Introduction to Psychology/Introduction

>... Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, cognition,

and emotion.

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline

involving the scientific study of mental processes and
behavior. Psychology also refers to the application of
such knowledge to various spheres of human
activity, including relating to individuals' daily lives
and the treatment of mental illness.
Psychology does not necessarily refer to the brain or
nervous system and can be framed purely in terms of
phenomenological or information processing
theories of mind. Increasingly, though, an
understanding of brain function is being included in
psychological theory and practice, particularly in
areas such as artificial intelligence, neuropsychology,
and cognitive neuroscience.
The year 1879 is commonly seen as the start of
psychology as an independent field of study, because
in that year German scientist Wilhelm Wundt
founded the first laboratory dedicated exclusively to
psychological research in Leipzig, Germany.

Wundt combined philosophical introspection with

techniques and laboratory apparatuses brought over
from his physiological studies with Helmholtz, as well
as many of his own design. This experimental
introspection was in contrast to what had been
called psychology until then, a branch of philosophy
where people introspected themselves.

Introspection is the direct observation or rumination

of one's own heart, mind and/or soul and its
processes, as opposed to extrospection, the
observation of things external to one's self.

Branches of Psychology

There are many branches of Psychology such as,

>..The psychodynamic perspective emphasizes
unconscious drives and the resolution of conflicts,
the behaviorial emphasizes the acquisition and
alteration of observable responses, and the
humanistic approaches attempt to achieve maximum
human potential as set in Maslow's hierarchy of
needs.

>..The biological perspective is the scientific study of

the biological bases of behavior and mental states,
very closely related to neuroscience.

>..Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach

to psychology that attempts to explain certain
mental and psychological traits—such as memory,
perception, or language as evolved adaptations, i.e.,
as the functional products of natural or sexual
selection.

>..Cognitive psychology accepts the use of the

scientific method, but rejects introspection as a valid
method of investigation. It should be noted that
Herbert Simon and Allen Newell identified the
'thinking-aloud' protocol, in which investigators view
a subject engaged in introspection, and who speaks
his thoughts aloud, thus allowing study of his
introspection.

>..Social psychology is the scientific study of how

people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are
influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied
presence of others (Allport, 1985).

>..Wundt argued that "we learn little about our

minds from casual, haphazard self-observation...It is
essential that observations be made by trained
observers under carefully specified conditions for the
purpose of answering a well-defined question."
>...Cognitive psychology is the psychological science
which studies cognition, the mental processes that
are hypothesised to underlie behavior. This covers a
broad range of research domains, examining
questions about the workings of memory, attention,
perception, knowledge representation, reasoning,
creativity and problem solving.

Cognitive psychology is radically different from

previous psychological approaches in two key ways.

It accepts the use of the scientific method, and

generally rejects Introspection as a valid method of
investigation, unlike phenomenological methods
such as Freudian psychology.
It posits the existence of internal mental states (such
as beliefs, desires and motivations) unlike
behaviourist psychology.
Regardless of the perspective adopted there are
hundreds of specialties that psychologists practice.
These specialties can usually be grouped into general
fields.

Clinical and Counseling Psychology: Over half of all

psychologists work in this field. Clinical psychologists
are more likely to treat or conduct research into the
causes of abnormal behaviors, while counseling
psychologists more often work with mild social or
emotional problems. Typically people seeking the
help of a counselor are not classified as abnormal or
mentally ill.
Educational and School Psychology: Educational
psychologists are concerned with the use of
psychology to increase the effectiveness of the
learning experience, including facilities, curriculum,
teaching techniques, and student problems. A school
psychologist works in a school environment to
evaluate the structure and effectiveness of the
learning environment. A school psychologist
assesses, counsels or guides students who have
academic,behavioral,emotional,and/ or guidance
needs. A school psychologist consults with
teachers,staff, and parents to help students adjust
and learn most effectively in their learning
environment.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (also known as
I/O psychology, work psychology, occupational
psychology, or personnel psychology) is the study of
the behavior of people in the workplace. Industrial
and organizational psychology applies psychological
knowledge and methods to aid workers and
organizations. I/O psychologists who work for an
organization are most likely to work in the HR
(human resources) department.
Consumer Psychology is the study of how people
buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they
buy.

Forensic Psychology is the application of

psychological principles and knowledge to various
legal activities involving child custody disputes, child
abuse of an emotional, physical and sexual nature,
assessing one's personal capacity to manage one's
affairs, matters of competency to stand trial, criminal
responsibility & personal injury and advising judges
in matters relating to sentencing regarding various
mitigants and the actuarial assessment of future risk.
Sport Psychology is a specialization within
psychology that seeks to understand
psychological/mental factors that affect performance
in sports, physical activity and exercise and apply
these to enhance individual and team performance.
Environmental Psychology is an interdisciplinary
field focused on the interplay between humans and
their surroundings. Areas of study include pollution
effects, recycling efforts, and the study of stress
generated by different physical settings.
Military psychology is the research, design, and
application of psychological theories and empirical
data towards understanding, predicting, and
countering behaviours in friendly and enemy forces,
or in civilian populations.
Health psychology is the study of psychological and
behavioral processes in health, illness, and
healthcare.It is concerned with understanding how
psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors
contribute to physical health and illness.
Psychological factors can affect health directly. For
example, chronically occurring environmental
stressors affecting the hypothalamic–pituitary–
adrenal axis, cumulatively, can harm health.
Behavioral factors can also affect a person's health.
For example, certain behaviors can, over time, harm
(smoking or consuming excessive amounts of
alcohol) or enhance health (engaging in exercise).

Occupational Health Psychology, also known as OHP,

is an interdisciplinary study in the field of psychology
where much of the emphasis is placed on the
physical and mental health of workers within
organizations.
Consulting psychology is a specialty area of
psychology that addresses such areas as assessment
and interventions at the individual, group, and
organizational levels. The Handbook of
Organizational Consulting Psychology provides an
overview of specific areas of study and application
within the field.
Criminal psychology, also referred to as
criminological psychology, is the study of the views,
thoughts, intentions, actions and so reactions of
criminals and all that partakes in the criminal
behavior. It is related to the field of criminal
anthropology.
Functional psychology or functionalism refers to a
psychological school of thought that was a direct
outgrowth of Darwinian thinking which focuses
attention on the utility and purpose of behavior that
has been modified over years of human existence.[1]
Edward L. Thorndike, best known for his experiments
with trial-and-error learning, came to be known as
the leader of the loosely defined movement.
Christian psychology is a term typically used in
reference to Protestant Christian psychotherapists
who strive to fully embrace both their religious
beliefs and their psychological training in their
professional practice.
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology
that studies personality and its variation among
individuals. It is a scientific study which aims to show
how people are individually different due to
psychological forces
Physiological psychology is a subdivision of
behavioral neuroscience (biological psychology) that
studies the neural mechanisms of perception and
behavior through direct manipulation of the brains
of nonhuman animal subjects in controlled
experiments

>/....Wilhelm Wundt opened the Institute for

>Experimental Psychology at the University of
Leipzig in Germany in 1879. This was the first
laboratory dedicated to psychology, and its opening
is usually thought of as the beginning of modern
psychology. Indeed, Wundt is often regarded as the
father of psychology.
William James: The Father of American Psychology;
he helped establish psychology in the U.S. and his
book, The Principles of Psychology, became an
instant classic. Sigmund Freud: The Father of
Psychoanalysis; his theories and work established
psychoanalysis as a major school of thought in
psychology.
wish you best of luck
(Syeda Sabeela Hashmi)