INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

THE NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY

Objectives
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. define psychology;
2. explain the major goals of psychology;
3. give a brief history of the development of psychology as a
science of human behaviour; and
4. explain the importance of psychology to a professional
teacher

Introduction

In this chapter, an attempt will be made to introduce you to the broad field of psychology.
Psychology as a discipline will be defined and the major goals of psychology
explained. We shall also discuss the historical origins of psychology. Finally, we will look
at the reason why the study of psychology can be useful to you as a teacher

The term psychology may not be new to you but your understanding of the term might
be different from that of psychologists. Psychologists define it as the scientific study of
human and animal behaviour. Behaviour here means what people do, their thoughts,
feelings, perceptions, reasoning processes, memories, emotions and so on. It
encompasses both covert (indirectly observable) and overt (directly observable)
behaviours.

As a science, psychology is empirical, that is, it is based on experimentation and

observation rather than on opinion, belief or intuition. A science is a body of systematized
knowledge that is gathered by carefully observing and measuring phenomena.
Psychologists carry out experiments and make observations, which others can repeat;
and they obtain data which others can verify. This scientific approach is different from
forming opinions on the basis of individual experiences or arguing from premises that no
one can test.

Research in psychology follows scientific procedures which involve collecting, analyzing,

and interpreting information regarding the behaviour under study. Psychology is
considered a science because it uses systematic and precise methods of observation
and measurement. Now that you have an idea of what psychology is, we will now look at
the basic goals of psychology.

Goals of Psychology

Psychology has four basic goals: to describe, explain, predict and change or modify
behaviour. In some studies psychologists attempt to describe behaviours by making
careful scientific observations. In other studies, they try to explain behaviour by
conducting experiments to determine their causes. For example, a study may be
conducted to find out why soldiers motivation to work is declining.

Psychologists use research information or findings to predict future behaviour. By

knowing the factors related to a particular behaviour, it is possible to predict when the
behaviour is likely to occur. Psychologists apply research findings to modify or change
inappropriate behaviour or circumstances. For example, by knowing that a soldier’s
performance is declining because of the lack of a conducive working environment, you
can try to improve the environment to maximize his/her performance. Nevertheless, we
can conclude by observing that the ultimate goal of psychology is to gather knowledge
for the benefit of humanity through research.

Psychologists do conduct either basic or applied research. Basic study involves the
study of theoretical issues that may or may not have real-world application. For example,
laboratory research on animals is conducted to explore new theories and advance
general scientific understanding of behaviour. Applied research on the other hand, is
conducted to solve a specific problem. It is research that uses the principles and
discoveries of psychology for practical purposes, to solve real-world problems. For
example, military psychologists conduct applied research to generate important
knowledge that can be used to improve military practices.

BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

Branch- an area of specialization

i) Developmental psychological- how people grow and change throughout their
lives
ii) Social psychology---studies the behaviour of people in groups
iii) Personality psychology- studies differences in personality
iv) Clinical psychology-diagnosis and treatment of mental abnormal behaviour
v) Counselling psychology- helps subjects cope with difficult situations
vi) Industrial psychology- deals with human factor in the work place
vii) Health psychology- relationship between psychological factors and physical
health
viii) Environmental psychology-tries to relate behaviour and our environment
ix) Biopsychology- studies the biological basis of behavior
The Origins of Psychology

How old is psychology as a formal scientific discipline? Psychology emerged as a formal

science slightly over a century ago. However, this does not imply that psychology never
existed before. Prior to the time it became a formal science; issues related to psychology
were studied as part of philosophy, sociology, and physiology.

The development of psychology as a separate discipline was stimulated by the

development of research methodology appropriate to psychological questions. Thus, it
became a separate discipline when it acquired its methods of research. The contents of
psychology have emerged from the application of these methods. We shall discuss these
methods in the subsequent section.

Psychology started as a formal discipline in the year 1879 when the first psychological
laboratory was established at the University of Leipzig by a German
philosopher/psychologist namely, Wilhelm Wundt. At about the same time, an American
– William James set up his laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These two are
considered to be the founders of experimental psychology. Through all these years,
psychology has evolved as a true science. It has also developed different
approaches/perspectives or conceptual models that have been used to study behaviour.
Each of the approaches provides a different perspective (way of explaining behaviour)
emphasizing different factors. These approaches which are also referred to as schools
of psychology will be discussed later in this course