Discussion Topic: Lecture: Chapter 1
Lecture: Chapter 1
Chapter 1
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
Defining Psychology: Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and
mental processes.
As a “science,” psychology uses the scientific method to observe human behavior and
draw conclusions based on those observations.
Behavior is everything that a person does that can be directly observed.
Mental processes are the internal thoughts, feelings, and motives that cannot be directly
observed.
The Psychological Frame of Mind
Psychology does not accept assumptions at face value and uses a structured empirical
method to study human behavior. At the core of this scientific approach are four
attitudes: Critical thinking, skepticism, objectivity, and curiosity.
Empirical method: Gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the
collection of data and logical reasoning.
Critical thinking is the process of reflecting deeply and actively, asking questions, and
evaluating the evidence.
Psychologists are skeptical: they question “what people know” and apply it to everyday
life to challenge assumptions. Pursuit of precise information is an additional
characteristics of psychologists. They aim to have the best understanding of a topic or
issue as possible.
Pseudoscience: "Pseudo" means "unreal", "Fake", "False"/ Pseudoscience: It is a
scientific terminology but it is not supported by scientific research. For instance:
Astrology
The Fundamental Goals of Psychological Science: Describe, Predict, and Explain
Psychology as the Science of All Human Behavior
Psychology seeks to understand the truths of human life and all its dimensions,
including people’s best and worst experiences. Some psychologists argue that their field
has focused too much on the negative aspects of humanity and has neglected qualities
that reflect the best of human life. The branch of Positive Psychology was a push by
scholars for more emphasis on the positive and good aspects of human behavior. They
wanted to focus more on what humans value, the traits associated with the optimal
capacities for love and work, and positive group and civic values.
Positive psychology: It is a branch of psychology that emphasizes human strengths
such as hope, happiness, and gratitude.
Contemporary Approaches to Psychology:
1) The biological approach emphasizes the study of the body, especially the brain and
nervous system.
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics,
and biochemistry of the nervous system. It emphasizes that the brain and nervous
system are central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion and has spread to
many other research areas including developmental neuroscience, social neuroscience
and behavioral neuroscience as examples.
2) The behavioral approach emphasizes the scientific study of observable behavioral
responses and their environmental determinants. It portrays behavior as governed by
external forces.
John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner were the first behaviorists.
3) The psychodynamic approach emphasizes unconscious thought, the conflict
between biological instincts and society’s demands, and early family experiences.
Sigmund Freud was the founder of the psychodynamic approach. He believed that a
person’s early interactions with the parents were the major factor that shaped an
individual’s personality.
4) The humanistic approach emphasizes a person’s positive qualities, the capacity for
positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny. Humanistic psychologists
stress that people have the ability to control their lives and avoid being manipulated by
the environment. Topics such as altruism and optimism are largely studied under this
approach.
5) The cognitive approach emphasizes the mental processes involved in knowing:
how we direct our attention, how we perceive, how we remember, and how we think and
solve problems. Often scientists who adopt this approach focus on information
processing, the way the human mind interprets information, stores it, and applies it to
decision making. This approach views the mind as an active and aware problem-solving
system.
6) The evolutionary approach uses evolutionary ideas such as adaptation,
reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human
behaviors. Evolutionary psychologists believe that their approach provides an umbrella
that unifies the diverse fields of psychology.
7) The sociocultural approach emphasizes the ways in which the social and cultural
environments influence behavior. With the rise of cultural diversity in the United States,
research on the influence of culture on behavior has led to important findings in the role
that culture plays in our sense of self.
Psychopathology: It is the scientific study of Psychological Disorders such as ADHD
(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ASD (autism spectrum disorder), AD (anxiety
disorder), and so on ...
Please email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Dr. Fallahi