The definition of psychology comes from the word psyche, whose meaning is spirit / soul and logos, which means treatise or study. Both conjugated words refer to the study of the soul and the spirit, however, over time, the scientific community carried out different investigations and came to the conclusion that psychology could not simply study something that is not accepted by many, that it goes beyond something ethereal like spirit and that should be taken as a science, so asking the question about what psychology is covers more than expected.

At the scientific level, the definition of psychology describes it as a science that is responsible for investigating the mind of the human being and, therefore, his behavior, objectively separating his mental state and his behavior, so that they can be explained in detail as It is the functioning of that cognitive area of the brain, to find the origin of the mental phenomena that can occur in the human being genetically or for reasons beyond its control and to elaborate a series of elements or laws that can regulate them. Psychology needs other sciences in order to understand the human mentality.

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What is psychology

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As mentioned before, it is a special science that aims to study, understand and analyze the cognitive area of the brain, that is, the mind, but it also intervenes in the behavior of humans, so it becomes quite a complex study. It is known that there are different phenomena that can alter the mental stability of a person, for this reason in many occasions the intervention of other sciences such as biology, anthropology and even genetics is necessary to help psychology understand the genesis of the problem.

For many, the meaning of what psychology is can become something basic or flat, totally ignoring how complex and broad it can become and the impact it generates in people's lives. The educational field of this science is linked to the experiences of individuals and although it is a specific study, currently it has become one of the many academic disciplines that are worth taking. There are many approaches that define this science precisely, some see it as an exploration of attention and perception.

Others study this science just to find out more about the behavior of the brain, but in the end, it uses all kinds of experimental methods and qualitative and quantitative empirical logic that allow it to deeply analyze the behavior of people. It is important to note that psychological knowledge is generally used to carry out diagnoses and treatments related to psychopathies, as is said in the history of psychology. The doctor who is in charge of treating this type of phenomena in patients is called a psychologist and plays a very particular role.

The limits between psychology, neurology and psychoanalysis are not always so marked, but that is the duty of the psychologist, knowing how to differentiate each one and using introspection and collecting data from the patient, following the respective methods. The branches of psychology are very broad and complex, as well as the types of this science, however, there are approaches that mention that no matter the branch or the type it is, the scientific methods of study in people is not the correct one for understand behavior. While others maintain that there are experiments that can be carefully measured.

Featured Definitions of Psychology

Emotion

Bullying

Sex

Gay

Love

Types of psychology

The behavior of people has been the object of study for years and not only at a generic but also specific level, each of the results has generated controversy and fascination for the world and that is why there is so much information about it. This science is divided into three important aspects that stand out in human behavior and that, in turn, helped create what we know today as the different studies of psychology. This division is outlined as follows: Cognitive, affective and behavioral psychology.

Cognitive psychology

It is based solely on the cognitive study of the human being, that is, it studies the human mind and the processes that it follows to acquire and store knowledge. Its objective is to analyze the mind taking into account learning, memory and perception, so that it can know how the concepts of things are formed in people's minds, their meaning, the use of logic and reasoning, such as they recognize and retrieve the information received through the senses. It has a close relationship with artificial intelligence and neuroscience.

Affective psychology

It is about the need to obtain affection from other people, it is something that nobody can explain first hand, but that everyone experiences at some point in their lives, this is because affection is essential for people's survival.. It takes a certain amount of affection so that the human being can start his way, from here the emotions or feelings are born. A subject without affection begins to have declines in his life and not only emotionally, but also physically. The person becomes devoid of values

Behavioral psychology

This in turn is subdivided into behavioral engineering, which is more technological and is called merely affective applications, experimental analysis of human behavior, which is known as behavioral psychology, and behaviorism, which is the study of behavior itself. Together they become a set of organizational levels that feed back and complement each other, as one cannot function without the other. Thanks to these types, a number of studies and experiments have been carried out with favorable results that many have taken as a reference.

Branches of psychology

The behaviors of a certain subject can vary too much and the same happens with the branches of this science, each one covers really broad concepts and focuses on one thing at a time. It is not at all easy to summarize its applications, however, the most important and interesting aspects of each of them can be gathered to give the reader a better understanding of this science, so that they can make a comparative study on the approaches embodied here. and have the tools and elements necessary to address any problem or psychological conflict that it presents.

Scientific psychology

It is a branch that seeks to measure all the mental aspects that a subject presents through quantitative studies, with this the relationship between the body and the mind can be established, showing that one cannot function without the other, that they are closely connected and that a failure in either of the two represents a psychological damage that is difficult to bear. The processes and mental studies that have been carried out in different parts of the world and under the approach of different scientists, have had a great advance over the years thanks to this branch.

Clinical psychology

This is clearly in charge of studying all the mental disorders that have appeared over the years. To reach a diagnosis, a psychological test is carried out, that is, a medical evaluation to rule out diseases and, if found, prescribe special drugs for effective and accurate treatment. This branch has a series of specializations, one of them is sexology, which seeks to help patients resolve conflicts with their sexuality from a psychological point of view, here problems such as psychological pregnancy and psychological violence enter.

Psychology of the education

Its main objective is to know how learning is born in people by making approaches in different education centers. If viewed in an objective way, this branch studies all the mental changes that arise in the individual when he is in educational institutions that provide him with all kinds of information. The changes are general, as you receive informational material that nourishes your mind for life. How does the human being learn? Most say they need special motivation and external elements to tell them what to learn and how to do it.

Emergency psychology

Although some mention that it is nothing more than a type of social psychology, this branch focuses on studying the stimuli and reactions of the mind in the face of catastrophes and accidents. It is another type of study that currently the psychologist must take into account because there are more and more emergency situations that arise around the world and requires a deep and special analysis. It is practically inevitable to start wondering how the mind and behavior of individuals function in the face of these types of events and, most importantly, if everyone is left with trauma.

Consumer psychology

It involves the deep analysis of a buyer's mind. What motivates you to purchase a certain item? Study if a specific marketing strategy is needed for this person to focus on a brand or the product that is about to be sold. The purchase itself, has its genesis at the moment in which the consumer pays attention to the product and is fully willing to purchase it through payment with the legal currency of the territory in which it is located. This branch only focuses on understanding the way of thinking before buying.

Educational psychology

It is a totally independent discipline because it has its own theories about how human beings learn in society, because they not only learn in educational centers but also in the street when they interact with other people. The factors that influence this are the language and even the territory. A person can be on vacation and at the same time learning about the culture of the place where he is, the customs, language, gastronomy, all this is valuable information for the subjects and is stored in memory. That is why this branch studies mental stimuli.

Business psychology

Study the mechanisms, means and tools necessary to objectively improve a person's work environment. It could be said that it is a type of social psychology because they govern or study the coexistence of people in society and this also includes the work level, since there are interactions of all kinds. This branch not only makes comparisons, but also links the reaction of the behavior of individuals with the labor knowledge learned through institutions or specific trades, so that excellent business performance can be achieved through their intervention.

Evolutionary Psychology

Also called the psychology of human development, it is in charge of analyzing the changes in people, it tries to understand all the life cycles that a person goes through over the years and the mental impact that this causes. Observe very closely how individuals change due to the experiences that life offers them and not only in positive situations, but also on a negative level. With the passage of time, people tend to let out a very different self from the previous one, leaving some thoughts and even life goals in the past.

Experimental psychology

This discipline deals with mental phenomena or disorders that can be studied in a fairly experimental way through mechanisms and tools pre-evaluated and approved by the scientific community. The experiments are based on the direct observation of a patient and how he reacts to the different stimuli and situations that the same doctors or scientists provide him, with this, they can understand first hand how a mind works with cognitive phenomena and which is the best way to treat it. Not everyone agrees to experiment with people, but this is part of behavioral study.

Child psychology

It is the direct analysis of children from the moment they are born until they reach the stage of adolescence. This branch's primary objective is to study the mental development of the little ones, see what their dominant stimuli are, how they think and even how they manage to communicate with the older ones by means of signs or babbling. Studying children has become as important as family psychology, since the behavior of parents and the pattern they generate in their children are analyzed. The emotional responses of these little ones are also being studied.

Occupational psychology

Unlike business psychology, this branch seeks to understand how people behave in a work environment, if they can work under pressure and what is their reaction to these events. It is based on the psychological understanding of individuals in companies or workplaces, if they follow a pattern or if they agree with the methods and teachings that are provided there. Are the working hours correct? Doesn't it create physical and psychological havoc? This is what this branch studies and the advances obtained have been very well accepted.

Organizational psychology

It is directly related to the business and labor classification, because it studies the behavior of people in a work environment but focuses especially on the behavior shown in front of a certain team, that is, if it can work with other subjects without any problem and what kind of rank it shows: Leader or follower. With this it is made clear that its objective is to improve the quality of life of the worker in the work environment and to promote equitably the development, learning and knowledge of people.

Transpersonal psychology

It studies the aspects of human behavior beyond the mind, that is, it encompasses spiritual elements that many leave out or completely ignore. This was the type of psychology that was studied previously, when ancient experts said that it was the study of the soul and spirit in accordance with the desires of the mind. Some take it as something psychic, others as one of the fundamental branches of this science, the truth is that it continues to be the object of study and that the results have been quite favorable for scientists specialized in this area.

Latest definitions of Psychology

Catharsis

Trauma

Filia

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Sensuality

Responsibility

Study psicology

At the decisive moment of choosing a university career, some strongly consider studying psychology because it is one of the most beautiful careers in the world. Studying the behavior of people and finding their direct relationship with the mind can be complicated, but once it is understood, students and soon professionals find a different way of seeing life and directly at people. Studying this career, not only is it possible to provide psychological help to those who need it most, the professional also receives feedback with the information received from patients.

The psychology books are excellent to start expanding knowledge concerning this science. The psychology faculty of the different universities in the world have everything necessary for the student to learn all aspects of this science and to be able to provide psychological help later. If there is something that psychologists of the past and those who marked a before and after in the history of psychology had, it was a special and embodied vocation. Wilhelm Wundt, for example, was one of the forerunners of this science and added the study of consciousness to this science.

Also including its relationships, elements and experimental methods. On the other hand is the famous Sigmund Freud, who developed all the study methods of psychoanalysis. The latter is one of the therapeutic methods for treating neurosis disturbances through the analysis of mental processes. Another of the precursors of psychology is JB Watson, who gave the first advances of behaviorism. Combined with field and form theory and the study of psychoanalysis, what is known today as modern psychology is formed.

Each of them traced the path for people to study psychology, without them, nothing that is known about this science would have been externalized. In fact, thanks to all its advances, today there is the day of the psychologist. Now, to consolidate everything that has been mentioned previously, 3 important aspects of this career should be mentioned: Its study methodology, modernity and classical elements.

Study methodology in psychology

The general rule to study this science is based on correlational, descriptive and experimental methods. The first is nothing more than an association of variables, that is, the observation of different mental phenomena. The second is based on the description of the mental phenomenon as it is generated. The conventional psychologist and the psychology faculty of different universities use this method very often. Finally, the third element or method, as its name indicates, is about experimental studies that look for the cause and consequence relationship by directly evaluating a person.

Study classical psychology

It is a direct study of personality and is based on one of the models of psychopathy. Studying this psychology is very interesting, in fact, there are psychologists online who evaluate people's personalities through some very effective tests or special studies. In this study, all the results of the research of precursors of psychology are taken into account and put into practice following a series of mechanisms, elements and basic instructions.

Study modern psychology

It is based on the analysis of people's experiences and behaviors, it is more experimental than the previous one and this is seen in the practices carried out throughout the career. Studying this type of psychology makes it possible to predict the future behaviors of the individual and explain their habitual behavior, whether or not they have a mental phenomenon. Once these behaviors are learned, a way is sought to help regulate them before the damage is totally irreversible and uncontrollable.

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