Definition Of Psychology

The word "Psychology" comes from the Greek in which meaning of word "psyche " is "breath, spirit, soul", and the Greek word logia means " the study of something ".Psychology deals with the science of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. It is an academic discipline and a social science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases. Psychology encompasses all aspects of the human experience, and the study of psychology encompasses all the elements involved in understanding behavior, and more precisely, the factors that motivate behavior.

Psychology is the study of mental processes, behavior, and the relationship between the two. Mental processes in psychology refer to learning, motivation, reasoning, and emotion, among others. In other words, the study of psychology involves learning how humans think, feel, learn, interact, perceive, and understand, whether alone or when interacting with other people or the environment.

Psychology is both a natural science concerned with innate factors and primal drives that align with the laws of nature, and a social science concerned with the study of behaviors, feelings, and thoughts, and the environmental factors that contribute to them.

Branches Of Psychology :-

APA-Recognized Specialties in Professional Psychology

The study and practice of psychology draws from a number of disciplines, including medicine, sociology, biology, anthropology, and linguistics, among others, which is why there are so many subspecialties.

Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology integrates science and theory with practice. Psychology at the clinical level involves applying scientific findings in an effort to understand, predict, and relieve distress or dysfunction among patients so as to promote their well-being and personal development.

Developmental Psychology (Clinical Child Psychology)

Developmental psychology involves the psychological changes that occur across the lifespan, from birth to death, although this area of psychology originally focused mainly on infancy and childhood.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology investigates internal mental processes, such as problem solving, memory, learning, and language (how people think, perceive, communicate, remember and learn). This branch of psychology is closely related to other disciplines, such as neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics.

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology looks at how human behavior has been affected by psychological adjustments during evolution. Just as biologists talk about natural selection or sexual selection during evolution, this branch of psychology applies psychology to the same way of thinking. An evolutionary psychologist believes, for example, that language or memory perception are functional products of natural selection.

Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychology is one of the fastest growing areas of psychology. It involves applying psychological principles to criminal investigation and the law. Forensic psychologists practice their craft within the criminal and civil courts, working alongside attorneys, offenders, families, and witnesses, and in settings like rehabilitation centers, jails and prisons, and police departments.

Health Psychology

Health psychology is also called behavioral medicine or medical psychology. This branch observes how behavior, biology and social context influence illness and health. While a doctor treats the illness, the health psychologist will focus more on the person who has the illness, by finding out about their socioeconomic status and background, behaviors that may have an impact on the disease (such as medication compliance), plus the biological reasons for the illness. The aim of the health psychologist is to improve the patient's overall health by analyzing disease in the context of biopsychosocial factors. Biopsychosocial refers to the biological, psychological, and social aspects in contrast to the strictly biomedical aspects of disease.

Neuropsychology

Studies the structure and function of the brain in relation to clear behaviors and psychological processes. Neuropsychology is also involved in lesion studies in the brain, as well as recording electrical activity from cells and groups of cells in higher primates, including some human studies.

Occupational Psychology (Industrial-Organizational Psychology)

Occupational psychology (often called industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology) studies how organizations function and how people in those organizations behave and work. The ultimate goal of occupational psychology is to ensure optimal efficiency and satisfaction among workers or groups of workers.

Social Psychology

Social psychology uses scientific methods to understand and explain how feeling, behavior and thoughts of people are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people. A social psychologist will look at group behavior, social perception, non-verbal behavior, conformity, aggression, prejudice, and leadership. Social perception and social interaction are seen as key to understanding social behavior.

Courses

There are various types of Bachelor , Master And Doctoral coourses under psychology :-

Bachelors Courses (Three Year duration) :-

    B. Sc in Psychology
    BA (Hons) in Psychology
    Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Master Courses (Two Year duration) :-

    Master of Arts in Psychology
    Master of Arts in Applied Psychology
    Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
    M. Sc in Psychology

Doctoral Courses (Two Year duration) :-

    Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
    M.Phill in Psychology

Educational Qualifications :-

  •  For Bachelor programme in psychology student must qualify 12 th from recognized board .
  • For Post graduate courses in psychology student must qualify Bachelor degree in psychology
  • For Ph.D./ M.Phil  student might complete PG or Diploma in psychology .

Job Profiles :-

 Studying psychology gives you a broad range of skills that span both science and the arts and opens up opportunities with a variety of employers :-

  •     Clinical psychologist
  •     Counselling psychologist
  •     Educational psychologist
  •     Forensic psychologist
  •     Further education teacher
  •     Health psychologist
  •     High intensity therapist
  •     Occupational psychologist
  •     Primary care graduate mental health            worker
  •     Psychological wellbeing practitioner
  •     Sport and exercise psychologist
  •     Advice worker
  •     Careers adviser
  •     Counsellor
  •     Detective
  •     Human resources officer
  •     Market researcher
  •     Play therapist
  •     Psychotherapist