Psychology

• 1 Definition: The simplest definition of

psychology is that it is the study of the mind
and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to
understand and explain thought, emotion and
behavior. Applications of psychology include
mental health treatment, performance
enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, and
many other areas affecting health and daily
life.
• the field of psychology is rooted in scientific
methodology. The goal of psychology is to determine
how the physical brain and the emergent mind work,
and this involves tested hypotheses. Testing certain
hypotheses is difficult, and moral restrictions limit the
means by which hypotheses can be tested. However,
the field, along with neurology, has advanced
significantly over the years. Some areas of psychology
are criticized for not being based on standard scientific
practices. Evolutionary psychology, in particular, posits
hypotheses that cannot be tested. The potential
promise the field holds, however, makes it a very
popular area of study
• Part of psychology is a subset of the field of
medicine, and, like medicine, its literature
primarily consists of published papers
outlining ideas and testing them. Psychology
and medicine explicitly overlap in certain
fields; antidepressants, for example, are
medicines that have been shown to work
using standard studies and research. The
clinical aspect of psychology has clear
scientific roots
• 2 Psychology is a science: Because it utilizes
scientific methodology for devising treatments
and measuring outcomes. While some factors
of psychology are difficult to measure, the
field is rooted in testing hypotheses.
Psychological study aims to uncover laws and
truths.
• Psychology seeks to describe, explain, predict, and
control the events it studies.
The five basic goals of psychology are: describe,
explain, predict, control, and improve.
the four main goals of psychology
1. observe and describe.
2. understand and explain
3. predict
4. influence and control. the four main goals of
psychology
The goal of psychology is to describe, explain, predict
and treat a behavior.
 3: Importance of Psychology
•Learning
a: Self-Knowledge
can be viewed as one purpose of life, and self-
knowledge can be viewed as an important element of
learning. We may not be able to fully understand ourselves
simply through self-reflection. We may not be able to fully
understand the causes of our own behaviors. We can gain a
better understanding of who we are and the causes of our
behaviors by learning about psychology findings in scholarly
journals. In psychology journals, there are many randomized
experiments. Because these randomized experiments allow us
to make causal conclusions, we can gain insight into the true
causes of our behaviors. Moreover, a personality test may allow
one to gain knowledge of one's personality. This knowledge
about personality may help to develop personal goals consistent
with one's personality.
• B: Learning About Others
In addition to learning about oneself, the field
of psychology allows us to learn about
others. For example, we may gain insight into
personality traits that are different from our own
personality traits.
It is important to gain an understanding of
others to improve social relationships. We may
wish to build rapport and communicate more
effectively. Also, we may need to know how to
be an effective manager or leader.
• c. Practical Ideas

Ideas and findings in psychology may help to

think of practical ideas and possible solutions to
important problems. We may gain insight
concerning possible applications of psychology
and solutions to certain important problems.
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