psychology as a science of behavior

Dr. Jayesh Patidarwww.drjayeshpatidar.blogspot.com

Psychology is an offspring of subject philosophy.

Psychology is a Greek word, „psychi‟ & logos‟.

„Psychi‟ means soul & „logos‟ means the study of or ;knowledge‟ – study of soul.

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“Any manifestation of life is activity” & behavior is a collective name for these activities.

The term behavior includes all theMotor or conative activates (walking, swimming,

dancing etc.) Cognitive activities (thinking, reasoning,

imagining) Affective activities (feeling happy, sad, angry,

etc.) The term behavior refers to the entire life

activities & experiences of all the living organisms.


Psychology as a separate area of study, split away from philosophy a little over 100 year ago.

In 1879, the first psychological laboratory was established at the University of Leipzing by the German Philosopher – psychologist Wilhelm Wundt. (1832-1920).

Wundt was the first to measure human behavior accurately & is known as the “Father of Psychology”

In the first decades of the twentieth century, psychologists came to hold quite different views about the nature of mind & the best ways to study it.


Schools of thought formed around these psychologists.

These schools of thought were known as the schools of psychology.


Psychology is the science of human behavior.

-Walter Bowers Pillsbury-1911

Psychology is a science which aims to give us better understanding & control of the behavior of the organism as a whole.

-William Mc Doughall-1949

Psychology is the investigation of human & animal behavior & of the mental & physiological processes associated with the behavior.

-Jackson-1976


•Almost all the methods of psychology

are more or less scientific in their

nature. Out of these the experimental

method is the most exact. Modern

psychology uses this method in all its

branches.

Psychology

uses

scientific

methods

•Psychology studies the facts of

behavior. The psychologist is

objective in his observations &

experiments. The field of psychology

is not values but facts.

Psychology

is factual


• At all times & places the laws of psychology have been found to be same under similar conditions.

The laws of

psychology are

universal

• By verification & re-verification psychological principles have been found to be true everywhere. They can be verified by any one

The laws of

psychology are

verifiable

• Psychology not only observe behavior, but also finds out cause-effect relationship in it.

Psychology discovers

the cause-effect

relationship in

human behavior

Psychology predict human

behavior


• By discovering the cause-effect relationship, psychologists also predict human behavior & these predictions are generally correct.

Clinical psychology: It is the largest subfield of psychology (55%). It is the study of techniques which are employed in the diagnosis & treatment of mentally & emotionally abnormal personalities.

Counseling psychology: It deals with people with relatively mild personal or emotional problems


Social psychology: It deals with the behavior of an individual as it influenced by others & how an individual influences others‘ behavior

Experimental psychology: It involves basic research into the fundamental causes of human behavior by studying such basic processes as learning & memory, sensation & perception & motivation


Developmental psychology: It studies the behavior as it develops from birth, through childhood, adolescence & maturity to old age.

Psychobiology & Evolutionary psychology: It Studies the biological & physiological bases of behavior in animals & human being


Industrial & Organizational psychology:The study of behavior in work setting is a central concern of this field. The methods of personnel selection, training, motivation of employees, job design & process of organizational development are studies in detail

Health psychology: This field deals with individual behaviors & lifestyle affecting a person’s physical health.


Abnormal psychology: It deals with the behavior of individuals who are unusual. It studies mental disorders, their causes & treatment.

Community psychology: It is a broad field where social problems & the attempts of people to adapt to their work & community living are studies in the light of the principles of general psychology


BRANCHES OF

PSYCHOLOGY

Branches of

Pure

Psychology

Branches of

Applied

Psychology



General Psychology: It deals with fundamental rules, principles & theories of psychology in relation to the study of behavior of normal adult.

Abnormal Psychology: It deals the behavior of individuals who are unusual. It studies mental disorders, their causes & treatment.

Social Psychology: It deals with the group behavior & inter-relationships of people with other people (how individual is influenced by other’s & how an individual influences other’s behavior). Social psychologists study the ways in which individuals are affected by other people.


Physiological Psychology: This branch of psychology describe & explains the biological & physiological basis of behavior. It emphasizes on the influence of bodily factors on human behavior.

Para-Psychology: It deals extra –sensory perceptions, causes of rebirth, telepathy & allied problems.

Geo-Psychology: This branch of psychology describes & explains the relation of physical environment particularly weather, climate & soil with behavior.


Developmental Psychology: It studies the factors that influence the growth & development of human behavior. This branch of psychology describes the processes of growth & development in relation to the behavior of an individual from birth to old age. It further subdivided into branches like child psychology, adolescent , adult & old age psychology.

Experimental Psychology: This branch of psychology studies the ways & means of carrying out psychological experiments by using scientific methods. Experimental psychologists do basic research in an effort to discover & understand the fundamental & general causes of behavior.


Educational Psychology: It is a branch of applied psychology which tries to apply the psychological principles, theories & techniques to human behavior in educational situation. Educational psychologists are most often involved in increase in the efficiency of learning in schools by applying psychological knowledge about learning & motivation.

Clinical Psychology: This is the largest sub-field of psychology. This branch of applied psychology describes the causes of mental illness, abnormal behavior of a patient & suggests treatment & effective adjustment of the affected person in society.


Industrial Psychology: This branch of applied psychology tries to seek application of the psychological principles, theories & techniques for the study of human behavior in relation to industrial environment. They also counsel employees within the organization who need help with their personal problems.

Legal Psychology: It is a branch of applied psychology which tries to study the behavior of persons like clients, criminals, witnesses etc. with the help of applications of psychological principles & techniques. The root causes of the crime, offence, dispute or any legal case can be properly understood through the use of this branch of psychology.


Military Psychology: This branch of psychology is concerned with the use of psychological principles & techniques in the military science. How to keep the morale of the soldiers & citizen high during war time, how to secure better recruitment of the personnel for the fighting capacities & organizational climate & leadership etc. the various topics that are dealt with in this branch of psychology

Political Psychology: This branch of psychology relates itself with the use of psychological principles & techniques in studying politics & driving poltical gains.


Biopsychology NeuropsychologyCognitive

Psychology

Counseling Psychology

Cross-cultural Psychology

Environmental Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Experimental Psychology

Forensic Psychology

Health Psychology

Personality Psychology

School Psychology

Sport Psychology

Introspection or self-observation method

Observational method

Experimental method

Clinical or Case history method

Survey method


This is one of the oldest methods of psychology.

Introspection means to look within.

The subject is asked to systematically observe his own behavior & report the same.

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For example; a patient after an operation may be asked to report how he feels. The patient will try to look within & recall what happened & how he is feeling now. In making this report, the patient is making use of this method.

It is a method in which the individual observes, analysis & reports his own feelings, thoughts or all that passes in his mind during the course of a mental act or experience.

Introspection is nothing but retrospection.


Merits

Observation & experiment are based upon introspection.

It gives us direct, immediate, certain & exact knowledge of our own mental processes.

It enables us to fully understand the behavior of an individual.

It helps in need to know what is going on in the mind of the person.

This method is inexpensive & does not require any apparatus or laboratory.


Demerits

This method can not used by children, animals or mentally retards because they cannot introspect.

Something that is going in another person‟s mind is not accessible to us because mental processes are vague & obscure & cannot be observed.

Mental processes are fleeting & evanescent by their nature, they elude grasp of internal perception.


Demerits Count…

Two psychologists cannot observe the same mental processes (e.g., fear).

Introspection implies a cleavage in the observing mind for, the same mind is the observer & the observed.

Introspection sometimes involves attention to a mental process (e.g., perception) which is produced by an external object.

All the difficulties of introspection can be overcome by habit & discipline of mind.


It is the objective method of studying the behavior of individuals.

It consists of perception of an individual‟s behavior under natural conditions by the other individuals & interpretation & analysis of this perceived behavior by them.


It is essentially a way of perceiving the behavior like as it is.

We can infer the mental processes of other persons through observation of their behavior.

Steps in Observation Method

1. Observation of behavior

2. Noting of behavior

3. Interpretation & analysis of behavior

4. generalization


Merits

⇝It is economical, natural, as well as flexible.

⇝The data which is studied through the observations can be analyzed, measured, classified & interpreted.

⇝The result can be verified & relied.

⇝It is quite suitable for observing developmental characteristics like children‟s habits & interests.


Demerits

⇝Through observation it is impossible to know what is happening in the minds of others; we can only observe this through external behavior.

⇝Subjectivity factors on the part of the investigator as well as the process of observation also affect the results of observation.


Demerits Count…

⇝It lies in the fact that the behavior observed dependent on the particular time & place & on the particular individual or groups of individuals involved.

⇝It not being to establish a proper cause & effect relationship

The difficulties of observation method are overcome by cultivating an impartial attitude of mind, by constructive imagination & cautious observation.


It is considered as the most scientific & objective method of studying behavior.

The word experiment comes from a Latin word meaning “to try”, “put to the test”.

The use of this method has raised psychology to the status of an experimental science like physics, Chemistry & Physiology.


In psychology experimental study is used to study the cause & effect relationship regarding the nature of human behavior, i.e. the effect of anxiety on human behavior.

Essential Features of Experimental Method

Require two persons, the experimenter & the subject or the person whose behavior is observed.

Experimentation should be done on living organism.

All experiments are conducted under controlled conditions.


Steps in Experimentation


Stating the Problem

Formulation of Hypothesis

Group I Treatment Group

Measures the dependent variable (Physical & mental health of

students)

Identify study Subjects

Group II Control Group

Compare the results of two groups

Merits

⇝Scientific method

⇝Finds out cause & effect relationship

⇝Maximum control of phenomena

⇝Repetition is possible


Demerits

⇝It advocates the study of behavior under completely controlled rigid conditions.

⇝Difficulty in controlling or equalizing intervening variable.

⇝All problems of psychology cannot studied by this method, as we cannot perform experiment for all the problems


Demerits Count…

⇝The dynamic nature of human behavior does not allow the independent variable leading to a change in the dependent variable.

⇝It is costly & time consuming method.

In spite of various limitations it is a fact that, the results obtained by experimental method are reliable, verifiable, definite, precise & capable of quantitative treatment than those obtained by use of other methods


It is used by clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers in child guidance clinics or mental hygiene clinics & allied institutions.

It aims at studying the cause & basis of people‟s anxieties, fear & personal maladjustments.


The relevant data is collected by using case histories, interview, home visits & psychological tests to draw valid inferences about the nature of the individual‟s difficulties & problems.

In this techniques, information is collected from the memory of the individual, his parents members of his family, friends, teachers & all other available records & reports.

The case history is constructed from actual observations made by the investigator according to a plan.


Merit

Case histories will give the clinician an insight into the causes of the problem & suggest possible solutions.

Case studies can be productive sources of ideas for further investigation by other methods.

Demerit

The case history method depends largely on memory of incidents which may have been observed inaccurately or over interpreted.


This is commonly employed in social psychology.

Some problems like study of opinions, attitudes, health care needs etc. can be studied by means of survey method.


The survey method involves collection or gathering of information from a large number of people by using questionnaires, inventories & interviews.

An adequate survey requires a carefully pre-tested questionnaire, a group of interviewers trained in its use, a representative subject, & appropriate methods of data analysis so that the results are properly interpreted.


Merit

A large amount of data can be collected in a shorter time.

Demerit

The behavior is not observed directly.


Theories of learning, motivation & personality, etc, have been responsible for shaping & designing the educational system according to the needs & requirements of the students.

The application of psychology in the field of education has helped the learners to learn, the teachers to teach, administrators to administer & educational planners to plan efficiently & effectively.


A doctor, nurse or any person who attends the patient needs to know the science of behavior to achieve good results.

Psychology has contributed valuable therapeutic measures like behavior therapy, play therapy, group therapy, psychoanalysis etc., for the diagnosis & cure of patients suffering from psychosomatic as well as mental diseases.


It has highlighted the importance of knowledge of consumer‟s psychology & harmonious interpersonal relationship in the field of commerce & industry.


It has helped in detection of crimes & in dealing with criminals.

It has proved useful to the politicians & leaders to learn the qualities of leadership for leading the masses.

It has provided valuable help in guidance & counseling in educational personal as well as vocational aspects.


Psychology helps in the selection, training, promotion & classification of defense personnel.

In fighting the enemy, the moral of the defense personnel & of citizens must at all costs be high & this can only be achieved by providing suggestions, insight & confidence.

It helped human beings to learn the art of understanding their own behavior, seeking adjustment with their self & others & enhancing as well as actualizing their potentialities to the utmost possible.


She will get an insight into her motives, desires, emotions & ambitions.

She will realize how her personality is highly individualistic & complex, arrives at decisions in her own problems.

By knowing her strengths & weaknesses, she can best use her own personality characteristics.

This will let her direct her own life more productively & relate more easily with others, enabling her to control situations & attain self-discipline.


The student nurse has to study, work & live with other nurses, doctors, patient & their families.

With her scientific knowledge of human nature, she will understand them better & thus achieve greater success in interpersonal relationships.

She will learn why others differ from her in their likes & dislikes, in their interests & abilities or in their reactions to others.


She will realize how differences in behavior to some extent, are due to differences in customs & beliefs or cultural patterns of the groups to which she belongs or to the way she has been brought up during her early years.

As such the student nurse will make allowances for other shortcomings & idiosyncrasies & develop attitudes to tolerance, which is essential for all types of human adjustments.


A nurse with good knowledge of human psychology can understand what fears or anxieties the patient faces, what he feels, what he would like to know, why he behaves the way he does.

It will help the patients & his relatives, thus help patients & relatives adjust to the unavoidable circumstances in the best possible way.

In health care setting the patient‟s role in treatment is a major factor. A good understanding of these patients by nurse can be the best support to him.


Illness & physical handicaps often bring about the need for major adjustments.

Many diseases such as heart disease & cancer etc. require special coping skills & health care.

A nurse trained in psychology can be an effective health educator & can help in this kind of adjustments.


The change in the environment is sometimes necessary for better adjustment & happiness.

For example, a boy who is denied completely the affectionate care of his patients may do better if he is given the care of foster parents.


The nurse has to learn many new things during her training.

She has to obtain the knowledge of correct facts about diseases & treatment.

The study of psychology of learning will help the nurse to acquire knowledge in an effective way.


She will recognize how her emotions affect her body & recognize the same in her patients also.

The will help her to control her life & recognize the similar needs in her patients too.


Hospitalization is often considered to be a negative experience.

Some people associate hospitals with fearful things such as pain or death.

A nurse with psychology background can help a patient to overcome these difficulties.

The nurse is a mediating factor & more communicative to patient than the doctor .


Every profession & career requires readjustment.

A nurse needs to make the different kinds of adjustments for success in the nursing career, such as;

Overcoming of homesickness & self-reliance is needed if she has to live smoothly in a hostel or a hospital.

Adjusting to sick persons, who may cry or be desperate or even ventilate their anger by making the nurse a target of their abuses & curses.

Trying to work & study together.


psychology as a science of behavior

Education

laws of psychology

schools of psychology

clinical psychology

verifiable psychology

father of psychology

modern psychology

methods of psychology

largest subfield of