Introduction to Psychology

• Contents
• What is psychology?
• Intro to psychology in everyday life
• Sub disciplines of psychology
• Origins of psychology
• Ways of thinking about Mind, Body and Experiences
• Connections in Psychology
• Studying electronic social interactions
What is psychology?
Psychology is a quest for understanding
about behaviour. Everyone wants to
know about one’s self and others. The
search for such knowledge requires
scientific approach.
It is hoped through the course that you
get a strong enough sense of knowledge
about the human nature that you pursue
a quest on your own (Shahnaz, 2010).
The word psychology comes from the
greek roots, it comes from two letter
“psyche” and “logos”. Where psyche
means self, soul or mind and logos means
knowledge or study.
So psychology was defined as ‘study of
mind and soul’.
Goals of psychology
Goal of psychology is to describe, explain,
predict and control the behavior.
We will discuss each breifly.
Describe: The first goal of psychology is to
describe how humans and animals behave in
different situations. Through continued
observation we can define what kind of
behavior is considered normal or healthy
and what may be deemed as abnormal or
unhealthy.
To Explain
Once a particular behavior is defined,
they need to be expanded upon so that
people can understand why a person acts
or reacts in a certain way. They have to
consider which factors trigger certain
behavior, as well as formulate certain
theories which will help explain the
same. 
To Predict: Once a psychologist
understands why a person acts in a
certain way and under what
circumstances, he is able to predict when
this behavior might emerge in the future.
To Control/Modify The final goal of
psychology is to control or modify certain
types of behavior based on observation.
Researchers take cue from what they
have observed and predicted to rectify or
improve someone's behavior.
Intro to psychology in everyday life

When lay people think of psychology, they

often think of helping people suffering from
emotional illness (like anxiety or
depression), marital and family problems
(like domestic violence or unmanageable
children), or substance abuse.
While psychology certainly deals with these
problems, few realize how broadly
applicable psychology is to everyday life
(Levant, 2003).
Psychology, 110 years old, has grown and
diversified beyond the dreams of its early
pioneers, and has produced research-based
applications for nearly every aspect of human
endeavor.
From health care to education, family life to
work life, religion to the arts, business and
industry to law, and from sports to the military
and on to engineering, it is hard to find an area
of human activity where psychology doesn't
have relevance.
In what areas the study of psychology is
helpful/useful, starting from everyday life
to professional and academic life.
Write down all the possible areas. In
context of Pakistan.
Sub disciplines of Psychology
Researchers with broad and varied interests have
expanded the field, and as a result there are many
different sub-disciplines (Humpheys, 2011).
Clinical psychology: It is the most widely practiced
specialization in psychology. Clinical psychologist
diagnose and treat people with psychological
problems.

Counseling psychology: counseling psychologist deal

with people who have less serious problems. For
instance they may work with students, advising them
about personel problems and career planning.
Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of
how people perceive, remember, think, speak,
and solve problems, by exploring internal
mental processes in the brain.
 
Comparative psychology studies the behavior
and mental life of non-human animals, like
pigeons, cats, and monkeys, with the hopes
that it will inform our understanding of
humans.
Developmental psychology focuses on the
psychological changes of the human mind
throughout the life span. Developmental
psychologists study infants, the elderly, and every age
in between.

Educational psychology studies the cognitive,

emotional, and social learning processes in
educational settings, while school psychology focuses
on treating behavioral and learning problems
commonly found in school-age children that may
interfere with schoolwork.
Industrial and organizational
psychology applies psychological concepts to
create efficient behavior in the workplace.
For example, they may help find employees
well suited for certain jobs or design user-
friendly products.

Personalitypsychology explores personality
and individual differences in thought and
behavior.
Social psychology: social psychologists
study relationships between individuals and
groups, and how social situations may
influence behavior and cognition.

Quantitative psychology studies the

methods and techniques used to measure
human traits, the design of research studies,
and the analysis of psychological data.
Health psychology focuses on how biology,
behavior, and social factors influence health,
such as the onset and course of disease, and
the prevention of illness.

Sports psychology explores psychological

factors that influence involvement and
performance in sports. For example, one area
of focus is how visualization may enhance
performance.