology' is derived from two Greek

words, 'psyche', meaning the mind, soul or spirit and
'logos', meaning discourse or to study. These words
combined produce the 'Study of the mind'.

 Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior,

according to the American Psychological Association. It is
the study of the mind, how it works, and how it affects
behavior.
 Fast facts about psychology

 Psychology is the study of behavior and the mind.

 There are different types of psychology, such as cognitive,
forensic, social, and developmental psychology.
 A person with a condition that affects their mental health
may benefit from assessment and treatment with a
psychologist.
 A psychologist may offer treatment that focuses on
behavioral adaptations.
 A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who is more likely to
focus on medical management of mental health issues.
Branches of psychology
Abnormal Psychology
 Abnormal psychology looks at psychopathology and
abnormal behavior. It involves the study of people's
emotional, thought, and behavior patterns to identify,
understand, and potentially resolve any issues that may
be negatively affecting a person's life.

 Mental health professionals in this branch of psychology

assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety of psychological
disorders, including anxiety and depression. Counselors,
clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists often work
directly in this field.
 Behavioral Psychology

 Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a

theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are
acquired through conditioning. Behavioral strategies such
as classical conditioning and operant conditioning are
often utilized to teach or modify behaviors.
 For example, a teacher might use a rewards system to
teach students to behave during class. When students are
good, they receive gold stars, which can then be turned in
for some sort of special privilege.
 Biopsychology
 Biopsychology is a branch of psychology focused on how
the brain, neurons, and nervous system influence
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This field draws upon
many different disciplines, including basic psychology,
cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, biology,
physiology, and neuroscience.

 People who work in this type of psychology often study

how brain injuries and brain diseases impact human
behavior.
 Clinical Psychology

 Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned

with the assessment and treatment of mental
illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric disorders.
Clinicians often work in private practices, but many also
work in community centers or at universities and colleges.
 Cognitive Psychology

 Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology

that focuses on internal mental states. This area
has continued to grow since it emerged in the
1960s and is centered on the science of how
people think, learn, and remember.
 Counseling psychology is one of the largest branches of
psychology. It is centered on treating clients in mental
distress who may be experiencing a wide variety of
psychological symptoms.

 Developmental psychology focuses on how people change

and grow throughout life. This branch of psychology seeks
to understand and explain how and why people change.
Developmental psychologists study physical growth,
intellectual development, emotional changes, social
growth, and perceptual changes that occur over the
course of the lifespan.
 Health psychology (also sometimes called medical
psychology or behavioral medicine) focuses on how
biology, psychology, behavior, and social factors influence
health and illness. This branch of psychology involves the
promotion of health across a wide variety of domains, as
well as the prevention and treatment of disease and
illness.

 Social psychology seeks to understand and explain social

behavior. It looks at diverse topics including group
behavior, social interactions and
perceptions, leadership, nonverbal communication, and
social influences on decision-making.
 Four Main Goals of Psychology

 Psychology is devoted to understanding an individual’s emotions, personality,

and mind through a series of scientific studies, observations, experiments,
and research. Like every other subject, the study of psychology aims to
achieve a specific set of goals. Basically, it has four primary goals: to
describe, explain, predict, and control behavior (Coon, Mitterer, 2013).
Describe
The first goal of psychology is to describe the actual phenomenon in which
humans and animals behave in different situations. By describing a problem,
an issue, or behavior, psychologists can distinguish between normal and
abnormal behavior, allowing them to gain a better understanding and a more
accurate perspective of human and animal behavior, thoughts, and actions.

Explain
Once a specific behavior has been described, psychologists then attempt to
go beyond the obvious and explain why people act the way they do.
Through a series of rigorous tests, scientific experiments, and observations,
psychology expounds on the reason behind someone’s actions. Explaining
behavior provides answers to why people behave the way they do under
different circumstances.
Predict
Making predictions about how humans and animals will think and act is the third goal
of psychology. By looking at past observed behavior (describing and explaining),
psychologists aim to predict how that behavior may appear again in the future, as well
as whether others might exhibit the same behavior.

Change / Control

Psychology aims to change, influence, or control behavior to make positive,

constructive, meaningful, and lasting changes in people’s lives and to influence their
behavior for the better. This is the final and most important goal of psychology.
These four goals of psychology are not that different from how you would naturally
interact with others. Suppose, for example, that someone did something they
weren’t supposed to do, and this action had a negative impact on their life. You may
want to try to help or resolve the issue and the following questions might naturally
run through your mind:
“What happened?” (describing)
“Why did they do that?” (explaining)
“What would happen if they did this?” (predicting)
“What can they do next time to reach a different outcome?” (changing)
 Introspection
 Introspection is the examination or observation of one's own mental and
emotional processes. Through introspection, we can gain knowledge about our
inner workings.
 Introspection explores access one has to one mental state of mind.
Psychologist Wilhelm Wundt developed the technique. His studies developing
the technique included helping others through self-observation of their
thoughts. He trained people to analyze context within personal opinions
objectively.
 Here are some questions to guide your introspection:
 Who am I?
 Who do I want to be?
 What do I really want in life?
 How do I really feel about myself?
 What are my beliefs?
How Can You Use the Four Goals in Your
Life?
Branches Of Psychology
 There are a variety of branches a psychologist may specialize in which include the
following:

 Clinical Psychology – a branch concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental
illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric problems.
 Cognitive Psychology – a branch concerned with the scientific study of the mind
 Developmental Psychology – a branch concerned with human growth and development
 Evolutionary Psychology – a branch dedicated to study of historical behavioral patterns
and how humans evolved from them
 Forensic Psychology – a branch dedicated to the criminal investigation investigating
their mindset and motives
 Health Psychology – a branch dedicated to the observation of how behavior, biology
and social context influences illness and health
 Neuro Psychology – a branch dedicated to the study of how the brain and the rest of the
nervous system influences a person’s behavior.
 Occupational Psychology – also known as industrial/organizational psychology which
is a branch that studies the performance of people in their work environments
 Social Psychology – a branch dedicated to the study of the impact of social influences
on human behavior.