Hello there, Welcome to General Psychology Blog. Thanks for dropping by. :)
This site is all about the topics we had discussed in our General Psycholog with Drug Addiction Education class. It is written by Helen Grace Pasinabo, Ronalie Catalonia, Ma. Cristel Antibo and Kia Retiban, students of Carlos Hilado Memorial state College - Talisay Campus, currently taking up Bachelor of Arts in English Major in Communication. The aim is to write simply and clearly about Psychology so that anyone can understand it.
We try to dig up some information that would tell us something about what it means to be a human.
Brief Historical Background of Psychology
Psychology has brief history as an scientific discipline though it has been studied since ancient time under the faculty of philosophy. the word psychology was derived from Greek word 'psyche' and 'logos' literal meaning of which was 'soul' and 'study' respectively. The definition of psychology had ever been in the process of change since then. the development of psychology can broadly be traced into four periods: Ancient Greek period, per-modern period, modern period and current status
1. Greek period: Greek philosophers had contributed much for the development of psychology. some of the key contributors were Socrates was interested in studying the reincarnation of soul. soul or mind was considered as the representation of individuals. plato, a bright student of Socrates expanded Socrates concepts in philosophy about life and soul. it was Aristotle who wrote first book in psychology called para psyche; About the mind or soul. in the book, he introduced the basic ideas in psychology today, like law of association. However, the notion of psychology was primarily related to study of soul or mind at that stage. Later on it was found that physical existence of soul was doubtful. Also, there was controversy in defining soul and nnd among the philosopher. The contributors of the period never focused on the behavior of individual. that is why the attention was diverted from the study of soul or mind
2. Pre-modern period it was during 1800's that psychology was established as an independent discipline. it was the work of Wilhelm Wundt and William James that contributed much in the field of psychology. Wilhelm Wundt established first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany and studied different conscious experiences in t the laboratory. Wundt defined psychology as a science of consciousness or conscious experience. he proposed the Theron called structuralism; the school of psychology that tries to identify the basic elements of experience and described the basic elements of experienced and describe the rules and circumstances under which these elements combine to form mental structures.
3. Modern period: Structuralists and Functionalists were soon challenged by behaviorist like J.B Watson Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner. Behaviorists proposed that psychology should study the visible behavior which can be objectively felt and seen. These psychologists defined psychology as the science of behavior . they considered abstract concepts like mind and consciousness ans unnecessary to study. The definition of psychology proposed by behaviorists also had certain limitations. They only focused o observable behaviors and ignored the role of mental processes. Also, they undermined the role of unconscious mind and heredity in behavior. This is why this definition was modified
4.Current Definition: As have been mentioned earlier, the definitions of psychology proposed in different periods were not complete in highlighting the subject matter of psychology. that is why in modern days psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental or cognitive processes. this definition comprises there things: psychology is science, it studies behavior and it studies mental process.
Definition of Psychology
1. Greek period: Greek philosophers had contributed much for the development of psychology. some of the key contributors were Socrates was interested in studying the reincarnation of soul. soul or mind was considered as the representation of individuals. plato, a bright student of Socrates expanded Socrates concepts in philosophy about life and soul. it was Aristotle who wrote first book in psychology called para psyche; About the mind or soul. in the book, he introduced the basic ideas in psychology today, like law of association. However, the notion of psychology was primarily related to study of soul or mind at that stage. Later on it was found that physical existence of soul was doubtful. Also, there was controversy in defining soul and nnd among the philosopher. The contributors of the period never focused on the behavior of individual. that is why the attention was diverted from the study of soul or mind
2. Pre-modern period it was during 1800's that psychology was established as an independent discipline. it was the work of Wilhelm Wundt and William James that contributed much in the field of psychology. Wilhelm Wundt established first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany and studied different conscious experiences in t the laboratory. Wundt defined psychology as a science of consciousness or conscious experience. he proposed the Theron called structuralism; the school of psychology that tries to identify the basic elements of experience and described the basic elements of experienced and describe the rules and circumstances under which these elements combine to form mental structures.
3. Modern period: Structuralists and Functionalists were soon challenged by behaviorist like J.B Watson Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner. Behaviorists proposed that psychology should study the visible behavior which can be objectively felt and seen. These psychologists defined psychology as the science of behavior . they considered abstract concepts like mind and consciousness ans unnecessary to study. The definition of psychology proposed by behaviorists also had certain limitations. They only focused o observable behaviors and ignored the role of mental processes. Also, they undermined the role of unconscious mind and heredity in behavior. This is why this definition was modified
4.Current Definition: As have been mentioned earlier, the definitions of psychology proposed in different periods were not complete in highlighting the subject matter of psychology. that is why in modern days psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental or cognitive processes. this definition comprises there things: psychology is science, it studies behavior and it studies mental process.
Definition of Psychology
Psychology is derived from the Greek words "Psyche"and "Logos" meaning Soul and Study. To Greeks, psychology is simply a study of soul.
Different authors define Psychology in different ways but in 1990, Feldman defines Psychology as the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.Scientific because it uses steps in a scientific method in its quest to understand why a person behaves in a certain manner. It is systematic and empirical and it is dependent upon measurements. A scientific method generally follows the following steps:
1. Identification of the Problem
2. Formulation of Hypothesis
3. Gathering of Data
4. Interpretation and Analysis of Data
5. Generalization of Conclusion
Psychology is concerned with the way we behave as in individuals as well as in groups;it is concerned with the way we act, the way we feel, as well as the way we think; and is concerned with our interaction with the physical worl as well as our interaction with others.
Psychology seeks to describe, explain, predict, modify and explore behaviors.
There are Four Major Goals of Psychology:
1.To describe Human thoughts and behavior
2.To explain why these behaviors occur
3. To predict how, why and when these behavior will occur again in the future
4. To modify and improve behaviors to better the lives of individual and society as a whole.
The objectives of Psychology are to lear about the minds subconscious, the mind consciousness, looking at the way the mind functions with the memory and emotion and reasons for human behavior.
Importance of Psychology
One question concerns the importance of Psychology. Why is the field of psychology important? There may be at least three reasons why psychology is important.
1. Self-Knowledge
Learning 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
When you study psychology, you will cover a range of areas including behavioural neuroscience, personalty theory, social influences on the behaviour of indviduals and groups, forensic psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, memory, attention, intelligence, sensory processes and perception, research methods and theories of learning and motivation.
Psychology is rich and fascinating and touches on every single aspect of who we are. By studying psychology, you can learn more about who you are as an individual including your own development, personality, thoughts, and behaviors.
Psychology can also provide a basis for better understanding other people. By knowing what makes people tick and what motivates them, you will be able to gain greater insight into what makes people do the things they do. Psychology can make you a better communicator,a better leader, and even a better friend. What you do with your knowledge is really up to you!
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://psychology.about.com/video/Overview-of-Early-Psychology.htm
References:
1. http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/fl/Introduction-to-Psychology.htm
2. http://www.psych.usyd.edu.au/future_students/psychology_overview.shtml
3. https://generalpsychology.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/what-is-psychology/
4. http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/f/psychfaq.htm
5. http://www.spring.org.uk/get-the-latest-from-psyblog
6. http://psychology-hari.blogspot.com/2012/01/brief-historical-background-of.html
7. http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/tp/facts-about-psychology.htm
8. http://www.ask.com/world-view/objectives-psychology-f8e21f396a9084a8
9. http://www.psychologyandsociety.com/psychologyimportance.html
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