Essay about The Nature of Psychology - 1480 Words

The Nature of Psychology nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Psychology is the scientific study and practical application of observable behavior and mental processes of organisms. Psychology differs from other social sciences such as: Sociology, History, or Economics, because psychology specifically deals with the study of an individual. The other social sciences will study groups, or history. Psychology is less a science of reported findings, it attempts asks and answers questions using observable behavior and what can be determined as mental processes of the subject. The symbol for psychology is the Greek letter â€Å"psi† (Ø). The subject matter of psychology is, affect, behavior, and cognition. The affect for psychology is the actual mental†¦show more content†¦The Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic perspective deals with the unconscious, a possible explanation for obesity would be that the individual has an unconscious notion to eat when they are upset. Behavioral perspective or â€Å"learning perspe ctive† focuses on how people learn to behave a certain way, a behavioral psychologist would explain obesity by suggesting that consuming too much food was learned and that’s why the individual is obese. The cognitive perspective deals with information processing or how it is stored and retrieved; obesity would be explained by looking at the judgment to eat more food. Biological perspective focuses on the body’s events and the effect on behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, genetic pre-disposition would be considered when looking at obesity, â€Å"Does it run in the family?†. The humanistic emphasizes on individual potential, and assumes that all people are essentially good, obesity would be considered from a self-esteem perspective, and does the individual have such low self-esteem that food is consumed at rapid and abnormal rates. Importance of Psychology nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Psychology is important because it is relevant in our daily lives and it has practical applications in the real world. Psychology could be used to explain why an individual is sleep deprived, and it also would be able to explain what effects that sleep deprivation would have on the individual.Show MoreRelatedThe Diverse Nature Of Psychology1183 Words   |  5 PagesThe Diverse Nature of Psychology When a person is asked about what psychology means, typically the first definition heard is human behavior and then usually the mind and brain are next. While those definitions are partially true, the field of psychology is essentially an umbrella term used to describe several different subdisciplines of psychology. Some subdisciplines focus on different aspects of a person such as cognition, motivation, behaviors, personality and other subdisciplines focus theRead MoreThe Nature Of Psychology As A Discipline1714 Words   |  7 PagesIn the media we often encounter rather unfavourable portrayals of psychology, which characterize it as a â€Å"soft†, intuitive subject. It receives a lot of criticism for failing to precisely test and predict the examined phenomena. Psychology is falsely perceived by many as the pure study of the abstract, metaphysical â€Å"mind†. The ambiguity of the concept makes any scientific investigation of human behaviour questionable. However, this belief is a misconception. Although there are aspects of human behaviourRead MorePsychology and the Nature of Humanity1227 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction. The American Psychologist Association (APA) defines psychology as ‘the study of the mind and behaviour . 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It is theRead MoreThe Diverse Nature Of Psychology1200 Words   |  5 Pages The Diverse Nature of Psychology Name Institution The Diverse Nature of Psychology Introduction Psychology consists of a wide collection of diverse concepts, which influence its precise nature that includes the study of behavior and mind in different organisms. Ideally, these organisms range from the most complex to the most primitive. In essence, diversity involves recognizing the variability of characteristics, which make people unique such as their physical appearance, partnered/maritalRead MoreNature and Nurture in Psychology2076 Words   |  9 PagesWaganda Topic : Nature and nurture of Psychology Table of Contents Introduction 3 Nature and Nurture 3 The three distinctive schools of thoughts 3 Nature and our Biology 4 Nurture and our Behavior 4 Black and Whites in 17th centaury 5 Intelligence 5 Hostility 6 Nurture and the Inborn 6 Children perspective 7 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction Nature and nurture issue has its root far back in the seventeenth century when psychologist wanted to know more about psychology. Before we even startRead MoreNature of Educational Psychology3596 Words   |  15 PagesCHAPTER NO 1: NATURE OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY MEANING OF PSYCHOLOGY The word â€Å"psychology† comes form the Greek word (Psyche mean Soul, Logos mean Science), thus the meaning of Psychology is the science of soul. EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY Education in the narrow sense is the modification of behaviour of children in a controlled environment. To shape the behaviour of the subject and bring some positive or negative changes, it is necessary to study the science of behaviour. The developmentalRead MorePsychology : Nature Vs Nurture869 Words   |  4 Pages Let’s Talk About Psychology For many years, psychologists have been interested in studying human behavior and how our brains function. Psychological research has been mainly geared towards discovering parts of the brain, and the environment that influences our behavior as individuals. In other words, research aims to provide reasons why people behave the way they do, and what makes individuals different from each other. Much to the joy of experts in the field, major strides have been made in notRead MoreThe Diverse Nature of Psychology Essays919 Words   |  4 PagesThe Diverse Nature of Psychology Psychology, though a young field, is a uniquely successful one, flourishing in the twentieth century through intellectual and social expansion (Darity, 2008). From its philosophical roots to its emergence as a scientific discipline, the field of psychology has been concerned with behavior and mental processes. By its very nature, the field is diverse encompassing many subdisciplines and areas. The American Psychological Association recognizes more than 50 differentRead MoreThe Diverse Nature of Psychology Paper951 Words   |  4 PagesThe Diverse Nature of Psychology Paper Sophia Martinez Psychology 490 Capstone Course in Psychology October 5, 2011 Giselle Gourrier, Ph.D. The Diverse Nature of Psychology Paper Psychology is a discipline that has extensive implications for other areas of science while simultaneously maintaining a narrow concern for the derivation of scientific knowledge about human and non-human behavior (Stanovich, 2010). This paper is concerned with the assessment of two sub-disciplines and sub-topics