8 Basic Psychology Facts You Need to Know.
Psychology is a source of fascination for many people, and for good reason. By learning more about the basics of the human mind and behavior, people are able to gain a greater understanding of themselves and others. Psychologists also play a vital role in the health care system by helping individuals experiencing mental health issues, performing psychotherapy, investigating different treatment options, and teaching patients how to manage their symptoms effectively.
What are some reasons why you might want to learn more about psychology? For some this interest is fueled by a desire to pursue a career in psychology. Others may simply want to learn more out of curiosity or because they are thinking about consulting a psychologist for help with a health concern. No matter what the reason, building a better understanding of topics such as emotion, motivation, cognition, love, communication, and research methods will serve you well in many different areas of life.
Psychology may seem like a vast and daunting topic at first, but understanding a few basic facts can make it easier to get started. The following are just a few of the important things you need to know about this fascinating subject. Once you have a strong understanding of the basics, you will be better prepared to explore different ways that psychology may help improve your everyday life, health, and well-being.
First, let's start by addressing exactly what psychology involves. Psychology can be defined as the study of mental processes and behavior. The term psychology comes from the Greek word psyche meaning "breath, spirit, soul" and the word logia meaning "study of."
Psychology has not always existed as it has today. In fact, it is considered a relatively young discipline, although as one eminent psychologist explained, it has s short past but a long history. Psychology emerged from biology and philosophy and is closely linked to other disciplines including sociology, medicine, linguistics, and anthropology.
While psychology may be a young subject in the grand scheme of things, it has grown to play a tremendous role in the world today. Psychologists are employed in hospitals, mental health clinics, schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, private businesses, and private practice and perform a wide variety of tasks and roles ranging from treating mental illness to influencing public health policy.
One of the most common myths about psychology is that it is just "common sense." The problem with this is that psychological research has helped demonstrate that many of the things that we believe are just common sense are actually not true at all. After all, if common sense were as common as people say it is, then people wouldn’t engage in behaviors that they know are bad for them like smoking or eating junk food. By challenging some of our misconceptions about how and why people behave as they do, psychologists are able to provide answers that help solve real-world problems.
Unlike common sense, psychology relies on scientific methods to investigate questions and arrive at conclusions. It is through using empirical methods that researchers are able to discover relationships between different variables. Psychologists use a range of techniques to study the human mind and behavior, including naturalistic observation, experiments, case studies, and questionnaires.
Topics and questions in psychology can be looked at in a number of different ways. Let's take the topic of violence as an example. Some psychologists may look at how biological influences contribute to violence, while other psychologists might look at how factors such as culture, family relationships, social pressure, and situational variables influence violence.
Some of the major perspectives in psychology include the:
Biological perspective
Cognitive perspective
Behavioral perspective
Evolutionary perspective
Humanistic perspective
Each perspective helps contribute a new level of understanding to a topic.
Imagine, for example, that psychologists are trying to understand the different factors that contribute to bullying. Some researchers might take a biological perspective and look at how genetics and the brain contribute to this type of behavior. Another psychologist might take a behavioral perspective and look at the different ways that such behaviors are reinforced by the environment. Other researchers might take a social perspective and analyze the impact that group pressure might have on bullying behaviors.
No single perspective is "right." Each perspective contributes to how we understand a topic and allows researchers to analyze the myriad influences that contribute to certain actions and come up with multi-faceted solutions to combat problematic actions and encourage better outcomes and healthier behaviors.
In addition to many different perspectives, there are many branches of psychology. Psychologists often opt to specialize in a particular area. The type of psychologist that you need may depend upon the type of problem you are facing.
Some of the biggest subfields within psychology are clinical psychology, personality psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and social psychology. If you are experiencing emotional or psychological symptoms, you might need to refer to a clinical or counseling psychologist. If you have a question about whether your child is developing normally, then you might want to ask a developmental psychologist.
Some psychologists work in the field of mental health to treat patients experiencing psychiatric disorders and psychological distress. Subfields such as clinical, counseling, and health psychology are focused on helping people with mental and physical health issues.
Other psychologists work in applied subfields such as forensic psychology and industrial-organizational psychology to solve real-world problems.
Still, other psychologists focus their work on research to contribute to our understanding of the human mind and behavior. Such psychologists may specialize in a particular area such as development, social behavior, cognition, or personality.
Psychology is a source of fascination for many people, and for good reason. By learning more about the basics of the human mind and behavior, people are able to gain a greater understanding of themselves and others. Psychologists also play a vital role in the health care system by helping individuals experiencing mental health issues, performing psychotherapy, investigating different treatment options, and teaching patients how to manage their symptoms effectively.
What are some reasons why you might want to learn more about psychology? For some this interest is fueled by a desire to pursue a career in psychology. Others may simply want to learn more out of curiosity or because they are thinking about consulting a psychologist for help with a health concern. No matter what the reason, building a better understanding of topics such as emotion, motivation, cognition, love, communication, and research methods will serve you well in many different areas of life.
Psychology may seem like a vast and daunting topic at first, but understanding a few basic facts can make it easier to get started. The following are just a few of the important things you need to know about this fascinating subject. Once you have a strong understanding of the basics, you will be better prepared to explore different ways that psychology may help improve your everyday life, health, and well-being.
First, let's start by addressing exactly what psychology involves. Psychology can be defined as the study of mental processes and behavior. The term psychology comes from the Greek word psyche meaning "breath, spirit, soul" and the word logia meaning "study of."
Psychology has not always existed as it has today. In fact, it is considered a relatively young discipline, although as one eminent psychologist explained, it has s short past but a long history. Psychology emerged from biology and philosophy and is closely linked to other disciplines including sociology, medicine, linguistics, and anthropology.
While psychology may be a young subject in the grand scheme of things, it has grown to play a tremendous role in the world today. Psychologists are employed in hospitals, mental health clinics, schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, private businesses, and private practice and perform a wide variety of tasks and roles ranging from treating mental illness to influencing public health policy.
One of the most common myths about psychology is that it is just "common sense." The problem with this is that psychological research has helped demonstrate that many of the things that we believe are just common sense are actually not true at all. After all, if common sense were as common as people say it is, then people wouldn’t engage in behaviors that they know are bad for them like smoking or eating junk food. By challenging some of our misconceptions about how and why people behave as they do, psychologists are able to provide answers that help solve real-world problems.
Unlike common sense, psychology relies on scientific methods to investigate questions and arrive at conclusions. It is through using empirical methods that researchers are able to discover relationships between different variables. Psychologists use a range of techniques to study the human mind and behavior, including naturalistic observation, experiments, case studies, and questionnaires.
Topics and questions in psychology can be looked at in a number of different ways. Let's take the topic of violence as an example. Some psychologists may look at how biological influences contribute to violence, while other psychologists might look at how factors such as culture, family relationships, social pressure, and situational variables influence violence.
Some of the major perspectives in psychology include the:
Biological perspective
Cognitive perspective
Behavioral perspective
Evolutionary perspective
Humanistic perspective
Each perspective helps contribute a new level of understanding to a topic.
Imagine, for example, that psychologists are trying to understand the different factors that contribute to bullying. Some researchers might take a biological perspective and look at how genetics and the brain contribute to this type of behavior. Another psychologist might take a behavioral perspective and look at the different ways that such behaviors are reinforced by the environment. Other researchers might take a social perspective and analyze the impact that group pressure might have on bullying behaviors.
No single perspective is "right." Each perspective contributes to how we understand a topic and allows researchers to analyze the myriad influences that contribute to certain actions and come up with multi-faceted solutions to combat problematic actions and encourage better outcomes and healthier behaviors.
In addition to many different perspectives, there are many branches of psychology. Psychologists often opt to specialize in a particular area. The type of psychologist that you need may depend upon the type of problem you are facing.
Some of the biggest subfields within psychology are clinical psychology, personality psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and social psychology. If you are experiencing emotional or psychological symptoms, you might need to refer to a clinical or counseling psychologist. If you have a question about whether your child is developing normally, then you might want to ask a developmental psychologist.
Some psychologists work in the field of mental health to treat patients experiencing psychiatric disorders and psychological distress. Subfields such as clinical, counseling, and health psychology are focused on helping people with mental and physical health issues.
Other psychologists work in applied subfields such as forensic psychology and industrial-organizational psychology to solve real-world problems.
Still, other psychologists focus their work on research to contribute to our understanding of the human mind and behavior. Such psychologists may specialize in a particular area such as development, social behavior, cognition, or personality.
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