| Why are children stubborn? Why do some people | | | | within psychology:oAbnormal Psychology is the study |
| become addicted to alcohol or gambling? How do you | | | | of abnormal behavior. This specialty area is focused |
| help an abused child? All of these are difficult and | | | | on research and treatment of a variety of mental |
| challenging questions that the field of psychology is | | | | disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical |
| trying to answer. | | | | psychology.oBiological Psychology studies how |
| So, then what exactly is psychology? There are many | | | | biological processes influence the mind and behavior. |
| misperceptions created by television and movies | | | | This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes |
| today, but the basic answer is that psychology is both | | | | tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain |
| an applied and academic science that studies the | | | | injury or brain abnormalities.oClinical Psychology is |
| human mind and behavior. Research in psychology | | | | focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment |
| seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and | | | | of mental disorders.oCognitive Psychology is the study |
| behavior. Psychology is applied to individuals via mental | | | | of human thought processes and cognitions. Cognitive |
| health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, | | | | psychologists study topics such as attention, memory, |
| ergonomics, and many other areas affecting health | | | | perception, decision-making, problem solving, and |
| and daily life. | | | | language acquisition.oComparative Psychology is the |
| Psychology History and Schools of Thought | | | | branch of psychology concerned with the study of |
| While people have always been fascinated by human | | | | animal behavior.oDevelopmental Psychology is the |
| behavior, it wasn't until the late 19th century that | | | | branch of psychology that looks at human growth and |
| psychology began to be considered an actual science. | | | | development over the lifespan.oForensic Psychology is |
| Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab in | | | | an applied field focused on using psychological |
| Germany. He believed in a school of thought called | | | | research and principles in the legal and criminal justice |
| structuralism-believing that certain structures in the | | | | system.oIndustrial-Organizational Psychology is the |
| mind caused behavior. Over the course of | | | | area of psychology that uses psychological research |
| psychology's history, different schools of thought have | | | | to enhance work performance, select employee, |
| competed for prominence. Here are the major schools | | | | improve product design, and enhance |
| of thought in psychology:oStructuralism. The belief that | | | | usability.oPersonality Psychology looks at the various |
| there is a connection between sensation and emotion | | | | elements that make up individual personalities.oSchool |
| and behavior.oFunctionalism. The idea that the human | | | | Psychology is the branch of psychology that works |
| brain is much like a computer, designed to carry out | | | | within the educational system to help children with |
| specific functions.oPsychoanalysis. Created by | | | | emotional, social, and academic issues.oSocial |
| Sigmund Freud, this school of thought believes in the | | | | Psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods |
| rigorous probing of an individual's personal problems, | | | | to study social influence, social perception, and social |
| motives, goals and attitudes as a way to heal the | | | | interaction. Social psychology studies diverse subjects |
| mind.oBehaviorism. Proponents of this theory | | | | including group behavior, social perception, leadership, |
| essentially hold that all human behavior is learned from | | | | nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and |
| one's surrounding context and environment.oHumanism. | | | | prejudice. |
| This much more recent school of thought came as a | | | | Today, psychologists prefer to use more objective |
| reaction to behaviorism and Psychoanalysis, and | | | | scientific methods to understand, explain, and predict |
| emphasizes the importance of values, intentions, and | | | | human behavior. Psychological studies are highly |
| meaning in the individual. The concept of the "self" is a | | | | structured, beginning with a hypothesis that is then |
| central focus for most humanistic | | | | empirically tested. Academic psychologists focus on |
| psychologists.oCognitivism. This branch of psychology | | | | the study of different sub-topics within psychology |
| believes that psychology should be concerned with a | | | | including personality psychology, social psychology, and |
| person's internal representations of the world and with | | | | developmental psychology. These psychologists |
| the internal or functional organization of the mind. | | | | conduct basic research that seeks to expand our |
| As psychology moved away from its philosophical | | | | theoretical knowledge, while other researchers conduct |
| roots, psychologists began to employ more and more | | | | applied research that seeks to solve everyday |
| scientific methods to study human behavior. Today, | | | | problems. Applied psychology focuses on the use of |
| researchers employ a variety of scientific methods, | | | | different psychological principles to solve real world |
| including experiments, correlational studies, longitudinal | | | | problems. Examples of applied areas of psychology |
| studies, and others to test, explain, and predict | | | | include forensic psychology, ergonomics, and |
| behavior. | | | | industrial-organizational psychology. Many other |
| Areas of Psychology | | | | psychologists work as therapists, helping people |
| Students of psychology soon realize that the subject | | | | overcome mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. |
| covers a huge range of material. The diverse topics | | | | Psychology is a broad and diverse field with a variety |
| students might study include social behavior, | | | | of related professions. If you are considering studying |
| personality, research methods, therapeutic techniques, | | | | psychology, you are pursuing one of the most |
| and much more. Because it's such a broad and | | | | important and basic of the human sciences. You can |
| diverse field, a number of different subfields and | | | | expect to have a long, satisfying, and fascinating |
| specialty areas have emerged. The following are | | | | career if psychology is your field. |
| some of the major areas of research and application | | | | |