Psychology

Psychology

Psychology Basics
By Kendra Cherry, About.com Guide
Before you begin studying psychology, you need to gain a clear understanding of exactly what psychology is. When did psychology originate? What do psychologists study? Explore this section to learn the answers to these questions and build a good foundation for further study of this vast and fascinating subject.
1. Psychology 101
2. Brain and Behavior
3. States of Consciousness
4. Learning
5. Memory
6. Emotion and Motivation
7. Development
8. Personality
9. Social Psychology
10. Abnormal Psychology
11. Psychology Homework Help
12. Psychology Career Basics
13. Take a Psychology Quiz
Psychology 101

Before you delve into studying psychology, it's important to learn some basic information such as the different branches of psychology, theoretical perspectives, history and research methods. Whether you are new to the subject or just want to brush up on your knowledge, these articles can help you get started on your studies.
What Is Psychology?
By Kendra Cherry
Question: What Is Psychology?
There's a lot of confusion out there about psychology. According to some popular television programs and movies, psychologists are super-sleuths that can use their understanding of the human mind to solve crimes and predict a criminal's next move. Other popular depictions present the psychologist as a gray and bearded older gentleman, seated in a stately office lined with books, who spends his days listening to clients ramble on about their difficult childhoods.
So what's the truth about psychology? The fact is that there is a little bit of truth in these stereotypical portrayals, but there is actually a lot more to psychology than you might initially think. There is a tremendous diversity in psychology careers, and it is perhaps this enormous range of career paths that contributes to some of the misconceptions about psychology and what psychologists do. Sure, there are psychologists who help solve crimes and there are plenty of professionals who help people deal with mental health issues. But did you know that there are also psychologists who help create healthier workplaces or that design and implement public health programs? Or that there are others psychologists who investigate topics such as airplane safety, computer design, and military life?
Let's start by answering the basic question: What exactly is psychology?
Answer:
Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. As most people already realize, a large part of psychology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to applications for psychology. In addition to mental health, psychology can be applied to a variety of issues that impact health and daily life including performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, motivation, productivity, and much more.
Early Psychology
Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers including Aristotle and Socrates. The word psychology is derived from the Greek word psyche, literally meaning 'life' or 'breath.' Derived meanings of the word include 'soul' or 'self.'
A Separate Science
The emergence of psychology as a separate and independent field of study truly came about whenWilhelm Wundt established the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879.
Wundt's work was focused on describing the structures that compose the mind. This perspective relied heavily on the analysis of sensations and feelings through the use of introspection, a highly subjective process. Wundt believed that properly trained individuals would be able to accurately identify the mental processes that accompanied feelings, sensations and thoughts.
Schools of Thought
Throughout psychology's history, a number of different schools of thought have thought have formed to explain human thought and behavior. These schools of thought often rise to dominance for a period of time. While these schools of thought are sometimes perceived as competing forces, each perspective has contributed to our understanding of psychology. The following are some of the major schools of thought in psychology.
Structuralism
Functionalism
Psychoanalysis
Behaviorism
Humanism
Cognitivism
Psychology Today
Today, psychologists prefer to use more objective scientific methods to understand, explain, and predict human behavior. Psychological studies are highly structured, beginning with a hypothesis that is then empirically tested. The discipline has two major areas of focus: academic psychology and applied psychology. Academic psychology focuses on the study of different sub-topics within psychology including personality, social behavior and human development. These psychologists conduct basic research that seeks to expand our theoretical knowledge, while other researchers conduct applied research that seeks to solve everyday problems.
Applied psychology focuses on the use of different psychological principles to solve real world problems. Examples of applied areas of psychology include forensic psychology, ergonomics, and industrial-organizational psychology. Many other psychologists work as therapists, helping people overcome mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.
Psychology Research Methods
As psychology moved away from its philosophical roots, psychologists began to employ more and more scientific methods to study human behavior. Contemporary researchers employ a variety of scientific techniques including experiments, correlational studies longitudinal research, and others to test, explain, and predict behavior.
Areas of Psychology
Psychology is a broad and diverse field. A number of different subfields and specialty areas have emerged. The following are some of the major areas of research and application within psychology:
Abnormal Psychology is the study of abnormal behavior and psychopathology. This specialty area is focused on research and treatment of a variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy, and clinical psychology.

Biological Psychology, also known as biopsychology, studies how biological processes influence the mind and behavior. This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain injury or brain abnormalities.

Clinical Psychology is focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. It is also considered the largest employment area within psychology.

Cognitive Psychology is the study of human thought processes and cognitions. Cognitive psychologists study topics such as attention, memory, perception, decision-making,problem-solving, and language acquisition.

Comparative Psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. This type of research can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.

Developmental Psychology is an area that looks at human growth and development over the lifespan. Theories often focus on the development of cognitive abilities, morality, social functioning, identity, and other life areas.

Forensic Psychology is an applied field focused on using psychological research and principles in the legal and criminal justice system.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology is a field that uses psychological research to enhance work performance, select employee, improve product design, and enhance usability.

Personality Psychology looks at the various elements that make up individual personalities. Well-known personality theories include Freud's structural model of personality and the "Big Five" theory of personality.

School Psychology is the branch of psychology that works within the educational system to help children with emotional, social, and academic issues.

Social Psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods to study social influence, social perception and social interaction. Social psychology studies diverse subjects including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice.

The Origins of Psychology
A Brief History of Psychology Through the Years
By Kendra Cherry

While the psychology of today reflects the discipline’s rich and varied history, the origins of psychology differ significantly from contemporary conceptions of the field. In order to gain a full understanding of psychology, you need to spend some time exploring its history and origins. How did psychology originate? When did it begin? Who were the people responsible for establishing psychology as a separate science?
Why Study Psychology History?
Contemporary psychology is interested in an enormous range of topics, looking a human behavior and mental process from the neural level to the cultural level. Psychologistsstudy human issues that begin before birth and continue until death. By understanding the history of psychology, you can gain a better understanding of how these topics are studied and what we have learned thus far.
Questions in Psychology
From its earliest beginnings, psychology has been faced with a number of different questions. The initial question of how to define psychology helped establish it as a science separate from physiology and philosophy. Additional questions that psychologists have faced throughout history include:
What topics and issues should psychology be concerned with?

What research methods should be used to study psychology?

Should psychologists use research to influence public policy, education, and other aspects of human behavior?

Is psychology really a science?

Should psychology focus on observable behaviors, or on internal mental processes?
The Beginnings of Psychology: Philosophy and Physiology
While psychology did not emerge as a separate discipline until the late 1800s, its earliest history can be traced back to the time of the early Greeks. During the 17th-century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes introduced the idea of dualism, which asserted that the mind and body were two separate entities that interact to form the human experience. Many other issues still debated by psychologists today, such as the relative contributions of nature vs. nurture, are rooted in these early philosophical traditions.
So what makes psychology different from philosophy? While early philosophers relied on methods such as observation and logic, today’s psychologists utilize scientific methodologies to study and draw conclusions about human thought and behavior. Physiology also contributed to psychology’s eventual emergence as a scientific discipline. Early physiology research on the brain and behavior had a dramatic impact on psychology, ultimately contributing to the application of scientific methodologies to the study of human thought and behavior.
Psychology Emerges as a Separate Discipline
During the mid-1800s, a German physiologist named Wilhelm Wundt was using scientific research methods to investigate reaction times. His book published in 1874, Principles of Physiological Psychology, outlined many of the major connections between the science of physiology and the study of human thought and behavior. He later opened the world’s first psychology lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig. This event is generally considered the official start of psychology as a separate and distinct scientific discipline.
How did Wundt view psychology? He perceived the subject as the study of humanconsciousness and sought to apply experimental methods to studying internal mental processes. While his use of a process known as introspection is seen as unreliable and unscientific today, his early work in psychology helped set the stage for future experimental methods. An estimated 17,000 students attended Wundt’s psychology lectures, and hundreds more pursued degrees in psychology and studied in his psychology lab. While his influence dwindled in the years to come, his impact on psychology is unquestionable.
Structuralism Becomes Psychology’s First School of Thought
Edward B. Titchener, one of Wundt’s most famous students, would go on to found psychology’s first major school of thought. According to the structuralists, human consciousness could be broken down into much smaller parts. Using a process known as introspection, trained subjects would attempt to break down their responses and reactions to the most basic sensation and perceptions.
While structuralism is notable for its emphasis on scientific research, its methods were unreliable, limiting, and subjective. When Titchener died in 1927, structuralism essentially died with him.
The Functionalism of William James
Psychology flourished in American during the mid- to late-1800s. William James emerged as one of the major American psychologists during this period and the publication of his classic textbook, The Principles of Psychology, established him as the father of American psychology. His book soon became the standard text in psychology and his ideas eventually served as the basis for a new school of thought known as functionalism.
The focus of functionalism was on how behavior actually works to help people live in their environment. Functionalists utilized methods such as direct observation. While both of these early schools of thought emphasized human consciousness, their conceptions of it were significantly different. While the structuralists sought to break down mental processes into their smallest parts, the functionalists believed that consciousness existed as a more continuous and changing process. While functionalism is no longer a separate school of thought, it would go on to influence later psychologists and theories of human thought and behavior.

List of Famous Psychologists
Perspectives in Modern Psychology
Specialty Areas in Psychology
Branches of Psychology
How Is Psychology Studied?
Becoming a Consumer of Psychology
10 Facts About Psychology
Psychology 101 Quiz
Video: Tips for Becoming a Psychology Consumer

Brain and Behaviour

Every year, millions of people are affected by disorders of the brain and nervous system including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, strokes, and traumatic brain injuries. These illnesses and injuries highlight the importance of the biological bases of behavior. In this section, explore some of the basics of biological psychology.
What Is Biopsychology?
The Neuron
The Structure of a Neuron
The Nervous System and Endocrine System
The Brain
7 Myths About the Brain
Left Brain vs. Right Brain
How Big Is the Brain?
Adult Neurogenesis: Can We Grow New Brain Cells?
How Many Neurons Are in the Brain?
Do We Only Use 10 Percent of Our Brain?
States of Consciousness

Have you ever wondered why you feel more energetic in the morning, tried to analyze your dreams or questioned how hypnosis works? All of these topics are rel
What Is Consciousness?
Environmental and Biological Rhythms
Sleep: Stages, Theories & Problems
Characteristics of Dreams
Why Do We Dream?
Dream Interpretation
What Is Hypnosis?
A Look at Psychoactive Drugs
Learning

From the day we our born, we begin a process of learning that lasts throughout life. Learning has been defined in a number of different ways, but many psychologists describe learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience. Learn more about some of the different theories of learning.
Introduction to Classical Conditioning
Principles of Classical Conditioning
Introduction to Operant Conditioning
Schedules of Reinforcement
Observational Learning
Learning Study Guide
Learning Quiz
Memory

The ability to create, store and access memories is an essential part of day-to-day life. From remembering where you left your keys to learning a language to memorizing information for a class, your memory allows you to function and interact meaningfully with others. Learn more about how memory works and how new memories are formed.
What Is Memory?
Memory Retrieval
Forgetting: When Memory Fails
Why We Forget: 4 Explanations for Forgetting
Tips for Improving Memory
Emotion and Motivation
What forces drive us to act the way we do? Are human emotions universal? Discover some answers to some basic questions about the psychology behind motivation and emotion.
What Is Motivation?
Theories of Motivation
Extrinsic Vs. Intrinsic Motivation
What Is the Overjustification Effect?
What Are Emotions?
Why Do We Have Emotions?
Theories of Emotion
Development

The study of human development is a rich and varied subject. We all have personal experience with development, but it is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, learn, and act as they do. Developmental psychology seeks to understand, explain, and predict behaviors that occur throughout the lifespan. In order to understand human development, a number of different developmental theories have arisen to explain various aspects of human growth.
What Is Development?
Issues in Developmental Psychology
How is Development Studied?
Psychoanalytic Theories of Development
Learning Theories of Development
Cognitive Theories of Development
10 Quick Facts About Child Development
Personality
What makes people think and act the way they do? Are individual characteristics stable throughout life, or do they change? These are just a few of the questions that personality psychologists seek to answer. Personality is made up the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make each person unique. This topic has become one of the most studied areas in psychology, spawning well-known theories designed to describe and explain how and why people develop certain personality characteristics. Explore the links below to learn more about this fascinating area of psychology.
What Is Personality?
How Does Personality Develop?
What Is Personality Psychology?
Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
Psychosocial Theory of Personality
Trait Theories of Personality
5 Dimensions of Personality
The Hierarchy of Needs
Personality Disorders
Personality Psychology Study Guide
10 Fascinating Facts About Personality
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the study of human thought and behavior in social situations. Many topics are studied by social psychologists, including attitudes, aggression, prejudice, prosocial behavior and self-identity. Learn more about how people form impressions of others, interpret the behavior of others and behave in social situations.
What Is Social Psychology?
10 Quick Facts About Social Psychology
Major Perspectives in Social Psychology
Research Areas in Social Psychology
Research Methods in Social Psychology
What Is Social Cognition?
What Is Person Perception?
Leadership
Love and Attraction
Nonverbal Communication
Attitudes: How They Form and How They Influence Behavior
Attribution: How We Explain Behavior
What Is Groupthink?
The Psychology of Social Influence
Abnormal Psychology
One of the major goals of psychology is to understand and treat psychological disorders. In this section, learn more about the field of abnormal psychology including some of the different types of therapeutic treatments used by psychologists as well as some of the major types of psychological disorders.
What Is a Psychological Disorder?
A List of Psychological Disorders
How to Become a Therapist
Differences Between Psychologists and Psychiatrists
Types of Therapy
Who Can Provide Psychotherapy?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Art Therapy
Psychology Homework Help

Psychology is an enormous and diverse topic, touching on almost every aspect of our lives including personality, family and social behavior. Whether you're taking your first psychology class or majoring in this fascinating subject, the following collection of resources, tips and academic tools can help you learn more, study more effectively and perform better on tests, essays and class discussions.
Before You Major In Psychology
How to Study Psychology
How to Pass Psychology 101
How to Write a Psychology Paper
Find Ideas For Psychology Papers
How to Take a Multiple-Choice Psychology Exam
How to Read (and Understand) a Psychology Journal Article
APA Format Basics
How to Write a Title Page
Succeed In Your Psychology Classes
Time Management for Psychology Students
Psychology Career Basics

Do you enjoy thinking about the causes of human behavior? Have you ever wanted to help people solve problems? If you can answer yes to these questions, then you should definitely consider a career in psychology. As a diverse and exciting field with a wide range of educational and career opportunities, you can pursue the path suited to your personal and professional goals. Explore this section to find the tools, resources and advice you need to succeed in school and find the psychology career that is right for you.
Entry-Level Careers
Graduate Degree-Level Careers
10 Hot Psychology Careers
List of Psychology Careers
Where to Find Psychology Jobs
How Much Do Psychologists Earn?
How to Become a Psychologist
Profiles of Psychology Careers
Psychology Career Quiz
Psychology Career FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Take a Psychology Quiz

One of the best ways to see how well you understand basic concepts in psychology is to quiz yourself. Take one of the following quizzes to get a better idea of which topics you need to concentrate on.
Defense Mechanisms Quiz
Developmental Psychology Quiz
Behaviorism Quiz
Personality Psychology Quiz
Phobia Quiz
Research Methods Quiz
Psychosocial Development Quiz
Psychosexual Development Quiz
Cognitive Development Quiz
Psychology History Quiz

Learning Styles - Global and Analytic
Are You a Global Learner or an Analytic Learner?
By Grace Fleming
What's a Learning Style? Can a learning style affect your study habits? You may want to look into these questions if you've ever read a paragraph or two and realized that the information didn't sink in at all--even when you try a second time.
Have you found yourself asking for the teacher's directions to be repeated? Sometimes things just don't stick. What's going on? Is something wrong?
There's good news and bad news. The good news is, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you! The truth is, everybody's brain is different, and each brain prefers to take in information in a particular way.
Your brain is special. If you get to know your brain's "preferences," you can improve your ability to understand and remember things.
The bad news? You'll have to do a little homework to figure out the best way to go about doing your homework! It will take a little time to figure out your best learning style and find out how your brain likes to receive information. But once you figure this out, your study time will be much more pleasant and rewarding.
How Does Your Brain Work?
Experts have come up with many ways to measure how our brains work, how we learn, and how and why we remember things. They even spend a lot of time arguing and disagreeing about their findings. The research is extensive--and it's complicated.
This article is less scientific and it has one goal: to make you understand that your brain is special, and that you can determine how to find your own special way of learning and remembering.
You may have heard about companies that specialize in improving your grades. How do you think they do this? They give you tests to determine your cognitive style, or find out how your brain works, then they teach you how to study in a way that your brain "likes."
To a certain extent, you can do this yourself!
Big Picture or Little Parts?
Some psychologists say thsat people view problems or new information in two ways: they either see a big picture or they see a group of little parts.
For instance, some history students will think of the Civil War as one large event with a series of battles and a specific outcome. They seem to view things as "big picture" events.
Other students will view the Civil War as a series of specific events that favored one side at times, and the other side at other times. The parts of the whole stand out most to these students: the battle places, individual victories, or maybe the soldiers themselves.
Neither way is better. However, by understanding your cognitive style, you may understand why you find yourself reading and not understanding.
For instance, if you are a holistic or "big picture" learner, you are more concerned about understanding the entire chapter than one paragraph. If you read over a complicated or boring paragraph, you are more likely to skim over information in an effort to get to the big message.
If you come across a paragraph you don't understand, you are likely to shrug, go on reading, then (hopefully) re-visit certain paragraphs once you get a big picture in your head.
On the other hand, an analytic or "little parts" person may be more likely to get hung up on a tough concept or paragraph. It is essential for this kind of learner to understand each part, in order to understand the whole
Find out whether you learn best by seeing, hearing, or acting out the information. It will pay off!