Topic/Chap- What is Psychology

OBJECTIVE- To enable
students grasp and understand
the key concepts of
Psychology and its
application. To set the base
and inculcate subject skills.
• Psychology is defined formally as a science which
studies mental processes, experiences and behavior in
different contexts.

Psychology

Logos
Psyche
Meaning
Meaning soul
science
 Key Elements of Psychology

• Mental processes : Brain v/s Mind

• Experiences: are embedded in
our awareness or consciousness
and are subjective.
• Behaviours: are responses or
reactions we make or activities we
engage in.
(Overt and Covert)
Let’s understand nature of psychology as
stream ….
Psychology
as a
discipline
Psychology Psychology
as social as a natural
science science

What is
psychology
?
 Evolution of psychology
psychoanalysi Humanistic
structuralism
s perspective

Cognitive
introspection behaviourism
perspective

Functionalist Gestalt constructivis

approach psychology m
Review Questions and Home work
assignment
• Define Introspection and who coined this term?
• Three major Elements of Psychology
• Experiences are ____________
• Examples of Overt and Covert Behaviour.
• Meaning of the term Gestalt
• Highlights of Psychodynamic theory.
Assignment- Prepare notes on Artificial Intelligence.
 Humanistic Perspective
• Carl Rogers was an influential humanistic psychologist who
developed a personality theory that emphasized the importance of
the self-actualizing tendency in shaping human personalities.
• Rogers believed that humans are constantly reacting to stimuli
with their subjective reality ( phenomenal field ), which changes
continuously. Over time, a person develops a self- concept based
on the feedback from this field of reality.
• Human beings develop an ideal self and a real self based on the
conditional status of positive regard. How closely one’s real self
matches up with their ideal self is called congruity.
• Rogers believed that fully functioning people could achieve “the
good life,” in which they constantly aim to fulfil their potential
and allow their personalities to emanate from their experiences.
• Like Maslow’s theories, -Hierarchy of Needs.
Cognitive and Constructivistic
perspective
•  Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist and philosopher in the
1930's, is most often associated with the social constructivist
theory. He emphasizes the influences of cultural and social
contexts in learning and supports a discovery model of learning.
• 2. Cognitive constructivism is based on the work of Jean Piaget.
a theory of development that describes how learners develop
cognitive abilities. Piaget's theory of cognitive development
proposes that humans cannot be given information, in which
they immediately understand and use. Instead, learners
must construct their own knowledge and mind. They build
their knowledge through experiences
 Environmental Health
psychology psycholog
Cross-cultural y Clinical
and
Counsellin
g
Social
psycholog
y
Industrial/
Organizational
Developmenta
l psychology Branches of
psychology

Educationa
l
psycholog
Neuropsychology y

Educationa
l
Biological Sports
psycholog
psycholog y
y
 Social Psychology
• It deals with how people think and influence each
other.
• The field that studies social aspects like aggression ,
Conformity, and group behaviour.

Biological Psychology
• The biological perspective is a way of looking
at psychological issues by studying the physical basis
for animal and human behavior. It is one of the major
perspectives in psychology and involves such things
as studying the brain, immune system, nervous system,
and genetics. PSYCHO NEURO IMMUNOLOGY
• Neuro psychology- Studies role of neuro transmitters –
neural communication and connection in brain and the
related mental functions
Health Psychology
• Who- not merely abs. of disease Health –
physical, social, mentally and emotional
• Application- AIDS, CANCER
Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology Studies Humans Across
the Lifespan. Developmental psychologists focus on
human growth and changes across the lifespan,
including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual,
perceptual, personality and emotional growth.
 Environmental Psychology
• It deals with how people are influenced by the
environmental conditions
• Temperature, climate, Humidity and natural disasters and
its influence on the human beings.
• Physical environment and its influence on human moods,
emotions

Cross Cultural Psychology

• The field of study examines role of
culture in understanding human
behaviour thoughts and emotions
Review Questions
• Compare and contrast the role of psychologist and psychiatrist
• Explain the following branches
a. Cognitive
b. Social psychology
c. Environmental Psychology
• Methods to study brain
 Industrial and organizational Psychology
• This branch deals with workplace behaviour, focusing on
both the workers and the organisations that employ them.
Industrial/organisational psychologists are concerned with
training employees, improving work conditions, and
developing criteria for selecting employees.

Educational Psychology
• Educational psychologists primarily
help develop instructional methods and
materials used to train people in both
educational and work settings.
Themes of research and application
Psychology like other sciences attempts to
develop principles of behaviour and mental
processes

Human behaviour is a function of the attributes

of persons and environment

Human behaviour is caused

Understanding of human behaviour is culturally

constructed

Human behaviour can be controlled and

modified through the application of
psychological principles
Theme 1- Psychology like other sciences attempts to
develop principles of behaviour and mental processes

•It aims to conduct experiments and draw

conclusions to understand behaviour and
mental processes, which are supported by data.
•Conclusion drawn thus can be applicable on
all and are considered universal.
•Experimental, comparative, physiological,
developmental became domains representing
Basic Psychology…

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Theme 2 –B= f(p.e)- (2/3/4)
• Kurt Lewin first proposed B = f(P,E) –
which suggests that behaviour is the
product of a person and environment.
• Persons differ with respect to their
various attributes because of their
genetic endowments and diverse
experiences and so do the
environments they are placed in.
• Individual differences- Psychological
attributes- psy tests- Differential Psy
Theme 3 Behaviour is caused
• Behaviours have Casual Explanations-
predictions are possible thus.
• Causes are internal and external.
• X------Y in most of the cases, but
while understanding psy phenomenon
• X causing Y does not follow linear
relationship. Beh has multiple causes.
• Example- Absenteeism, stress, break
up in relationship.
Theme 4 : Understanding of human
Behaviour is culturally constructed.
• Psychologists seek for an approach and
theories culturally fair
• Rejection of Euro-American Psychological
models
• Psychologists from Asia, Africa and Latin
America have been critical of Euro-American
approaches which are propagated as universal.
• Feminists also made critique-psy -male
dominant
 Theme 5- Human behaviour can be controlled and
modified through the application of psychological
principles

• desire to develop techniques or

methods that will improve the quality
of human life.
• Applying knowledge.
• branches of psychology have
emerged that try to use
• psychological theories, principles and
facts to diagnose and resolve
problems related to industrial and
organisational settings, clinical
services, education, environment,
health
 Psychology in everyday life
• personal (for example, a daughter having to face
an alcoholic father or a mother dealing with a
problem child) to those that may be rooted
within the family set up (for example, lack of
communication and interaction among family
members) or in a larger group or community
setting (for example, terrorist groups or socially
isolated communities) or may have national or
international dimensions. Problems related to
education, health, environment, social justice,
women development, intergroup relations, etc
are pervasive.
• Media has played a vital role in this respect-
Personal problems PD, Social issues are catered,
role of psychologist and psychiatrist is made
clear.
• Analysing and understanding one self in relation
to others.
• develop good habits of study for improving your
learning and memory, and for solving your
personal and interpersonal problems by using
appropriate decision making strategies.
• Alleviate Stress.
 sociology

Computer
medicine
science

psychology Law and

philosophy
criminology

Architecture Mass
and communicat
engineering ion
Music and
fine arts
 Counseling
Psychologists

Community Clinical
Psychologist Psychologists
Psychologists
s at work

Organizational
Psychologists