What is Psychology ?

Psychology is the study of human mind and its functions especially those who affecting behavior.

Psychology is the science of behavior and mind, including conscious and unconscious  phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope and diverse interests that, when taken together ,  seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, and all the variety of epiphenomena they manifest. As a social science it aims to understand  individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases.

Who is Psychologist:

In this field, a professional  practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioral or cognitive scientist.
Psychologist attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and biological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors.

What Psychologists Explore?

Psychologists explore behavior and mental processes, including perception,  cognition, attention , emotion (affect) , intelligence, phenomenology, motivation (conation) , brain functioning and personality. This extends to interaction between people such as interpersonal relationships, including
psychological resilience, family resilience, and other areas. Psychology of diverse orientations also consider the unconscious mind.
While psychological knowledge is often applied to the assessment and treatment of mental health problems, it is also directed towards understanding and solving problems in several spheres  of human activity

Etymology and Definitions:

The word psychology derives from Greek roots meaning study of the Psyche, or soul (Psyche, "breath, spirit, soul" and Logia, "study of" or research").
The earliest known  reference to the word psychology in English was by Steven Blankaart in 1694 in The Physical Dictionary which refers to "Anatomy, which treats  the body, and Psychology, which treats of the soul.
In 1890, William James defined psychology as "the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and their conditions".

Major Branches of Psychology:

Following are the major branches of psychology:

1. Abnormal Psychology:

Abnormal psychology is the area that looks at psychopathology and abnormal behavior. Mental health professionals help assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety of psychological disorders including anxiety and depression. Counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists often work directly in this field.

2. Behavioral Psychology:

Behavior psychology also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. However, behavioral techniques remain a mainstray in therapy, education, and many other areas.
People often utilizes behavioral strategies such as classical conditional and operant conditioning to teach or modify behaviors.

3. Biopsychology:

Biopsychology is the branch of psychology focused on how brain, neurons, and nervous system influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This field draws on many disciplines including basic psychology, experimental psychology, biology, physiology, cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

4. Clinical Psychology:

Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric disorders. Clinical psychologists work in hospital settings or mental health clinics as a part of a collaborative team that may include physicians, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals.

5. Cognitive psychology:

Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on internal  mental states. This area of psychology is centered on the science of how people think, learn and remember.

6. Developmental Psychology:

Developmental psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughout the entire lifespan. Developmental Psychologists often study things such as physical growth, intellectual development, emotional changes, social growth, and perceptual changes that occur over the course of the lifespan.

7. Educational Psychology:

Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching psychology, educational issues and student concerns.

8. Experimental psychology:

Experimental psychology is the branch of psychology that utilizes scientific methods to research the brain and behavior.

9. Counselling psychology: 

Counselling psychology is one of the largest individual subfields within psychology. It is centered on treating clients experiencing mental distress and a wide variety of psychological symptoms.

10. Comparative psychology:

It is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior.

11. Cross-Cultural psychology:

It is the branch of psychology that looks at how cultural factors influence human behavior.

12. Forensic psychology:

Forensic psychology is a specialty area that deals with issues related to psychology and the law. Forensic psychologists perform a wide variety of duties, including providing testimony in court cases, assessing children in suspected child abuse cases, preparing children to give testimony and evaluating the mental competence of criminal suspects.

13. Health psychology:

Health psychology is a specialty area that focuses on how biology, psychology, behavior and social factors influence health and illness.

14. Industrial-Organizational psychology:

It is the branch of psychology that applies psychological principles to research on workplace issues such as productivity and behavior.

15. Personality psychology:

It is the branch of psychology that focuses on the study of the thought patterns, feelings, and behavior that make each individual unique. Classic theories of personality include Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.

16. School psychology:

It is a field that involves working in schools to help kids deal with academic, emotional, and social issues. School psychologists  also collaborate with teachers, students, and parents to help create a healthy learning environment.

17. Social psychology:

This field of psychology is focused on the study of topics such as group behavior, social perception, non-verbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. Social influences on behavior are a major interest in social psychology, but social psychologists are also focused on how people perceive and interact with others.

18. Sports Psychology: 

Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation.