New to the world of psychology? Wanna know about the subject and it's sub-areas? Then read this blog and get an idea about psychology and related areas. If you are studying Psychology in under-graduation or post-graduation then this blog can help you to expand your knowledge, even for your exams.. We assure you all the things we write are from good books and authentic sources with our own opinions and inputs.. Hope this helps.. 😃
The word 'Psychology' comes from the Greek words 'psyche' and 'logos'. Psyche means 'soul' and logos means 'the study of'. So the word Psychology means the study of soul. Scientifically, Psychology is defined as the study of human and animal behavior, it includes the application of this science to human problems. In 1890, William James, one of the pioneers in this field, defined psychology as "the science of mental life; both of its phenomena and their conditions".
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Psychology: Science or Arts?
A science is a body of systematic knowledge that is gathered by carefully observing and measuring events. As a science, psychology is systematic and includes experiments, measurements and observations through empirical studies.
The application of knowledge to practical problems is an art or skill which is also acquired by study, practice and experience. The ability to apply psychological principles is a hard-won skill and here comes the role of a psychologist.
Branches of Psychology:
To describe the field of psychology it is important to discuss some of the major sub-fields of psychology. These are, Clinical psychology, Counseling psychology, School and educational psychology, Experimental psychology, Industrial & Organisational psychology, Social psychology, Developmental psychology, Community psychology etc. We will describe each of these sub-fields in the following.
Clinical Psychology:
Clinical psychologists come closest to many people's idea of what a psychologist is. They are "doctors" who diagnose psychological disorders and treat them by means of psychotherapy. Many people are confused about the differences between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist. The clearest distinction between them is that, in India, a clinical psychologist holds a Masters in psychology/clinical psychology degree, an MPhil in clinical psychology degree or PsyD in clinical psychology (Doctors of Psychology) with a registration from RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) *. Whereas, a psychiatrist holds an MD degree in psychiatry after he has done MBBS degree in medicine. And then has completed required amount of residency training in psychiatry.
*This is further discussed in details in our 'Career paths in psychology post'. Do give a read. Click the link to reach https://psychedbloggers.blogspot.com/2020/08/career-paths-in-field-of-psychology.html
Counseling Psychology:
The work of a counseling psychologist can be said similar but not exactly same to that of the clinical psychologist. The difference is, clinical psychologists deal with disorders and provides therapy whereas, counseling psychologists deal more with the everyday problems. Counselors should have a Masters degree in counseling psychology to be eligible. In addition to that, they can have diploma in counseling with many other certificate courses.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology:
Industrial-Organizational psychology is the branch of psychology that applies psychological theories and principles to organizations. It is often abbreviated as I-O psychology. This field of psychology mainly focuses on increasing workplace productivity and address related issues like physical and mental well-being of employees. Other than that, applications also include using psychological tests in recruiting new employees, assessing employee's job satisfaction, interest in work and also other issues if they are facing at the job. I-O psychology is also used by the managements of the companies to analyse company's current situations and make strategies for the growth of the company. They also arrange training program, tasks to enhance interpersonal relationships among the employees, and also programs to increase job efficiency. Even researches done to solve problems within the organization and help the organization grow.
School and Educational Psychology:
School psychologists are the ones who mainly work with the children in a school settings. Their jobs include counseling the children in that school and also diagnosing the disorders present (if any) in a child. diagnosis mainly consists of learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and related disorders in children and other psychological disorders in adolescents or grown up students in school. They gain information by using tests and from consultations with the student, his/her parents and teachers in school. The school psychologist tries to pinpoint the problem and suggest action to correct it.
Educational psychology may include school psychology, but educational psychologists are usually involved with more general, less immediate problems. Educational psychologists are especially concerned with increasing the efficiency of learning in school by applying their psychological knowledge about learning and motivation to the curriculum.
Developmental Psychology:
Developmental psychologists try to understand complex behaviors by studying their beginnings and orderly ways in which they change with time. Also, this area partly comes under child psychology, the study of children's behavior. As developmental changes also happen in adolescents, adulthood and old age, the study of these changes are also a part of developmental psychology. Moreover, it can be said that, developmental psychology has both research and applied aspects.
This area of psychology primarily engages in work that applies directly to practical problems. These psychologists try to understand the fundamental causes of behavior. They mainly do basic research by studying fundamental processes like memory, thinking, learning, perception, motivation, emotion etc. In other words we can say that, experimental psychologists study how behavior is modified and how people retain these modifications. Through years of research studies they come to a conclusion and enrich the field of psychology.
Physiological Psychology:
A number of psychologists are concerned with the relationship of the brain and other biological activity to behavior; these come under the area of physiological psychology. this part is also considered to be a part of the broader field of neurobiology. This area is also called Biopsychology.
Social Psychology:
The primary focus of social psychology is on understanding how individuals are affected by other people. It involves efforts to understand the determinants of interpersonal influences and of attitude change. The social psychologists study how perceptual stereotypes affect interactions and decision making in the society. The field of social psychology is not exclusively populated by psychologists rather is benefited from the contributions of sociologists. While the research endeavors of people from both disciplines often overlap, the focus of social psychology, is typically upon the individual, while the sociologist is primarily concerned with societal institutions.
Community Psychology:
A relatively new area in the field of psychology and this area associates with the community and social problems. It can be said that, community psychologists apply psychological principles, ideas and points of view to help solve social problems and to help individuals adapt to their work and living groups.
Positive Psychology:
This is one of the very new fields of psychology. Post WWII this area of psychology is emerging very evidently. Positive psychology mainly talks about the positive side of any individual and not giving importance to emergence of pathology. The field of positive psychology is about positive subjective experience like, well-being and satisfaction (past); flow, joy, the sensual pleasures, and happiness (present); and constructive cognitions about the future like, optimism, hope, and faith. At the individual level it is about positive personal traits like the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, high talent, and wisdom. At the group level it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethics.
Evolutionary Psychology:
A relatively new branch of psychology. Evolutionary psychology is focused on how evolution has happened and shaped the mind and behavior of human beings. Most researches in evolutionary psychology focuses on human beings though other organisms with nervous system can be included. Moreover, it is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain the mental and physical traits as adaptation and products of natural selection.
So, this is the basic understanding about the field - "Psychology". For detailed explanation of these sub fields follow this blog. We will write soon about them too and you can have a better understanding of those branches.
Thank you for reading.. If you have any queries please feel free to ask in the comment section.. Will be happy to help..!
Books you can refer for this topic: Morgan & King; Baron general psychology.
See you in the next post.. 😃
~ Angira Gupta
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