Psychology as a discipline: definition and objectives (2023)

Psychology as a discipline: definition and goals

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior.It includes biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect the way people think, act, and feel.Psychology is defined as a science that studies mental processes, experiences and experiencesbehavior in different contexts.

It uses methods from the life and social sciences to systematically collect data.

It makes data meaningful so it can be organized with insight.

•Thought process:

(i) Mental processes are activities of the mind and brain related to cognition.

(ii) We use mental processes when we think or remember something or solve a problem.

(iii) However, these mental activities are distinct from neural activities, although they are mutually overlapping processes.

(iv) Mind arises and develops when our interactions and experiences in this world are dynamically organized into a system responsible for the occurrence of various mental processes.

(v) Mental processes include reasoning, learning, thinking, problem solving, perception, etc.

•Experiences:

Experience can be defined as learning acquired through everyday situations.

(1) Experiences are subjective and different for each person.

(ii) We cannot directly observe or know someone's experiences.

(iii) Only the experiencing person can be aware of their experiences. Therefore, experiences are embedded in our awareness or consciousness.

(iv) Experiences are influenced by the internal and external conditions of the experiences.

(v) The nature of experience can only be understood through the analysis of a complex set of internal and external conditions.

(vi) Experience is important because most of our learning is based on experience.

Behavior:

(i) Behaviors are responses or reactions we make or activities we engage in. You can feel the heartbeat before taking a test.

(ii) Some behaviors, such as thinking, can be simple or complex, short-lived or long-lived.

(iii) On the other hand, some behaviors can be seen or felt externally and are overtly stated, e.g. B. Laughter.

(iv) All behaviors can be explained on the basis of S-R (stimulus-response ratios). All behavior, whether overt or covert, is associated with or triggered by a stimulus.

(v) Both the stimulus and the response can be internal or external.

(vi) The same stimulus can elicit different responses due to the variables of the organism. It emphasizes the uniqueness and variation of an individual that sets them apart from others.

•psychology as a discipline.

(i) It examines behavior, experience and mental processes.

(ii) Attempts to understand and explain how the mind works and how different mental processes lead to different behaviors.

(iii) When we observe others, our own point of view or way of understanding the world influences our interpretations of their behaviors and experiences.

(iv) Psychologists attempt to minimize such biases in their explanations of behavior and experiences in various ways.

(v) Some do this by making their analysis scientific and objective.

(vi) Others attempt to explain behavior from the perspective of the experimenter, thinking that selectivity is a necessary aspect of human experience.

- Neuroscience and computer science repeatedly borrow principles from psychology.

There are rapidly developing brain imaging tests like MRI, EKG etc. that they are doing

It is possible to study brain processes in real time, when they are actually taking place.

Psychology as a hybrid science:

Psychology is a hybrid science that draws influence from both the natural and social sciences.

As science:

(1) Modern psychology has developed due to the application of the scientific method to the study of psychological phenomena.

(ii) As a physical science, it emphasizes data that are systematic and can be studied under controlled conditions.

(iii) It is quantitative and requires analysis.

(iv) He takes influences from physics and biology and believes in the Hypothetical Deductive Model (HDM).

(v) All or any of the assumptions may be accepted or rejected based on the available factors.

The model suggests that scientific progress can occur when you have a theory to explain a phenomenon.

(vi) A hypothesis is a tentative solution to a problem that helps guide an investigation or theory.

(vii) The hypothesis has been used successfully to determine many theories regarding learning and memory. For example, the way a child grew up in their family shapes their personality.

Psychology Definitions

Etymologically, psychology means the science of the soul, namely "psyche" means "soul" and "logos" means "science".The early psychologists believed that the function of psychology was to study the nature, origin and destiny of the human soul.However, modern psychologists doubt the existence of the soul as there is no empirical evidence of its existence.

However, many of the early psychologists believed in the existence of the mind.Some contemporary psychologists also believe in the existence of the mind.

(I)Psychology is the science of the mind

In 1892 William James defined psychology as the "science of mental processes".In his view, psychology can be defined by states of consciousness.

(ii)Psychology is the science of consciousness:

In 1884, James Sully defined psychology as the science of the "inner world," as distinct from physical science, which studies physical phenomena.

In 1892, Wilhelm Wundt defined psychology as the science that studies "inner experiences."

(iii)Psychology is the science of behavior:

In 1905, William McDougall defined psychology as the "science of behavior".In 1911, W. B. Pillsbury also defined psychology as the "science of behavior".

J. B. Watson, however, discarded the terms "mind," "consciousness," "purpose," and the like from psychological usage and defined psychology as "the science of behavior."

(iv)Psychology is the science of the experience and behavior of the individual in relation to their environment:

K. Koffka argues that although the concept of "consciousness" cannot be completely eliminated from psychological vocabulary, the main goal of psychology is the study of behavior.

RS Woodworth defines psychology as the "science of the activities of the individual".

The four goals of psychology

The study of psychology has four goals:

1.Describe:

• Describing things is something we do every day, without effort or conscious thought. But describing in psychology has a slightly different meaning than what we do in our daily lives.

• Describing a problem, issue, or behavior is the first goal of psychology.

• Descriptions help psychologists distinguish between normal and abnormal behavior and gain a more accurate understanding and perspective of human and animal behavior, actions and thinking.

2.Explain:

Psychologists are very interested in being able to explain behavior rather than just describing it.

This helps provide answers to questions about why people react a certain way, why they do the things they do, and the factors that influence their behavior.personally, his mental health, his actions, etc.

3.predictions:

• Making predictions about how we think and act is the third goal of psychology. By looking at behavior observed in the past (describing and explaining it), psychologists aim to predict how that behavior will occur again in the future and whether other people might exhibit the same behavior.

• Through the process of describing an explanation, psychologists can better understand what thoughts, feelings, and behaviors contribute to it.

• You can then use this knowledge to predict why, when, and how those things might happen in the future.

4.control change:

Psychology aims to change, influence or control behavior in order to bring about positive, constructive, meaningful and lasting changes in people's lives and to influence their behavior for the better. This is the ultimate and most important goal of

How can you use the four goals in your life?

If you're trying to make a change in your life or develop a healthier habit, consider all four goals. First, visualize your goal. What do you want? Once you have that goal in mind, start writing down your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and everything that is going on in your life. This will help break down and clarify your thoughts when they are chaotic or confusing. You can also make a list, create a mind map, or choose other ways to record your thoughts. Try to be as detailed as possible.

Explaining is the process of finding out what is going on, and this can be accomplished by thinking about a personal experience that might have some sort of explanation for your habit or behavior. Asking “why” questions can be helpful in achieving the goal of explaining.

Taking notes to describe and explain can help you predict future thoughts and behaviors. For example, you may have described feeling anxious about a social event. By asking yourself why you feel anxious, you can conclude that you are feeling anxious because you are afraid that people will not like you. From this you can deduce that the next time you attend an event you will probably be anxious again. With this prediction you can work on the acting or velho in specific ways that will help you control or curb anxiety which brings us to that