Introduction To Psychology

Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 12
At a glance
Powered by AI
The key takeaways are that psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. It seeks to understand human behavior, thoughts, and feelings through both scientific research and practical applications.

The four goals of psychology according to the text are: 1) Describe, 2) Predict, 3) Explain behavior, 4) Controlling/changing behavior.

The four attitudes of psychology discussed in the text are: 1) Critical thinking, 2) Skepticism, 3) Curiosity, 4) Objectivity.

Introduction to

Psychology
Psychology – “Deserve It”

Session 2 – 22/02/2021

Michelle Shukri
 Defining Psychology
- The psychological frame of mind
- Psychology as the science of all human behavior

 What Psychologists do
-
-
Careers in psychology
Areas of specialization
 Psychology in Historical
Perspective
 Contemporary Approaches to - Wundt’s structuralism
Psychology - James’s functionalism
- Darwin’s natural selection
7 different approaches
 The Science of Psychology and
Health and Wellness
- How mind impacts the body
- How the body impacts the mind
What is
Psychology?
What do you think?
What is
Psychology?
● Seeks to understand the truths of human life in all its dimensions including
people’s best and worst experiences
● Scientific study of human behavior and mental processes

● Behavior: everything we can do that be directly observed


● Mental processes: the thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us
experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly
1. Describe
4 Goals of 2. Predict
Psychology 3. Explain behavior
4. Controlling/changing
behavior (using
scientific method to
4 Attitudes of Psychology examine interventions)
1. Critical thinking: reflecting deeply and actively, asking questions,
evaluating evidence  how?
2. Skepticism: challenging whether a supposed fact is true or not 
pseudoscience: information couched in scientific terminology but is
not supported by scientific research
3. Curiosity (debate and controversy)  why?
4. Objectivity  empirical method: gaining knowledge through the
observation events, the collection of data and logical reasoning
Careers in Psychology
What do you think?
Careers in
Psychology

- Undergraduate training: use expertise in human resources and business consulting and
doing casework for individuals struggling with psychological disorders

- Graduate training: working as therapists and counselors, researchers and teachers in


universities and as business consultants and marketing researchers

- Clinical psychologist vs. psychiatrist

- Clinical practice & research  Evidence-based practice


Areas of Specialization (56
divisions in APA)

● Physiological psychology ● Industrial and organizational pscyhology (personnel


● Behavioral neuroscience psychology)
● Sensation and perception ● Clinical and counseling psychology (psychopathology)
● Learning ● Health psychology
● Cognitive psychology ● Community psychology
 experimental psychologists ● School and educational psychology
● Motivation and emotion ● Environmental psychology
● Psychology and women and gender ● Forensice psychology
● Developmental psychology ● Sport psychology
● Social psychology ● Cross-cultural psychology
Psychology in Historical Perspective
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

• Most of the human behavior is caused by dark,


unpleasant, unconscious impulses clamoring for
expression.
• “I have found little that is ‘good’ about human
beings on the whole. In my experience, most of
them are trash”.
• Sexual life is the basis of all the processes of the
individual’s life.
• Unconsciousness: forgetting, lapse, dreams,
hallucination…
• The personality theory: Id, ego, superego
Psychology in Historical Perspective
Wilhem Wundt (1832-1920)

• Time lag experiment: measuring the time it took the human


brain and nervous system to translate information into action.
• WHAT is the mind is
• Structuralism: identifying the structures of the human mind
and discovering the basic elements of mental processes through
introspection relying on the person’s conscious self-reflection by
focusing on our own thoughts.
• 3 mental functioning: thoughts, images and feelings
Psychology in Historical Perspective
William James (1842-1910)

• What the mind is vs. that the mind is for


• Functionalism: functions and purposes of the mind and
the behavior in the individual’s adaptation to the
environment.
• WHY the mind is the way it is
• Mind is rigid vs. flexible and fluid  constant change in
the response to a continuous flow of information from the
world “stream of consciousness”.
Psychology in Historical Perspective
Darwin’s Natural Selection

You might also like