Psychology
Psychology is an applied and academic discipline concerning the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. The word psychology arises from the combination of two words “psyche,” meaning life, and “logos,” meaning study or explanation.
Psychology investigates behavior, the latent and expressed ability for physical, mental, and social interaction during life, and mental processes like attention, thinking, emotion, cognition, perception, intelligence, subjective experiences, brain functioning, motivation, and personality. Psychology is a scientific study as the nature of its body is knowledge and assumptions, rules, and procedures that psychologists use to conduct empirical research. The methods of empirical research include collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, getting conclusions, and spreading information.
Psychology is an applied discipline the application of psychological theories and principles to various areas of human activity, as well as problems of a person’s daily life and mental illness treatment. Psychology is an academic discipline most important role of psychology in the educational setting for the application of psychological theories and methods for the solution of educational and learning problems, and research work for the growth and development of field psychology.
The Goals of Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, the scientific method allows psychologists to collect a huge knowledge foundation about behavior and mental processes. It defines the behavior and mental process which lead to that behavior and why this behavior is performed in this situation and find out the causes of behavior and how behavior modifies according to the situation.
Psychologist plan and accomplish their study to focus on the following four main
goals:
1 Description:
First of all, the psychologist observes deeply and defines the behavior and mental processes. Identify and organize behavior and mental procedures in particular, as would be practical. Then explain whether it is considered healthy or unhealthy in light of different perspectives. The psychologist uses different sources to get accurate information like observation, surveys, questionnaires, self-test, etc to achieve a goal.
2 Explanation:
Psychologists are paying attention to being capable to explain behavior relatively than just being focused to describe it. Does a psychologist suggest reasons for behaviors and mental processes like why anyone shows this behavior? What factors are present which affect their personality? Why anyone does do such actions? Psychologist explains behavior with the help of different psychological theories and makes an association with different questions.
3 Prediction:
Once the Psychologist describes the behavior and explained affected behaviors and mental processes then offers predictions. Prediction can allow Psychologists to make assumptions about behavior without basically understanding the process hidden in the event. predictions about how a given situation or set of circumstances will influence behavior and mental activities. Also, psychologists plan to predict that behavior will emerge over again in the future and whether other individuals may show the same
behavior.
4 Change / Modify:
The final goal of Psychology is to change/modify, or control behavior to build positive, productive, significant, and lasting changes in the lives of people and to influence their behavior for betterment. The psychologist uses the results of the other three goals to solve practical problems that involve behavior and mental processes. These methods are not only useful for mental illness but also for all humans to increase their adaptability, achievements, and well-being for the betterment of life.
History of Psychology
Today’s psychology is a vast discipline with a rich and diverse history, and the foundation of psychology differs broadly from the contemporary conception of the field. So as to get a full understanding of psychology, we need to investigate the history and origins of the discipline.
Psychology becomes known as scientific self-discipline in the nineteenth century, but its roots go lower back to ancient philosophy. Psychology originated due to the philosophical perceptive, it explains the nature of the mind, heart, soul, spirit, and brain. Physiology was later incorporated to discover the causes and treatment of the mental disorder.
These philosophical roots performed a big role in the development of the field.
Ancient period
In the Ancient period, the speculations of physicians and philosophers were based on the subject of the nature and emplacement of the mind, and senses in addition to perception, learning, and memory. Their contributions persist for a large number of years; form the base for present philosophy and science. Traces of their thoughts persevere in current reasoning.
Greek era
Greek Philosophy as a free social class started around 600 BCE and its bits of knowledge despite everything endure to our occasions. Greek philosophers moved toward the central issues of life some of the time in a really logical manner, now and then in spiritualist ways, however consistently in an inventive style. The main figures of this era were Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Pythagoras (571- 497 BCE)
Pathagoras was the first person who called himself a philosopher means wisdom lover. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras whose philosophy emphasized the eternality and transmigration of the spirit (rebirth), moral, empathetic behavior toward every living thing.
Pythagoras attempted to relate numerical connections on the planet to psychological synchronization (sounds in music) however allowable for an objective understanding of reality. He related physical properties harmonious with the psychological experience.
Socrates (470-399 BCE)
Socrates was a Greek philosopher known as the father of western philosophy. Socrates’ main focus was on how to live a good and virtuous life. Socrates examines each presupposition and questions the undeniable and disparaged cant (repetition conviction) and demand.
His strategy for questioning to come to the truth is known as the “Socratic Method.” According to Socrates, truth is present inside all minds, and teachers play a vital role to uncover that hidden truth by the discovery (driven by inquiries of the teacher)
Antiphon used queries to treat sorrow and melancholy, thus he entitles the first psychotherapist.
Plato (427 – 347 BCE)
Plato is the pre-famous Greek philosopher, recognized for his Dialogs and for establishing his academy north of Athens, generally thought about as the main college in the western world.
Plato recognized the lack of quality of the senses however said information gets from the process of thinking about sensations. Sensations decompose but circumference is changeless. Forms are constant structures that arrange the world and are uncovered to us through a logical idea. The analogy of a cavern with shining shadows cast by the fire outside. Fire includes forms, and shadow includes sensations.
According to Plato geometry expands the precision of the information on the world through estimation and deductive thinking. Plato recommended that individuals vary in aptitudes and capacities gifted by the Gods. He arranged individuals like gold, silver, metal, or iron. A few have to rule, few have to serve. He proposed estimating body
parts (reason in the head).
Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
Aristotle was Plato’s eminence student for 20 years, however, he disagreed with him on many points. All information originates from the faculties and through experience. The psyche resembles a blank tablet- Tabula
Rasa. Knowledge ought to be founded on perceptions of the outer world. He harmonizes deductive reasoning with an inductive, observational approach.
Aristotle created fundamental principles of memory that have been repeated several times in psychology as well as are still basic to modern theories. In “De memoria et reminiscent” he thought that memory comes from 3 acquainted procedures, Similarity, differentiation, and contiguity. Influences on the quality of affiliation are the recurrence of an encounter and the simplicity of development.
Aristotle’s Theory of Causation:
He furthermore provided an examination of causation shown by investigative a statute,
Material cause – what the statue is made of.
Formal cause – its substance or structure.
Efficient cause – how the statue came to have that structure
Final cause – the statue was made by Michelangelo.
Attributions of direction are inadmissible in a study of the physical world however apply to individuals. He illustrated the drama as having a purgative consequence on the audience (drawing out emotions). Later this thought becomes central to Freud’s theories. He said that the heart was the “seat of thought”.
GRAECO-ROMAN PERIOD (100BC-500AD)
The graeco-roman period 100BC-500AD was the Roman period and their work is based on the inspiration of Greeks philosophers. Greeks provided the Romans with much of their philosophy. The philosophy of Zeno, a Greek teacher, was particularly influential: stoicism. Stoicism emphasized perseverance, duty, moderation, and virtue.
Roman writers promoted their own themes and ideas, often imitating Greek models, but Rome’s most significant contribution to civilization.
- Wisdom for the conduct of life.
- Promote their values and ideals through stories.
- Knowledge emphasized perseverance, duty, moderation, and virtue.
- A significant contribution to civilization.
- Worked on the separation of science and philosophy
HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN PERIODS (300-100 BC & 100BC-500AD)
The word Hellenistic came from the word hellas, which was progressively accepted as the name of Greece. The Hellenistic period was the time within Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander in 323 BC and the appearance of the Roman Empire. The twilight of Greek thought is a common term used to describe the Hellenistic period. Additionally, this was the time when intellectualism in Alexandria and the Mediterranean started to collapse.
A few of Aristotle’s students, like Theophrastus and Galen, started to make important contributions to psychology.
Theophrastus:
Theophrastus made the greatest advances in psychology. Additionally, there are surviving writings on morality, sense perception, and stones, as well as physics and metaphysics fragments.
He pursued Aristotle’s logic and studied grammar and language in philosophy. He also saw time as an accident of motion, motion as a necessary byproduct of all action, and space as the simple arrangement and position of bodies. He believed that virtue and outside circumstances play a role in happiness.
During the Hellenistic period, Psychology was the field of philosophy.
Galen
Galen wrote mostly on medicine, but he was also heavily involved in and had an impact on the philosophical discussions of his day. He published numerous works on logic and ethics as well as other philosophical topics, particularly those about epistemology, causation in the natural world, and philosophy of mind, in his publications on medicine and science.
- Galen claimed that the physical and mental worlds are not separable.
- On the Diagnosis and Cure of the Soul’s Passion, one of Galen’s main writings explained how to approach and cure psychological issues. Galen made an early attempt at what is now known as psychotherapy.