What is psychology?
. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The field of psychology is much broader than most people realize. It is much more than the study of people with bizarre behavior; psychologists are just as concerned with functional behavior as dysfunctional behavior. Psychology encompasses all influences on thought and behavior: learning experiences, brain function, genetics, peer pressure, cultural norms, personal motivation, parental influences, thought processes and the list goes on. It is a vast and diverse field, and because it synthesizes so many other areas, it has been called “the essential science.” Its strongly interdisciplinary nature makes it an excellent liberal arts major.
A. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It is much more than the study of people with bizarre behavior. Psychology is a much broader discipline than most realize; its field of study encompasses all influences on thought and behavior: learning experiences, brain function, genetics, peer pressure, societal norms, personal motivation, parental influences, thought processes and the list goes on. It is a vast and diverse field, and because it synthesizes so many other areas, it has been called “the essential science.” Its strongly interdisciplinary nature makes it an excellent liberal arts major. Back to Top Q. What do psychologists do? A. Here is a breakdown of the work contexts of professional psychologists: WORK CONTEXTS PERCENTAGES Academic 34% Clinical 24% Private Practice 22% Industrial 12% Schools 4% Other 4% Here is a list of the areas of specialization in psychology: Clinical and counseling psychology is the most widely practiced specializ
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. The word “science” implies the use of research methods to study psychological phenomena. “Behavior” refers to the outwardly observable acts of an organism. “Mental processes” refer to the functions of the brain, which includes memory, language, perception, and other cognitive processes.
Psychology has as its aim the understanding of human behavior, and as a secondary goal, the treatment of behaviors deemed abnormal. Almost immediately upon the formation of the field, efforts were made to place psychological studies on a scientific basis. Early psychological studies were conducted by Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig, Germany. One of his students, G. Stanley Hall, then went on to establish the first American psychological laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. Then, in 1900, Sigmund Freud introduced psychoanalytical theory in his book “The Interpretation of Dreams.” This was the first ultimately large-scale effort to apply psychological knowledge to the problem of treatment or therapy. Human psychology and the related fields of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy achieved their greatest acceptance and popularity in the 1950s, at which time they were publicly perceived as sciences. But this was never true, and it is not true today – human psychology has never ris
