CHAPTER ONE
ESSENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
03/09/2026 1
Definition of Psychology and Related Concepts
Y The word "psychology" is derived from two Greek words
'psyche' and ‗logos‟.
Y Psyche refers to mind, soul or sprit while, logos means
study, knowledge or discourse.
Y Therefore, "psychology" refers to the study of the mind,
soul, or sprit and it is often represented by the Greek letter ᴪ
(psi) which is read as ("sy").
Y Hence, psychology is the scientific study of human
2 behavior and mental processes 03/09/2026
Cont.
In the above definition, there are three aspects;
Y Science: psychology uses scientific methods to study
behavior and mental processes in both humans and animals.
Y Behavior: refers to all of our outward or overt actions and
reactions, such as talking, facial expressions, movement,
etc.
Y Mental processes: refer to all the internal, covert activities
of our minds, such as thinking, feeling, remembering, etc.
3 03/09/2026
# Goals of Psychology
As a science, psychology has four goals; these are:
Y Description: it involves observing the behavior and noticing
everything about it. It is a search for answers for questions
like,
What is happening?
Where does it happen?
To whom does it happen? And
under what circumstances does it seem to happen?.
4 03/09/2026
Cont.
Y Explanation: Why is it happening? Explanation is about
trying to find reasons for the observed behavior.
Y Prediction: Prediction is about determining what will
happen in the future.
Y Control: How can it be changed? Control or modify or
change the behavior from undesirable one (such as failing
in school) to a desirable one (such as academic success).
5 03/09/2026
Lesson 2:
Schools of psychology
0 26
9 /2
3/
0 6
0
A. Early schools of psychology
A school of thought is a system of thinking about a
certain issue.
The first system of thinking takes a biological approach
and the later takes an environmental approach.
But, what is common in both is there is a tendency to
give general, systematized approach of explaining
phenomena.
7 03/09/2026
Cont.
# There are five early schools of psychology.
I. Structuralism- structuralism views psychology as a study
of structure of mind.
• Titchener is the founder of structuralism in (1867-1927).
• The goal of structuralists was to find out the units or
elements, which make up the mind such as; sensations,
images, and feelings.
• The best-known method used by them was introspection
8 ―looking inward into our consciousness. 03/09/2026
Cont.
II. Functionalism- functionalism views psychology as a
study of function of the mind.
The founder of this school of thought is William James
(1848-1910)
He was the first American psychologist and the author
of the first psychology textbook.
James focused on how the mind allows people to
function in the real world
9 03/09/2026
Cont.
Such as how people work, play, and adapt to their
surroundings
He developed many research methods other than
introspection including questionnaires, mental
tests and objective descriptions of behavior
10 03/09/2026
Cont.
III. Gestalt psychology: Gestalt psychology views
psychology as a study of the whole mind
Max Wertheimer and his colleagues founded this
school of thought
Gestalt psychologists argued that the mind is not made
up of combinations of elements
They held that "the whole is greater than the sum of
its parts”.
11 03/09/2026
Cont.
IV. Behaviorism: behaviorists view psychology as a
study of observable and measurable behaviors.
John B. Watson is the founder of behaviorism
For Watson, psychology was the study of observable
and measurable behavior and nothing more about
hidden mental processes.
He believed that all behaviors are learned but not
inherited and learners are passive and reactive
12 03/09/2026
Cont.
V. Psychoanalysis: psychology studies about the
components of the unconscious part of the mind.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is the founder of this
school of thought
Freud argued that conscious awareness is the tip of the
mental iceberg beneath the visible tip lays the
unconscious part of the mind.
13 03/09/2026
B. Modern Schools of Psychology
I. Psychodynamic perspective – It has its origins in
Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, but many other
psychodynamic theories exist.
The influence of unconscious mental behavior on
everyday behavior.
The role of childhood experiences in shaping adult
personality.
The role of intrapersonal conflict in determining human
14 behavior. 03/09/2026
Cont.
II. Behavioral Perspective
It emphasizes the role learning experiences play in shaping
the behavior of an organism.
It is concerned with how the environment affects the
person‘s actions.
Behaviorists focus on environmental conditions (e.g.
rewards, and punishments) that maintain or discourage
specific behaviors.
15 03/09/2026
Cont.
III. Humanistic Perspective
It emphasizes the uniqueness of human beings and focuses
on human values and subjective experiences.
This perspective places greater importance on the
individual‘s free will.
The goal of humanistic psychology was helping people to
express themselves creatively and achieve their full
potential or self-actualization (developing the human
potential to its fullest).
16 03/09/2026
Cont.
IV: Cognitive Perspective
It emphasizes what goes on in people's heads;
how people reason, remember, understand
language, solve problems, explain experiences
and form beliefs.
This perspective is concerned about the mental
processes.
17 03/09/2026
Cont.
V. Socio-cultural Perspective
It focuses on the social and cultural factors
that affects human behavior.
This perspective holds that humans are both
the products and the producers of culture, and
our behavior always occurs in some cultural
contexts.
18 03/09/2026
Branches/Sub Fields of Psychology
Y Developmental psychology – It studies the physical, cognitive
and psychological changes across the life span.
It attempts to examine the major developmental
milestones/indicator that occur at different stages of
development.
Y Personality Psychology – it focuses on the relatively enduring
traits and characteristics of individuals.
Personality psychologists study topics such as self-concept,
aggression, moral development, etc.
19 03/09/2026
Cont.
Y Industrial psychology – applies psychological principles
in industries and organizations to increase the
productivity of that organization.
Y Forensic psychology - applies psychological principles to
improve the legal system (police, testimony, etc..).
Y Educational Psychology - concerned with the application
of psychological principles and theories in improving the
educational process including curriculum, teaching, and
administration of academic programs.
Y Health Psychology - applies psychological principles to
the prevention and treatment of physical illness and
diseases.
20 03/09/2026
Cont.
Y Clinical Psychology:-is a field that applies
psychological principles to the prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of psychological disorders.
Y Counseling Psychology: - is a field having the same
concern as clinical psychology but helps individuals
with less severe problems than those treated by
clinical psychologists.
Y Social Psychology –deals with people‘s social
interactions, relationships, social perception, and
attitudes.
Y Cross-cultural Psychology - examines the role of
culture in understanding behavior, thought, and
emotion.
21 03/09/2026
Lesson 3:
Research Methods in Psychology
0 26
9 /2
3/
0 22
0
Cont.
Hence, before discussing the types of research methods; we try
to see the following basic terms.
Scientific method - a process of testing ideas through
systematic observations, experimentations, and statistical
analysis.
Theory - is an integrated set of principles about observed facts
that is intended to describe and explain some aspects of
experience.
Hypotheses - is a tentative proposition about the relationship
23 03/09/2026
between two or more variables or phenomena.
# Major types of research methods
I. Descriptive research - in this type of research, the
researcher simply records what she/he has systematically
observed.
Descriptive research methods include naturalistic
observation, case studies, and surveys.
Naturalistic observation: subjects are observed in their
natural environment to get a real (not artificial) picture of
how behavior occurs.
24 03/09/2026
Cont.
Case study: is a descriptive technique in which an
individual is studied in great detail. Its advantage is that it
provides tremendous amount of data about a single case
or individual.
Survey: is a descriptive research method used to collect
data from a very large group of people.
It is useful to get information on private (covert)
behaviors and it addresses hundreds of people with the
same questions at the same time.
25 03/09/2026
Cont.
2. Correlational research - is a research method that
measures the relationship between two or more variables.
Though correlation tells researchers if there is a relationship
between variables, how strong the relationship is, and in
what direction the relationship goes,
It doesn‘t prove causation (which means it doesn‘t show
the cause and effect relationship).
26 03/09/2026
Cont.
3. Experimental Research: it is a research method that
allows researchers to study the cause and effect
relationship between variables.
In experimental research, a carefully regulated procedure
in which one or more factors believed to influence the
behavior being studied are manipulated and all other
factors are held constant.
Experiments involve at least one independent variable and
one dependent variable.
27 03/09/2026
# Steps of scientific research
Step one - Defining the Problem
Step two - Formulating the Hypothesis
Step three - Testing the Hypothesis using of laboratory and
statistical method---
Step four - Drawing Conclusions based on the hypothesis's
tested
Step five - Reporting Results
28 03/09/2026
THANK YOU!
03/09/2026 29