All About Psychology

The definition of psychology is the science of behaviour. But if you asked several psychologists "what is psychology?", you would not receive complete agreement on the answer. When people think of psychology, most people think of a counsellor with their leather chairs and their stop watch.

However, not many people are aware that Psychology covers a wide range of sub areas including: social, cognitive, developmental, neuropsychology, clinical, evolutionary, health, applied, organisational and it goes on and on.

Basically, psychologists engage in research, teaching and counselling. They also advise industries and governments about personel matters; they design products, advertising, marketing and legislation; and they devise and administer tests of personality, achievement and ability.

As it would be difficult for a psychologist to be skilled in all these areas, it is necessary that each psychology specialises in one sub area of psychology.

Modern psychology adopts a scientific approach. This means that the theories and therapies in psychology have all been tested for their accuracy and efficiency through scientific research.
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The scientific method involves picking a theory to test, developing hypotheses and conducting experiments to test if your hypotheses are confirmed. A therapeutic technique that has not been tested through research is not considered a psychological technique.

For those who are interested in the different disciplines of psychology, i have explained each of these in more detail on this page.

Social psychologists explore topics such as self perception and the perception of others, cause-and-effect relations in human interactions, attitudes and opinions, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics and emotional behaviours.

The developmental discipline studies the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development throughout the lifespan. The majority of the research is in this discipline is done on children, to determine when children develop certain abilities, such as language. But developmental psychologists also examine the transition from adolescence to adulthood and the effects of ageing on cognitive performance.

Neuropsychology examines the relationship between parts of the nervous system (spinal cord and the brain)and behaviour. It looks at the role of the brain in movement, vision, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, language, emotion, and object recognition.

Neuropsychologists work with mostly people who have suffered brain damage as a result of disease, a stroke or accident which disrupts functions such as language. They identify and treat the behavioural consequences of nervous system disorders and injuries.

Clinical psychology is the sub area we are all familiar with. It involves applying the theories and therapies developed through research, to help people who present with psyhological problems. Clinical psychologists work in private practice, in hospitals and mental health clinics. They treat depression, anxiety, phobias, autism, stress, relationship problems, addiction and recovery, grief, and problems at work or school.

Organisational psychology studies individuals and groups and how they perform, behave and interact in the workplace. Organisational psychologists are involved in the administration and development of personality aptitude tests and manages stress in employees. They are also interested in making organizations more productive while ensuring physically and psychologically productive and healthy lives for workers.