WHAT IS

PSYCHOLOGY?
Psychology as a Science 
Laymen Understanding…
• Magic
• Reading Mind
• Hypnotism
• Supernatural Events
• Astrology
• Numerology
• Palmistry
• Gemology
• Tarot Cards
• Crystal Gazing
 What is Psychology?

• The term psychology comes from the

Greek roots psyche meaning soul or mind
and logos meaning word or study.
 Definition of Psychology…

• Systematic and scientific study of human

and animal behavior
- Morgan and King (1986)
• Why do we study behaviour and not
mind/thoughts or feelings?
• Because behaviour is:
– Observable
– Recordable
– Unlike mind/thoughts/feelings behaviour
can be seen or heard.
• E.g. of behaviour

–The person smoking/drinking.

–Children playing or fighting among

themselves

–Students wishing their teachers.

–Monkey asking to eat in zoo.
–Dog barking to strangers but not to
family members.
–Birds flocking together.
 Certain Crucial questions answered in
psychology are-

• Why an individual behaves in a

particular way?
• Why there are individual differences in
the behaviour?
• How can I understand ones behaviour?

• Can we predict an individuals behaviour?

• Can we control an individuals behaviour?

• Description
• Understanding
• Prediction &
• Control of Behaviour
(4 goals)
 History…

• As old as man on this earth

• Western history dates to Greek civilization

• Aristotle’s book “Peri-psyche”.

• Psyche means ‘soul’

 History…

• Soul is seen as non-physical entity.

• Hints that soul moves across people, birth and

things

• Psychology (Psyche: soul; Logos: Study)

 History…

• Modern era: 17th century philosopher Rene

Descartes

• Distinguished ‘mind’ and ‘matter’ or ‘physical’

and ‘mental’
 History….
• He regarded that physical science should
matter (physical substance or material) and
mental sciences should reflect on study of
mind.

• Psychology recognized as ‘study of mind’

 History…
• 18th century: EB Titchner & William James
• Describe psychology as ‘Study of
consciousness’. Means sense of awareness
about oneself about oneself and about
things around.
• Structuralism
– Study of structure of consciousness
Structuralism—Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt:
Physiologist and Philosopher
Founded the first experimental psychology
laboratory in 1879—Leipzig Lab.
Argued that the mind must be studied
objectively and scientifically.
Main concern was with techniques used for
uncovering natural laws of the human mind
 Structuralism--Titchener
Student of the Leipzig lab
Viewed that human conscious experience
could be understood by breaking it down into
components:
 Physical sensations (lights & sounds)
 Affections of feelings
 Images (memory and dreams)
Psychology’s role is to identify these elements
and show how they are combined within the
conscious mind.
 Problems with Structuralism

This group of Psychologists used a

technique called Introspection which was
a process of self-examination where the
person described and analyzed thoughts as
they occurred.
 The Next Evolution
• Functionalism is the second perspective to emerge,
founded by William James.

• They studied how and why the mind functions.

• This perspective broadened the scope of psychology

and applied psychology to practical settings.

• This perspective still focused on consciousness but

began to examine overt behavior, not just mental
processes.
 Functionalism—William James

Theory of mental life and behavior that is

concerned with how an organism uses its
perceptual abilities to function in its
environment.
The Next Evolution: Psychoanalysis—
Sigmund Freud
•Medical Doctor/Neurologist
•Studied hypnosis and found the
“unconscious”
•Published The Interpretation of Dreams
•Believed that much of our behavior is
governed by hidden motives and unconscious
desires.
•Maintained that many unconscious desires
and conflicts are sexual.
•Believed that childhood experiences
determined adult personality.
 Psychoanalysis—Neo-Freudians

• Carl Jung
• Alfred Adler
• Erik Erikson
• Karen Horney
Believed in the basics of psychoanalysis, but
strayed from some of Freud’s ideas on sexual
desires
 The Next Evolution….

• Behaviorism: JB Watson

• Science of Behavior

• Behaviors are ‘observable and measurable

actions’
 Behaviorism—John Watson
• Definition: School of psychology that studies only observable
and measurable behavior.
• John Watson:
– You cannot define conscious any more than you can define a
soul.
– You cannot locate or measure consciousness, and therefore it
cannot be the object of scientific study.
– Studies observable, measurable behavior and nothing more.
– Watson’s Experiment with Little Albert and the white rats
(happy 11 month old conditioned to be afraid of white rats)
– Mary Cover Jones (1924) eliminating fears through
conditioning (Peter Experiment)
Behaviorial—B.F. Skinner
Agreed with Watson that psychology
should be only observable and measurable
behavior

Reinforcement: anything that follows a

response and makes that response more
likely to occur.

Example:
Behavior: you get an “A” on the first
Psych test
Reinforcer: Your parents give you
Rs.1000
Result: You strive to get an “A” on all
other Psych tests, hoping for the same
reinforcer.
 Woodworth’s Quote….

• “First psychology lost its soul, then it lost its

mind, much later it lost its consciousness, and
it is now left with a behavior of a kind”
 Definition of Psychology…

• Systematic and scientific study of human and

animal behavior
- Morgan and King (1986)
Why do we have so many
types of psychologists?
Psychologists have different ways
of looking at the same problem,
which is why there are so many
sub-fields of psychology
 Psychological Perspectives
• Psychologists have different ways of looking at
behavior…

– Psychoanalytic perspective
– Behaviorist perspective
– Humanistic perspective
– Cognitive perspective
– Biopsychology perspective
– Social psychological perspective

See p. 12
 Psychoanalytic Perspective
• This is one of the most well-known psychological
perspectives in history developed by Sigmund
Freud.

• Freud believed that emotional problems are due to

anxiety from unresolved conflicts that reside in
unconscious
 Psychoanalytic Theory

• Free association and dream interpretation were

developed technique to explore the unconscious
processes
• Freud’s theories were the first to suggest that our
childhood experiences impact our adult behaviors
 Think on your own…
Do childhood experiences affect adult
life?

What are some childhood experiences that

you feel have shaped who you are now as
an adult?
 Behaviorism…the opposite of Psychoanalysis

• Behaviorist’s believe people are controlled by their

environment.

– Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior

• We are the result of what we have learned from our

environment.
 Humanistic perspective
• Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective which rose to
prominence in the mid-20th century in response to the limitations
of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory and B. F.
Skinner's behaviorism.

• The humanistic perspective arose in reaction to the deterministic and

pessimistic psychoanalytic view and the mechanistic behavioral
perspective, to support more optimistic views that humans are
motivated by their potential to be creative and productive in response
to their social and environmental conditions.
• Humanism assumes that people have choices about their
behavior and possess free will to act and also must assume
responsibility for choices and consequences.

• One of the first major proponents of humanistic psychology

was Abraham Maslow. Coming from a background of
developmental psychology, Maslow attempted to develop a
theory by which to explain the diversity of human needs and
motivation.
• For Maslow, the goal of any human being is to reach a
state of "self-actualization" in which all their needs are
met and a state of contented happiness is achieved.
However, these needs must be met in a particular order.

• According to Maslow, higher forms of happiness are not

achievable so long as these needs are not met.
 Cognitive Psychology
• The cognitive perspective developed explanations for human
behavior that suggest that human behavior is at times thoughtful
and can be controlled by thought processes. Indeed, the cognitive
perspective suggests that much of human behavior is mediated by
thought processes like memory and attention, belief systems,
attitudes and language.
• Belief systems, value systems, thought processes, reason and
intelligence have a significant impact on why we do the things
we do and act the way we act. The cognitive perspective
suggests that much of human behavior is significantly influenced
by cognitive processes and is thus amenable to our thoughtful
control.
 Biopsychology Perspective
• The biological perspective is a broad scientific perspective that

assumes that human behavior and thought processes have a

biological basis. Biology includes investigations into biochemistry of
behavior associated with neurotransmitters and hormones, genetics
and heritability, and the psychophysics of sensation and perception.
Physiological psychology, neuroscience, psychoneuroimunology and
psychopharmacology are all part of the biological perspective.
 Socio-Cultural Perspective

• The social/cultural perspective in psychology suggests that

human behavior is influenced by social context, environmental
cues, social pressures and cultural influences. We are all shaped
by the context of our environment and influenced by the
perception of authority in our social order. Social psychologists
suggest that these forces are very powerful and explain a great
deal about the causes of human behavior and thought processes.
 Scope of Psychology….

• General Psychology

• Abnormal Psychology

• Child/Developmental Psychology

• Educational Psychology
• Social Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• Physiological Psychology

• Animal Psychology