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Understanding Psychology
Sagun Lohala
1. Define and Introduce Psychology
Terminologies Used in Psychology
Behavior
 It is an activity, anything we do is a behavior.
 It is how someone acts.
 It is what a person does to make something happen, to make something change or to
keep things the same.
 It is also a response to a stimulus or to things that are happening:
 Internally - thoughts and feelings
 Externally - the environment, including other people
Stimulus
 It is anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change. The plural of stimulus
is stimuli.
 Stimuli can be external or internal.
 An example of external stimuli is your body responding to a medicine.
 An example of internal stimuli is your vital signs changing due to a change in the
body.
Cognition
 It is defined as ‘the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and
understanding through thought, experience, and the senses’
 It refers to a range of mental processes relating to the acquisition (acquiring), storage,
manipulation, and retrieval (recovery) of information.
Conditioning
 The acquiring of specific pattern of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli.
Response:
 Reaction to something. Behavior shown by the person towards the stimuli. E.g.
answer to a question.
Reinforcement:
 It is the act of encouragement that bring change or modification in the behavior.
Introduction to Psychology
 Psychology is derived from two words that is psycho-mind and logy- study. So,
psychology is the study of mind. Psychology is scientific study of human behavior
and mental processes.
 It is the science of experience and purposive behavior of individuals who process the
relevant information from the environment for satisfactory adjustment.
 The behavior of an individual is not like that of a machine which is pre-set to react to
incoming stimuli.
Definition to Psychology
 Psychology is a science which aims to give us better understanding and control of the
behavior of the organism as a whole
-William Mc Dougall 1949
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 Psychology is a science of behavior. (taking into account the human as well as animal
behavior)
-J. B. Watson
Objectives of Psychology
 To describe the human behavior
 To understand human behavior
 To find answers to questions about the nature of human behavior
 To explain, predict, modify and improve the lives of the people.
History and Origin of Science of Psychology
 Did not emerge as a separate discipline until the late 1800s,
 Earliest history can be traced back to the time of the early Greeks
 In 17th-century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes introduced the idea of
dualism, which asserted that the mind and body were two entities that interact to form
the human experience
Emergence as a Separate Discipline
 In mid-1800s, a German physiologist, Wilhelm Wundt was using scientific research
methods to investigate reaction times.
 He published a book named Principles of Physiological Psychology in 1874, which
outlined major connections between the science of physiology and the study of human
thought
 Later, he opened the world's first psychology lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig.
The official start of psychology as a separate and distinct scientific discipline
 Wundt early work in psychology helped set the stage for future experimental methods
 Structuralism Becomes Psychology's First School of Thought which was found by
Edward B. Titchener, one of Wundt's most famous students
 According to the structure lists, human consciousness could be broken down into
smaller parts
 Because of methods of study which were unreliable, limiting, and subjective
structuralism essentially died with death of Titchener in 1927,
 The Functionalism of William James Psychology flourished in America during the
mid- to late-1800s.
 William James, one of the major American psychologists published his classic
textbook, The Principles of Psychology, which established him as the father of
American psychology.
 The book became the standard text in psychology and his ideas eventually served as
the basis for a new school of thought known as functionalism.
Nature of Psychology
1. Psychology is an empirical science -it is based on facts, evidences and research. So
the psychological study is based scientific principles.
2. Psychology is universally applicable- laws of psychological study is well organized
and proved to be true at all times and places.
3. Psychology is independent science- it is separate from the other sciences. It focuses
on the study of mind of the individuals
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4. Psychology is verified- psychology are related to facts and it is proved and verified.
Thus its results will be similar or same even examined by many examiners.
5. Psychology is applied sciences- psychology is directly related to the individuals’ state
of mind. It focuses on how person reacts, perceives, thinks, decides etc. and the
behavior of the individual. Thus, while dealing with the person, knowledge of
psychology is applied
6. Psychology can predict- psychology helps to predict human nature, their expected
behavior as it studies mental process as well as behavior.
2. Methods of Studying Psychology
1. Observation Method
2. Experimental Method
3. Survey Method
4. Test Method
5. Case History/ Case Study or Clinical Method

A. Observation Method
 Also called the method of objective observation
 Behavior of a certain individual is observed by somebody other than that of himself
or herself
 Allows collection of data by means of observing behavior which may be expressed in
the form of bodily changes, bodily action, gestures, and facial expression & speech
 The mental processes of other persons can be inferred through observation of their
behavior.
Types of Observation Method
 Natural Observation
 Participant- Observation
 Non-participant Observation
 Structure Observation
 Unstructured Observation
Guidelines for Good Observation
 Observation of one person at a time for more attention to allow collection of
comprehensive data
 Develop a criteria for observation to guide the observer which character should be
observed
 It should be made over a period of time to learn about true behavior of the person
 For more valid report, observation should be done in natural setting
 For accurate report of observation, facts should be recorded immediately
 Better to have two or more observer
 Observation should be made in favorable condition from where observer can observe
the person more clearly
 For conclusion, data obtained from observation should be integrated with other data
Steps of Observation Method
1. Observation of the behavior:
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Behavior of the individual under study is observed.

2. Recording the behavior observed
Observed behavior should be noted and recorded immediately after observation
3. Analysis and interpretation of behavior
Behavior should be analyzed and interpreted objectively and scientifically
4. Generalization:
The data after analysis and interpretation should be generalized afterward
Advantages of Observation Method
 It is simple, economical, natural, as well as flexible method
 It is very useful in the study of children and animals
 It does not require any special tool or equipment
 It is adaptable both to individual and group observation
 Lack of natural behavior when people know that they are being observed, so natural
behavior cannot be studied
 Observer bias because of personal interest and attitude of the observer
 Recording of behavior may be misinterpreted due to wrong perception of the observer
 It reveals only overt or expressed behavior but not the hidden or unexpressed behavior
 Possibly ethical difficulties due to not taking consent from participants
 It requires qualified and experienced person
B. Survey Method
 A method used for collecting data from a group of respondents to gain information
and insights on various topics of interest.
 It involves asking questions to people to collect information through a set of
questionnaires, that can be distributed on paper, or with use of digital media such as
social networks
 It allows to get ideas about the attitude, beliefs and behavior of people
Advantages
 High Representativeness: allows collection of data from people with near exact
characteristics of the large population
 Cost effective: Expenses are on production of questionnaires only, there will be no
expenses for the interviewer
 Good Statistical Significance: Data can be collected from large sample size which
includes high representativeness and multiple variables can be analyzed effectively
with survey method.
 Variable Methods: Data can be collected with various methods like internet email,
Viber, messenger
Disadvantages
 The questions made for data collection cannot be changed which makes the method
inflexible
 It is not suitable for personal issues- questions with personal issues might not be
answered precisely by the respondents
 Respondents may not feel comfortable with the questions that present themselves in
an unfavorable manner
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 Respondents may not be aware fully of their reasons for the questions asked in
questionnaire because of lack of interest and boredom.
 Survey with closed ended questions may have a lower validity rate than other
question types
 Survey question answer options could lead to unclear data because certain answer
options may be interpreted differently by respondents.
C. Test Method
 In psychology, these are tests that are used for learning about various aspects of
behavior, like attitude, interests, abilities, intelligence, adjustment, personality and
others.
 These tests are administered for a wide variety of reasons, from diagnosing
psychopathology, e.g. personality disorder, depressive disorder to screening job
candidates
Examples of Psychological Tests
 Achievement and ability tests: It measures the level of a child’s intellectual
functioning and cognitive ability.
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales

 Personality Tests: These are used to evaluate the

thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behavioral traits that
comprises personality (Thematic Apperception Test)
 Aptitude Test: used to measure aptitude. Aptitude is combination of inborn capacities
and developed abilities, skills etc. that makes the person what he is at any given time
and predicts what may become.
 These tests are used in industry to inform decisions about hiring, placement, and
advancement, are often used in selection procedures for college, professional
programs, and career planning.
Advantages
 Helps in problem solving as the information obtained from tests is objective-not just
the opinion of a psychologist or a patient’s friends and family
 The information gained is objective in nature not the information only taken from
families and relatives
 These are suitable method for checking and evaluating student’s knowledge and skills
 Provides opportunity for self-study and self-evaluation
 It is quite difficult to lie in psychological tests
 Information can be taken more easily rather than from interviews.
 The test result is scientifically consistent that cannot be found in clinical interviews.
More helpful in legal situations
Disadvantages
 Requires clinically trained examiners
 These tests cannot be used as a sole basis for a diagnosis
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 Cultural and language differences among children may affect test performance and
may result in inaccurate test results
D. The Case History
 It is an investigation into an individual circumstance
 It might be investigation of a single person, business, event, or group.
 It involves collecting in-depth data about the individual entity through the use of
several collection methods
 Uses interview and observation as the most common tool for data collection
 One of the most recent and challenging methods of studying behavior.
 Used often by clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers in child guidance
clinics or mental hygiene clinics.
 Used when it is difficult to understand the causes and sources of people tears, anxiety,
worries, obsessions, and their personal feelings along with vocational and social
maladjustments
Characteristics of Clinical Method
 It is applicable to an individual with some problems of adjustment
 Methods of both diagnosis and treatment are involved in dealing with these problems
 This method is almost at seeking the maximum in adjustment welfare of the disturbed
person
Advantages
 Provides opportunities for in-depth study and information collection about the patient,
this method deals with each individual as each patient is taken as a single unit
 Provides insight about the causes of the problem and suggests possible solution
 It shows cause and effect relationship regarding changes in the patient’s condition
 It is suitable for special learning disabilities as each individual is separately handled
 It helps in personality adjustment
 It is useful for intensive investigation and diagnosis of illness
Disadvantages
 It is costly method
 Requires trained person for collection of data
 It is length in nature as one case is to be studied for longer duration
 This method depends largely on memory of incidents, which may have been
misinterpreted and observed inaccurately
 There is lack of verification of data
 There is lack of validity and reliability of data
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E. Experimental Method

 The word experiment comes from a Latin word meaning “to try” or “to put to test”.
 In psychology, experimental study is used to study the cause and effect relationship
regarding the nature of human behavior (e.g. the effect of anxiety on behavior).
Essential Features
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Steps of Experimental Method

 Stating the problem
 Formulation of hypothesis
 Find out the independent and dependent variable
 Arranging the environment
 Analysis of the result
 Summarize and conclude
Essential Features

Advantages of Experimental Method

 It follows scientific principles
 Replication and repetition can be done
 Finds out cause and effect relationship
 Data is reliable and verifiable
Disadvantages of Experimental Method
 All problems of psychology cannot be studied
 Costly
 Time consuming
 Fails to study behavior in natural condition
 Experiments may harm the subjects
F. Genetic and Developmental Method
 Most of our behaviors are the result of earlier experiences. In some cases when we
need to understand some behavior we need to know their developmental aspects also
 Developmental psychology explains how thinking, feeling, and behaviors changes
throughout life.
 It involves a range of fields, including educational psychology, child
psychopathology, forensic developmental psychology, child development, cognitive
psychology, ecological psychology, and cultural psychology.
Advantages
 Helps in treatment
 Helps to identify the associated problems
 Helps to assess genetic or hereditary influences on behavior
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 Developmental studies allows greater accuracy of the data.

 It allows study of same person over a longer period of time which helps in identifying
changes in development
 Allows comparison of the changes throughout the study period
 High level of validity of the data
Disadvantages
 Time consuming in nature
 Needs good research basis
 As this method is longitudinal studies it involve the same subjects over a long period,
so some might feel bored and leave the study in between
 Personal bias might affect over the data reliability. It might occur from the days of
data collection to the days of data analysis and interpretation
 It is expensive as should be conducted for longer duration
G. Correlational Method
 It refers to relationship between two variables.
 Might be strong or weak or as well as positive or negative in nature
 The study variables might have no relationship as well
 It involves looking at relationships between two or more variables
Types of Correlational Studies
1. Naturalistic Observation
2. The Survey Method
3. Archival Research
Advantages
 Allows collection of data much more than experiments
 The result obtained is more applicable to everyday life as it takes place outside of the
lab
 Allows researcher to determine the strength and direction of a relationship so that
later studies can narrow the findings down and, if possible, determine causation
experimentally
Disadvantages
 It only uncovers a relationship, it cannot provide a conclusive reason for why there is
a relationship
 The correlative finding does not reveal which variable influences the other. For
example, finding that wealth correlates highly with education does not explain
whether having wealth leads to more education or whether education leads to more
wealth
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3. Factors influencing human behavior

Physiological Factors
Bio-chemical and neuro-
anatomical factors
Hormonal factors
Human Behavior Heredity/ Genetic Factors

Environmental Factors

Physiological Factors
 These are things related to physical body that effects on the thinking process. It
emphasize on the influence of bodily factors on human behavior such as hormonal
level, sense organs, nervous system, muscles and glands underlying all behavior.
 Fatigue, hunger, mood, health status, cognitive impairment, and sensory functioning
are some of the events that may increase the risk of agitation or an aggressive
response
Examples
 Pain: Infectious conditions can cause pain for example, urinary tract infection which
can cause cognitive impairment which may go undetected because of inability of the
patient to verbally express discomfort. Other sources of such pain are heartburn,
arthritis, etc.
 Sensory and perceptual deficits: Vision impairment and loss of hearing can cause
agitation and aggression leading to increased confusion and altered perception of the
dangerous situation. Sometimes accidents might result to perceptual disturbances
which would result to violent behavior
Environmental Factors
 It is major factor for molding the behavior of an individual. It can make direct impact
on the psychological state of the child. For instance, child brought up in conflict can
lose confidence and always feel insecure in future
 It includes
 Physical environment
 Psychosocial environment
 Intrauterine environment
Physical Environment
 The surrounding where people live can make both positive and negative impact on the
psychological state of mind. The lights, success to nature, color, indoor air quality,
noise, thermal comfort, etc.
 Access to nature and green environments allows better cognitive functioning and
makes the person more self-disciplined and impulse control
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4. Branches of Psychology

A. Pure Psychology
Pure psychology is known as the fundamental or pure psychology which focuses on
discovering “why” and “how” of human behavior. The main goal is to gain a deeper
understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive human behavior.
 Theories and findings from basic psychology inform the development of applied
psychology
 This branch of psychology studies the ways and means of carrying out psychological
experiments by using scientific methods.
 It studies the factors that influence the growth and development of human behavior.
 It describes the behavior of an individual from birth to old age.
 It is divided into physiological psychology and abnormal psychology

B. Applied Psychology
It focuses on the practical use of psychological knowledge, theories, and techniques to
address real-life issues. The main goal is to use psychological knowledge and methods to
improve individual’s and organization’s functioning and well-being.
 It works in various settings, such as schools, hospitals, businesses, and government
bodies.
 It provides a way to test and validate basic psychological theories and methods
General Psychology
It is associated with a large field of psychology which establish the basic principles of
human behavior. It studies the activity of human being, such as attention, perception,
memory, thinking, intelligence, aptitude and their principles, theories and fundamental rules
underlying them. It constitutes the basic for all other branches and application and helps to
specialization and makes for rapid progress in knowledge
Clinical Psychology
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It involves application of the principle and theories of abnormal psychology in the

diagnosis and treatment of emotional and behaviors under clinical setup, such as mental
disorder, alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency and so on. Group therapy, behavioral therapy,
family therapy and so on which are provided during treatment of mental illness and for
modification of behavior is possible by means of clinical psychology.
This branch of psychology describes the causes of mental illness, abnormal behavior
of patient and suggests treatment and effective adjustment of the affected person. It is the
scientific study, diagnosis and treatment of people who have psychological problems in
adjusting to themselves and to the surrounding environment.
Social Psychology
Human beings are social beings who live in presence of other people in their surrounding
where they interact with each other in varying setting and in varying ways. This branch of
psychology studies the individual in the context of the society to which he belongs. The
primary focus is to understand how individuals are affected by other people. It includes the
study of the ways in which we perceive other people and how those perceptions affect our
behavior towards them.
It studies the way in which the individual become a member of society and how they
function in a social performance, form the subject matter of this branch.
Developmental Psychology
According to Elizabeth B Hurlock, “Developmental psychology is the branch of
psychology that studies the development of human being from conception to death. “
It explains why people change over the course of his/ her life. Developmental
psychology also looks and compares innate mental structures against learning through
experience. For example, children are unable to speak at birth but they are thought to be born
with language acquisition device- an ability to acquire language.
It is the pattern of progressive orderly and predictable changes that begin at conception
and continue throughout the human life span.
While going to the root for development of any specific behavior, there is better
understanding of developmental psychology. Such behavioral changes are more during early
stages of life, that is “Child Psychology” but the changes are also possible in other stages of
life like in adolescence, adulthood and old age.
Child Psychology
This branch focuses on the mind and behavior of children from prenatal development
through adolescence. It deals with not only how children grow physically but also their
mental abilities, emotional stability and social development. It allows to gain insight of child
world and ways to mold the behavior in socially acceptable manner.

There are many other branches of applied psychology.

 Educational psychology
 Occupational psychology
 Health psychology
 Counselling psychology
 Community psychology
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Interaction between Environment and Conscience, Willpower, Incentive and security

Environment and Conscience
 Conscience is associated with ability to make judgement about right or wrong for the
behavior
 Such judgement of an individual is learnt from the parents, teachers, and seniors and
from the social values and norms.
 For example: I don’t want to bit the dog, my conscience does not allows me to do so.

My conscience
does not allow me
to bit animals who
cannot express
themselves

Environment and Willpower

 Willpower is one of the major factor for individual’s behavior. The wiliness to do
good will force towards specific behavior. For instance, if a person is willing to avoid
specific behavior of alcohol consumption and smoking, they might tend to stop that.
 The surrounding environment is a factor that develop willingness in the individual.
Environment and Incentive
 Incentive is associated with the money value provided to the student for motivating
them.
 The scholarship provided to the students for securing good marks in exam motivates
students to study more.
Environment and Security
 Security means sense of protection, assurance, confidence and self-worth.
 If an individual feels secure with any action, they will show such behavior repeatedly.
 For example, saving for the future is one such action where an individual feels secure
and so does it.
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 Environment in the surrounding provides the opportunity to establish security

Branches of Psychology

Pure Psychology Applied Psychology

Pure Psychology
 Pure psychology is known as the fundamental or pure psychology.
 It focuses on discovering “why” and “how” of human behavior.
 The main goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms that
drive human behavior.
 Theories and findings from basic psychology inform the development of applied
psychology
 This branch of psychology studies the ways and means of carrying out psychological
experiments by using scientific methods.
 It studies the factors that influence the growth and development of human behavior.
 It describes the behavior of an individual from birth to old age.
 It is divided into physiological psychology and abnormal psychology
Applied Psychology
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 It focuses on the practical use of psychological knowledge, theories, and techniques to

address real-life issues.
 The main goal is to use psychological knowledge and methods to improve individuals
and organization’s functioning and well-being.
 It works in various settings, such as schools, hospitals, businesses, and government
bodies.
 It provides a way to test and validate basic psychological theories and methods
General Psychology
 It is associated with a large field of psychology which establish the basic principles of
human behavior.
 It studies the activity of human being, such as attention, perception, memory,
thinking, intelligence, aptitude and their principles, theories and fundamental rules
underlying them.
 This branch of psychology constitutes the basic for all other branches and application
 It helps specialization and makes for rapid progress in knowledge
Clinical Psychology
 Involves application of the principle and theories of abnormal psychology in the
diagnosis and treatment of emotional and behaviors under clinical setup, such as
mental disorder, alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency and so on.
 Treatment such as group therapy, behavioral therapy, family therapy and so on are
provided by means of clinical psychology
Social Psychology
 It studies the individual in the context of the society to which he belongs.
 It studies the way in which the individual become a member of and functions in a
social performance, form the subject matter of this branch.
Developmental Psychology
 According to Elizabeth B Hurlock, “ Developmental psychology is the branch of
psychology that studies the development of human being from conception to death
 It is the pattern of progressive orderly and predictable changes that begin at
conception and continue throughout the human life span.
Mind and Body Relationship
 Mind and body are inseparable, both are required for survival
 Each act on or influence each other
 Healthy body would lead to healthy mind and vice versa.
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 There is concept of monism and dualism

 Monism believes that mind and body are not distinct
 Dualism believes that mind and body are two different units which are associated with
each other
Mind and Body Dualism
 Human beings have weight and solid structures composed of solid, liquid and gases.
 Other non-living solid materials like rocks, but the human structure is consist of the
mind as well.
 The presence of mind is vivid with the judgements and the reasoning.
 Descartes was the first person who argues that there is a two-way interaction
between mental and physical substances.
 Descartes argued that the mind interacts with the body at the pineal gland.
 It proposes that the mind controls the body, but that the body can also influence the
otherwise rational mind, such as when people act out of passion.
According to Descartes mind is different from body as:
 Mind experiences sensations that cannot be explained mechanically.
 Mind does not exist in physical space like the brain does.
 The mind is a necessary whole, it cannot be divided or replicated in the same way that
a physical object can.

Nervous System and the body Relation

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 It’s made up of brain, spinal cord and nerves. It works by sending messages, or
electrical signals, between brain and all the other parts.
 Neurons are used to send signals, or messages, all over body. These electrical signals
travel among brain, skin, organs, glands and muscles.
 The messages help to move limbs and feel sensations, like pain. Sense organs and the
nerves all over body take in information about the environment. Then, nerves carry
that data to and from brain.

Effect of Stress and Thought on Body

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 Mind experiences sensations that cannot be explained mechanically.

 Mind does not exist in physical space like the brain does.
 The mind is a necessary whole, it cannot be divided or replicated in the same way that
a physical object can.

Effect of Stress on body

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Indicator Signs and symptoms

Physical

Circulatory system Increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, tightness of chest

Respiratory system Tachypnea

Headache, migraines, insomnia, fatigue, restlessness, tremor,

Endocrine system
sweating, dry mouth

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,

Gastrointestinal Weight gain or loss
system Change in appetite/ Constipation
Gastrointestinal bleeding

Musculo-skeletal Backache, muscle ache,

system Slumped posture, increased muscle tension in neck

Reproductive system Amenorrhea, failure to ovulate

Immunological system Frequent or prolonged colds/ flu

Indicator Signs and symptoms

Psychological

Poor concentration, forgetfulness, denial

Decreased activity, slower thinking, reactions
Cognitive
Learning difficulties, difficulties in calculation
Apathy / Confusion

Disruption of logical thinking, blaming others

Emotional Lack of motivation to get up in the morning/ loss of motivation
Crying tendencies, lack of interest, irritability

Behavioral / Life Worry, decreased involvement with others

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cycle

Burnout Change in activity level

Withdrawal, suspiciousness
Loss of self- Change in communication, change in interaction with others
esteem Increased or decreased food intake, higher pitches voices
Excessive humor or silence

Increased or slightly decreased temperature

Others
Dilated pupil, etc.

Importance of Psychology for Student Nurses

 It is applied science which is useful in studying mental functions, behavior and
understanding of individuals and groups.
 It is important because as a health care professional, a nurse has to interact with sick
and ill people on one side and on the other has also to interact with the relatives of the
ill people.
 Most of the time, a nurse has to interact with people coming from all walks of life.
 Patients might be experiencing a wide range of emotional, mental, and behavioral
issues.
1. Understanding Patient’s Needs
This includes not just their physical needs, but also their mental and emotional needs.
Psychology can help nurses understand how patients are feeling and what they need to
recover. For example, a patient who is feeling anxious or depressed may require more
emotional support and counseling in addition to medical treatment.
2. Effective Communication
It can help nurses communicate more effectively with their patients. By understanding
the patient’s psychological state, nurses can tailor their communication style to meet the
patient’s needs. For example, a patient who is anxious may need more reassurance and
explanation, while a patient who is feeling depressed may need more encouragement and
motivation.
3. Managing Stress and Burnout
Nursing can be a stressful and demanding profession, and many nurses experience
burnout at some point in their careers. Psychology can help nurses manage stress and prevent
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burnout by teaching those coping strategies and stress-management techniques. By learning

to manage their own stress, nurses can better care for their patients and prevent burnout.
4. Treating Mental Health Issues
Many patients who require nursing care also have mental health issues such as
anxiety, depression, or substance abuse. Psychology can help nurses understand these issues
and provide more effective care. By incorporating psychological interventions into their care
plans, nurses can help patients manage their mental health and improve their overall well-
being.
5. Building Rapport with Patients
Psychology can help nurses develop this skill. By understanding the patient’s
personality and communication style, nurses can build trust and establish a positive
relationship with the patient. This can help the patient feel more comfortable and willing to
cooperate with their care plan.
6. Working as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team
Nurses work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, therapists,
and other healthcare professionals. Psychology can help nurses work effectively with other
members of the team by teaching them communication and collaboration skills. By working
together, the team can provide more comprehensive and effective care to the patient.
7. Providing Quality Nursing Care
By understanding the principles of psychology, nurses can provide better care to
patients. Knowledge of psychology helps nurses to be aware of attitudes, conflicts, positive
thinking, and crisis intervention, which all contribute to quality nursing care.
Scope of Psychology in Nursing
• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychopathology
• Biological Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Comparative Psychology
• Development Psychology
• Quantitative Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Clinical Psychology