Everything about psychology
Content
- Introduction
- Psychology as a Science
- Historical Development of Psychology
- Structuralism
- Functionalism
- Gestalt Psychology
- Behaviorism
- Psychoanalysis
- Humanistic Perspective
- Cognitive Perspective
- Sociocultural Prospective
- Evolutionary Perspective
Introduction
If you are reading about psychology or have taken Psychology as your subject in your degree then this will blog will help you to understand everything about psychology. Are you aware that the term "psychology" comes from the Greek terms "psyche" and "logos"? Psyche is the Greek word for soul (life), and logos is the Greek word for knowledge (explanation) or the study of the soul. Both philosophers and psychologists were the founders of psychology, and both sought empirical answers to philosophical concerns such as the separation between nature and nurture, the reality of free will, and so forth. Although the term 'psychology' (Psychologia in Latin) dates all the way back to the 16th century, it was popularised in German by Christian Worff in the early 18th century. Herbert Spencer, who published the first book of his Principles of Psychology in 1870, was one of the most important early English adopters of the phrase. Psychologists favored the term "mind" over "soul." In the nineteenth century, psychology was one of the last specific sciences to break away from philosophy. Nowadays, psychology is extremely popular among students and has permeated our daily lives. As such, we will discuss fascinating facts and information regarding the origins of psychology in this lesson. This lesson will define psychology and describe the various ways psychologists use to study human behavior. The unit will expand on many subfields of psychology and the research methodologies utilized in psychology. Additionally, it will discuss the varied fields in which psychologists work. Finally, we shall analyse the evolution of psychology in India.
It's tough to define psychology because it encompasses such a large field. As the discipline developed, lengthy discussions over what should be studied in psychology and how should it be researched raged. The most widely accepted definition is that it is the science of human and animal behavior, as well as the application of this science to various human situations. Today's most widely recognised definition of psychology is that it is the study of behavior and mental processes. As a result, the definition is composed of three components. To begin, psychology is a science because it makes systematic attempts to collect data by carefully observing and recording human and animal events or behaviors under controlled experimental conditions. Thus, behavior measurement in psychology is as objective as feasible. The knowledge gathered from experimentation and other techniques of observation is then applied to real-world challenges.
Second, the term "behavior" indicates overt acts and reactions in the definition.
Whatever animals or humans do that is noteworthy can be documented, including their activities, thoughts, emotions, and attitudes. Finally, the phrase mental processes encompass all covert or internal processes, including thinking, emotion, and remembering.
Simply said, psychology is a science concerned with the study and prediction of human and animal behavior (Morgan, King, & Robinson, 1984).
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental health care services, “the understanding of behavior” is the enterprise of psychologists. -American Psychological Association
The ancient Greek philosophers were interested in how human beings perceive and understand the universe.
This is referred to as epistemology (the Greek words episteme and logos mean knowledge and discourse, respectively). If we look back at the history of psychology, we will see that it arose as a result of the merger of physiology, a branch of biology (natural science), and epistemology, a part of philosophy known as the theory of knowledge, or the theory of knowledge.
As a result, while the philosophical origins of psychology can be found in philosophy, it was biology that spurred the development of psychology as a distinct science. The early \spsychologists believed that psychology could be created through a systematic \sframework by doing research in experimental settings. Darwin's (theory of evolution), Newton's (conceptualization of physical laws), and Mendeleev's (Periodic Table of Elements) contributions to psychological study helped to strengthen the systematic approach to psychological research. So psychology began as a synthesis of physical science, physiological science, and mental philosophy, and psychological research was limited to the study of the links between the mind, the body, and the physical world.
Psychology as a Science
Later, as the subject grew in popularity, social, cultural, and interpersonal concerns of human behavior were included as topics of study. To this point, it should be noted that the theoretical orientations of psychologists, such as physiological psychologists (whose research focuses on the nervous and glandular systems) or social psychologists (whose research focuses on the social aspects of human behavior), are extremely important in understanding human behavior. There have been numerous viewpoints as to whether psychology should a part \sof natural sciences or social sciences. For psychology to be considered as a natural \sscience, the main assumptions are, natural monism (also known as reductionism, \swhere a theory or a phenomenon is reduced or simplified to its simplest part), \soperationism (validity of the finding depends on the validity of the procedures \semployed in arriving at that finding), and determinism (all actions are subject to \snatural laws and must be explained in terms of causative factors in individual’s heredity \sand environment). In order for psychology to be classified as social science, the researcher must conduct experiments, adhere to all scientific observation and control procedures, and analyze the data using quantitative or statistical approaches.
Although there are no assumptions in the design of tests or studies, there are assumptions in the interpretation of findings. As a result, psychology is a discipline that investigates human and animal behavior with great care and in a systematic manner. It is just as objective as any other discipline of research in terms of evaluating it. It is based on empirical evidence. By conducting experiments and observations, gathering information or data is obtained. Data is then analyzed, and conclusions are drawn within a framework that can be duplicated and confirmed, rather than relying on other people's ideas, belief systems, or conversations.
A controlled environment is provided for the experiments, and the experiments themselves are structured in such a way that they can be replicated by others if they choose to do so. For the purpose of understanding the sequence of events that take place, the data is collected in a fairly methodical and quantified manner. In today's world, the qualitative approach is also becoming increasingly popular. The data acquired as a result of this lead to the development of specific theories that aid in the prediction of behavior. Occasionally, theory can also serve as a direction for a research project. An approach that is nomothetic and idiographic in nature
In psychology, it is a method of describing the objectives, techniques, and theoretical perspectives of psychologists. Individuals are ignored by nomothetic psychologists, who strive to develop generic rules and principles controlling mental and behavioural processes without regard for the individual. An appropriate number of participants is chosen to serve as a representative sample of the general population in this approach. Following data collection and analysis, rigorous inferences and generalizations are drawn from the results of the experiment. This method is focused with the comprehension of an individual or event in its entirety. The inquiry is centered on the individual since this approach stresses that each individual is distinct and must be understood in the context of his or her psychosocial environment, which includes family and friends.
Historical Development of Psychology
- Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887), a German physiologist who researched psychophysics, a type of psychology, was one of the first scientists to examine psychological processes. He was one of the first scientists to study psychological processes. Wilhelm Wundt, a German chemist, founded the world's first laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. (1832-1920). G. Stanley Hall, a student of Wundt's, founded the first formal psychology laboratory in the United States in 1883 at John Hopkins University in Baltimore (1844-1924).
- Although significant progress was made, the transition away from philosophy proved to be tough. The American Psychological Association (APA) was founded in 1892, and Hall was elected as its first president in that year. "The Principles of Psychology," written by William James (1842-1910), was the first textbook on psychology ever published.
- The empirical approach used by psychologists to investigate thought, attention, imagery, and so on was pioneered by Albert Bandura. The tests were carried out in order to better understand the mind and mental experiences. Various schools of thought gradually developed differing perspectives on the nature of psychological inquiry as a result of this development. They emphasized that the study of conduct, rather than the study of the intellect, should be the primary focus.
WILHELM WUNDT (1832-1920): Father of Experimental Psychology
In Neckarau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on August 16, 1832, Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was born. Minister Maximilian Wundt and his wife, Marie Frederike, had four children, the youngest of whom was he. He began his official schooling at a Catholic gymnasium, but he despised it and struggled to do well there. He was transferred to another gymnasium in Heidelberg, where he completed his studies in 1851 and received his diploma. While studying medicine, Wundt made significant progress after getting off to a shaky start. Wundt was given the opportunity to work as an assistant to Hermann von Helmholtz. His seminal book, Principles of Physiological Psychology, was published in two volumes in 1873 and 1874, respectively. This study proposed the key concepts of his experimental psychology and served as an inspiration for scientists all around the world to pursue scientific psychology.
Functionalism:
This theme was heavily influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection (functionalists believed that the theory could be applied to psychological characteristics), and the focus of his research was on functions of mind and behavior (such as learning, memory, problem-solving, and motivation), rather than on biological characteristics. The functionalist theory was created by John Dewey (1859-1952), who focused on what the mind and behavior do, as well as on how they enable a person to adapt to new and difficult situations. Among the most important contributors was William James (1842-1910), who was interested in how the mind permits people to function in the real world. The term "functionalism" was coined to describe this approach. James was instrumental in establishing the psychology laboratory at Harvard University.
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