Chapter one

Introduction
to Psychology

• What is Psychology?
• The Science of Psychology
• Fields of Psychology
• Research Methods
INTRODUCING PSYCHOLOGY

• It is also the first letter of the Greek word

"psyche" which means the spirit or soul.

• The word psychology is derived from the

Greek words psyche and logos
and means the study of the soul or mind.
 What is Psychology?
• Psychology = scientific
study of behavior and
mental processes
Why scientific study?
What is behavior?
What are mental processes?
 What is Psychology?
• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and
mental processes

• Behavior is anything we do
– Overt actions and reactions

• Mental processes are our internal experiences

– Thoughts, feelings, memories…
 Psychology as Science
• Psychology uses empirical evidence that can
be objectively tested and evaluated
• Don’t confuse psychology with
“pseudopsychologies” (pseudo = false), like
horoscopes, psychic powers, and self-help
“pop psych”
 Scientific psychology has
four basic goals:

to describe, explain, predict, and change

behavior and mental processes
 Psychology’s Four Main
realworldpsychology Goals
Description
What is the nature of the behavior or mental process?
“Boys are more aggressive than girls”

Explanation
Why does this behavior or mental process occur?
“Research indicates that there are numerous interacting causes or explanations for aggression;
including culture, learning, genes, brain damage, and high levels of testosterone”

Prediction
When will this behavior or mental process occur?
“Knowing that alcohol leads to increased aggression, we can predict that more fights will erupt in
places where alcohol is consumed than in those where alcohol isn’t consumed”
Control
How can we Change this behavior or mental process?
Psychologists help people improve their work environment, stop addictive behaviors, become
less depressed, improve their family relationships.
Psychological information is
based on empirical evidence

This is information based on direct

observation and measurements with
scientific method
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
Psychology’s roots began in
philosophy, but the focus
changed to a scientific focus.

This scientific focus remains today.

realworldpsychology
ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY
 Psychology’s Past
Wilhelm Wundt (Father of Psychology)
Structuralism: first framework for studying psychology; uses
introspection to understand sensation, perception
Wilhelm Wundt

EXPERIENCE
• First psychology lab
THOUGHT
in Germany (1879)
• Analyze the content
of one’s mind
through
objective introspection EMOTION
 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.
 Structuralism…the first step
• The focus of study was way too narrow

• They studied people only like themselves- very

wealthy white males.

• No valid research was produced

• This school of thought was a great start, but no

longer exists.
 Psychology’s Past
• Functionalism: how the mind functions and
allows animals/humans to adapt to
environment
William James

• “Stream of thought”
vs. elements of mind
• Focus on adaptation,
living, working,
playing – functioning
in the real world
 Psychology’s Past
Functionalism
• William James established first psychology lab
in United States
• Expanded psychology research to
include emotions and observable
behavior, began psychological testing
 Psychology continued to
expand based on the early
work of these perspectives
 Psychological Perspectives
• Psychologists have different ways of looking at
behavior…

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

See p. 12
 Psychology’s Past
• Psychoanalysis: the unconscious part of the
mind has thoughts, memories, desires that lie
outside personal awareness but have strong
influence
• Sigmund Freud, Austria, late 1800–early 1900
 Who hasn’t heard of Freud?
• 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
• Freud was an early pioneer in treating emotional
disorders and was the first to provide counseling
and therapy to patients.

• Free association and dream interpretation were

developed technique to explore the unconscious
processes
 Psychoanalytic Theory
• Freud was one of the first to treat emotional
disorders.

• Freud’s theories were the first to suggest that our

childhood experiences impact our adult behaviors

– The first to provide therapy for patients.

– Developed dream interpretation and free association

 Behaviorism…the opposite of
Psychoanalysis
• Behaviorism was founded by John Watson in direct
opposition to Psychoanalytic Theory.
• Behaviorism focused on behavior that can be measured
and observable. This returned the scientific approach
to psychology.

– We can describe, predict, and control that behavior.

 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.
 Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive psychology believes that behaviors are
performed because of ideas and thoughts.

• The cognitive perspective focuses on such processes as

perception, memory, and thinking

• That’s what this area of psychology believes and

Cognitive psychology currently exerts a strong influence
in psychology.
 Biopsychology Perspective
• How biological factors affect mental processes and
how the brain effects behavior.

• Behavior and biology interact in important ways, and

we will discuss the impact of this field when
examining psychopharmacology, development and
genetics.
 Biopsychosocial Model
This unifying and
integrative model views
biological processes,
psychological factors and
social forces as
interrelated influences
that interact with the
seven major perspectives.
 Research and Professional
Areas in Psychology

• Developmental Psychology • Personality

• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Educational and School
Psychology
• Physiological Psychology
• Industrial and
• Cognitive Psychology Organizational Psychology
Experimental Psychologists
(usually researchers and
professors)
About 1/4th of American Psychologists
work in colleges and universities.
 Applied Psychologists
(service providers)

The remaining 3/4ths work in hospitals, clinics, police

departments, research institutes, government
agencies, business and industry, schools, nursing
homes, counseling centers, and private practice.
 Careers in Psychology
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Careers in Psychology
realworldpsychology (cont’)