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WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?:Theoretical perspectives of psychology

HISTORICAL ROOTS OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY:HIPPOCRATES, PLATO >>
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Introduction to Psychology ­PSY101
VU
Lesson 1
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
Beginning with the first psychological laboratory, founded in 1879 by German philosopher and physiologist
Wilhelm Wundt, modern psychology's can be traced in many disciplines and countries. Psychology's
historical perspectives and current activities lead us to define the field as the science of behavior and mental
processes.
Theoretical perspectives of psychology
There are many disciplines that study human nature. Psychology is one. Within psychology, the biological,
behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive and social- cultural perspectives are complementary. Each has its own
purposes, questions, and limits; together they provide a fuller understanding of mind and behavior.
Why do we study psychology?
Scientific inquiry begins with an attitude of eagerness to skeptically investigate competing ideas, with an
open- minded approach. Putting ideas to the test helps us in fully understanding them. The curiosity that
drives us to test ideas, and to expose their underlying assumptions, can be experienced in every day life as
critical thinking.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course will encompass basic concepts of psychology
Concepts like learning, memorizing, retention, emotions, process of thinking, how do
Our sense organs work etc will be discussed.
Also, issues like what is normal and what is abnormal behavior, the interventions used
For treating psychological problems, along with an overview of main and popular
Areas of psychology will also be tackled.
The main focus of the course will be on introducing essential terminology, theories, themes,
concepts, and trends relevant to modern day psychology
The main focus is to help students to learn and understand what are the essential and important areas of
study in psychology. Also students will be enabled to understand  and learn the basic concepts which
psychology is mainly based on.
Practical application of knowledge, besides a know how of
theoretical constructs, will be
encouraged
How to use psychology and psychological concepts in every day life is an essential
component, besides having a basic understanding of the theoretical part of it. It is  expected that after
completing this course, the student will be able to use the psychological concepts for resolving problems, or
at least identifying, problem areas and situations where psychological intervention is required.
The course will be taught bilingually
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the term the students will be able to:
Understand and use basic terminology of psychology: Terms, concepts and processes when we are
studying and applying psychology's principles in daily life tasks
Understand and identify the various applications of the discipline as well as its
scientific
nature: Understanding of how to conduct psychological research is very important and it needs thorough
study of research techniques of how to conduct research, what are the basic steps involved, how to verify
the findings; and most importantly, whether it is ethical as well as applicable to humans or not; The students
will get a feel of it. The scientific methodology will not be discussed in detail since  this is an introductory,
foundation, course.
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Introduction to Psychology ­PSY101
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Choose areas of their interest for higher academic qualification in future: The students will be
familiarized with a number of areas of psychology. After completing this course you may feel that you have
developed a keen interest in psychology and want to carry on with studying this discipline; at that point the
knowledge from this course will help you in to choosing the desired field in which you want to specialize.
Also the knowledge and information gained from this course will help you in understanding the concepts in
courses like organizational behavior, management, consumer behavior, and research methods.
Identify situations where psychological intervention may be required: While studying psychology, you
come to know that psychology's applications are not limited to curing mental problems only, but have wide
range of applications from the minor to the most extensive tasks in which psychological principles can be
used. Here it is important for you to identify situations where psychology's principles and interventions can
be used in order to resolve the issue.
Some Additional Advantages
Besides these basic objectives, there are many other advantages that the students will, or may, enjoy.
Knowledge of psychology  affects your personality also by enriching your intellectual life and enlarging
your vision to see and observe things around you. We will discuss a lot of things, and they will be explained
in such a manner that they will add some skills and a better understanding to your present intellectual
caliber. For example, if you want to enhance your learning by studying psychology, there are some
important and useful tips for you:
Distribute your study time
One of the psychologists' oldest findings is that "spaced practice" promotes better retention than "massed
practice". You will remember material better if you space your time over several study periods rather than
overcrowding your memory store house with information over load at one time for longer durations.
Learn to think critically
Whether in class, or at home, or somewhere else, note people's personality, habits, assumptions and values
and critically evaluate. What perspective or bias underlies an argument? Evaluate evidence. Is it anecdotal?
Co incidental? Experimental? Based upon facts? Is what I see the only truth, or can there be other possible
explanations?
Listen actively to lectures
According to psychologist William James " no reception without reaction, and no impression without
expression." Listen to the main and sub- ideas of the lecture, and after listening, process information by
which you can understand and retain the material well.
Over learn
"Over learning improves retention". Read, recite and over learn the material that you cover. Do not
overestimate what you know. Rethink and review the lecture, and give some extra time to what you think
you already know. It enhances your knowledge and the material will be better retained.
Carefully accessing questions while taking tests/ exams
Read the question to be attempted carefully, think what you have to write and then start attempting
questions
While exploring psychology, you will learn much more than effective study techniques. Psychology
polishes and sharpens our understanding of how people perceive, think, feel and act. By doing so, it
definitely enriches our lives and enlarges our vision.
Misconceptions about psychology and psychologists
Anybody who has studied psychology can read people's personality
This is the most frequent thought that comes into the mind of people who believe that psychologists are
like magicians who can tell every thing about any person, his thoughts, feelings emotions, personality and all
that other people cannot tell. This actually is not the case, because psychologists are not the magicians or
something like that. They are professionals and their area of interest is basically the study of human
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Introduction to Psychology ­PSY101
VU
behavior and mental processes; and this requires good observation as well as good prediction. Another
important thing that has to be kept in mind is that not all of those who have a degree in psychology can
understand, explain, and predict the personality or behavior of a person, because it mainly requires not just
good observation but proper training as well.
Psychologists can predict fate or destiny
This is not actually the case. Lay people have these views because they see that psychologists are capable of
accurately telling what type of people others are, what they are capable of doing, what are their potentials
and capacities etc. In reality, the case is different since psychologists can only predict not the destiny but the
direction that one may adopt in future; psychologists can assess and predict personality and behavior
because they get professional training for studying human behavior and that is why they can easily tell what
type of a person one is, what might be his potentials, and how much he/ she is capable of performing
certain tasks.
Psychologists are doctors
Another very common misconception is that psychologists are doctors. Psychologists are not at all doctors;
they are specially trained people who deal with the psychological problems and not the medical problems.
Psychiatrists, on the other hand, are doctors who have a professional degree in medicine as well as training
in treating those suffering from psychiatric/ psychological problems.
Psychologists give medicines
Not psychologist, but psychiatrists are the ones who prescribe medicine to the mentally ill patients, as they
have a professional degree in medicine that authorizes them to prescribe medication.
DEFINITION
"Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes .... Human or Animal"
Behavior is overt, manifest, obvious, and easy to study; the mental processes that help carryout these
behaviors are covert, underlying, hidden, and not easy to study. Besides behavior, what causes these
behaviors to occur and the mental processes involved in it is an important area of interest for a
psychologist.
Psychologists study animals' behavior too; to better understand and predict human behavior, the
study of animal behavior becomes essential at times, especially because some researches cannot be
carried out with humans due to safety reasons or ethical issues
Goals of Psychology
Main and important goals of psychology, or in other words of understanding human behavior and
mental processes, are;
·
To understand the nature and mechanisms of behavior and mental processes
·
To develop an understanding of the relationship between behavior and mental processes
·
To apply this understanding to real life situations and, on the basis of this understanding, predict
for the future
·
To employ the scientific approach for developing this understanding
In short, the main goals of psychology are:
a) Observation,
b) Description,
c) Understanding,
d) Explanation,
e) Prediction, and
f)  Control of human behavior and mental processes.
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Introduction to Psychology ­PSY101
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Scientific nature of Psychology
Psychology is a science
It employs the scientific method for gathering knowledge and information. It uses scientific procedure that
is essential to be adopted in order to carry out psychological research; otherwise the research will not be
considered authentic, reliable, or scientifically valuable.
"Scientific method is a systematic and organized series of steps that scientists adopt for exploring
any phenomenon in order to obtain accurate and consistent results. These steps involve
observation, description, control, and replication".
These are the main components of any science or scientific discipline. The methods of how to gather,
process, and analyze information properly and accurately are very important in psychology as well.
Remember! Science does not deal with the supernatural
A number of people commonly believe, and they did more so in olden times, that the evil spirits, demons,
or ghosts are the root cause of mental illness. Therefore, for them, psychology may be the approach that
can free man of the supernatural possessions, which is a wrong belief. Psychology does not deal with the
supernatural phenomena like any other science; it deals with only those behaviors that are overt can be
experienced by our senses, that can be understood in psychological/scientific terms, and that can be dealt
with through psychology interventions.
Scope of psychology
After doing a degree course in psychology one may join a variety of work settings, the most common being:
·
Education/teaching
·
Research
·
Hospitals/clinics
·
Recruiting/screening agencies
·
Specialized professional settings e.g. armed forces, social welfare etc.
Popular areas of psychology
Clinical Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal behavior. It is the
oldest as well as the most well known branch of psychology. Clinical psychologists are trained to diagnose
and treat problems ranging from the every day crises of life such as grief due to the death of a loved one, to
more extreme conditions, such as a loss of touch with reality. Some clinical psychologists also conduct
research, investigating issues that range from identifying the early signs of psychological disturbance, and
studying the relationship between how family members communicate with one another, to the
understanding of a wide variety of psychological disorders.
Industrial / Organizational Psychology
A branch of psychology that studies the psychology in action at the workplace, including productivity, job
satisfaction, and decision-making.
Health Psychology
The branch of psychology that explores the relationship of psychological factors and physical ailments or
disease e.g. Health psychologists are interested in how the long- term stress (a psychological factor) can
affect physical health. They are also concerned with identifying ways of promoting behaviors related to
good health (such as exercise) or discouraging unhealthy behaviors (such as smoking, drinking etc).
Consumer Psychology
A branch of psychology that studies and explains our buying habits and our effects of advertising a buying
behavior. Mainly dealt with the likes and dislikes and preferences of people.
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Introduction to Psychology ­PSY101
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Environmental Psychology
A branch of psychology, that focuses upon the relationship between people and their physical environment.
It is one of the newly emerging, and in-demand, areas of psychology. Environmental psychologists have
made significant progress in understanding how our physical environment affects the way we behave
toward others, our emotions, and how much stress we experience in a particular setting.
Sport Psychology
The branch of psychology, that studies the psychological variables that have an impact upon the
sportspersons' performance; e.g. how stress can affect sport performance, how morale can be boosted, the
role of self-concept and esteem, the impact of crowd behavior etc.
Forensic Psychology
The branch of psychology that investigates legal issues and psychological variables involved in criminal
behavior ; e.g. what factors determine criminal tendencies, how criminals be reformed, deciding what
criteria indicate that a person is legally insane, and whether larger and smaller juries make fairer decisions.
Note:  For  more  details  see
the
website
of
American
Psychological
Association:
www.apa.org/about/division.html
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?:Theoretical perspectives of psychology
  2. HISTORICAL ROOTS OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY:HIPPOCRATES, PLATO
  3. SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT:Biological Approach, Psychodynamic Approach
  4. PERSPECTIVE/MODEL/APPROACH:Narcosis, Chemotherapy
  5. THE PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH/ MODEL:Psychic Determinism, Preconscious
  6. BEHAVIORAL APPROACH:Behaviorist Analysis, Basic Terminology, Basic Terminology
  7. THE HUMANISTIC APPROACH AND THE COGNITIVE APPROACH:Rogers’ Approach
  8. RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (I):Scientific Nature of Psychology
  9. RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY (II):Experimental Research
  10. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE NURTURE ISSUE:Nature versus Nurture
  11. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT:Socio- Cultural Factor, The Individual and the Group
  12. NERVOUS SYSTEM (1):Biological Bases of Behavior, Terminal Buttons
  13. NERVOUS SYSTEM (2):Membranes of the Brain, Association Areas, Spinal Cord
  14. ENDOCRINE SYSTEM:Pineal Gland, Pituitary Gland, Dwarfism
  15. SENSATION:The Human Eye, Cornea, Sclera, Pupil, Iris, Lens
  16. HEARING (AUDITION) AND BALANCE:The Outer Ear, Auditory Canal
  17. PERCEPTION I:Max Wertheimer, Figure and Ground, Law of Closure
  18. PERCEPTION II:Depth Perception, Relative Height, Linear Perspective
  19. ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS:Electroencephalogram, Hypnosis
  20. LEARNING:Motor Learning, Problem Solving, Basic Terminology, Conditioning
  21. OPERANT CONDITIONING:Negative Rein forcer, Punishment, No reinforcement
  22. COGNITIVE APPROACH:Approach to Learning, Observational Learning
  23. MEMORY I:Functions of Memory, Encoding and Recoding, Retrieval
  24. MEMORY II:Long-Term Memory, Declarative Memory, Procedural Memory
  25. MEMORY III:Memory Disorders/Dysfunctions, Amnesia, Dementia
  26. SECONDARY/ LEARNT/ PSYCHOLOGICAL MOTIVES:Curiosity, Need for affiliation
  27. EMOTIONS I:Defining Emotions, Behavioral component, Cognitive component
  28. EMOTIONS II:Respiratory Changes, Pupillometrics, Glandular Responses
  29. COGNITION AND THINKING:Cognitive Psychology, Mental Images, Concepts
  30. THINKING, REASONING, PROBLEM- SOLVING AND CREATIVITY:Mental shortcuts
  31. PERSONALITY I:Definition of Personality, Theories of Personality
  32. PERSONALITY II:Surface traits, Source Traits, For learning theorists, Albert Bandura
  33. PERSONALITY III:Assessment of Personality, Interview, Behavioral Assessment
  34. INTELLIGENCE:The History of Measurement of Intelligence, Later Revisions
  35. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Plato, Aristotle, Asclepiades, In The Middle Ages
  36. ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR I:Medical Perspective, Psychodynamic Perspective
  37. ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR II:Hypochondriasis, Conversion Disorders, Causes include
  38. PSYCHOTHERAPY I:Psychotherapeutic Orientations, Clinical Psychologists
  39. PSYCHOTHERAPY II:Behavior Modification, Shaping, Humanistic Therapies
  40. POPULAR AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY:ABC MODEL, Factors affecting attitude change
  41. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY:Understanding Health, Observational Learning
  42. INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY:‘Hard’ Criteria and ‘Soft’ Criteria
  43. CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY:Focus of Interest, Consumer Psychologist
  44. SPORT PSYCHOLOGY:Some Research Findings, Arousal level
  45. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Origin and History of Forensic Psychology