Introduction and method of psychology

Introduction to
Psychology
By. Surat Ram Kudi
M.Sc. (Psychiatric Nursing), AIIMS New Delhi.
CMH(Diploma) NIMHANS
srjat789@gmail.com,

Introduction
• Psychology is fairly a new science.
• Untill 19th century was recognized as separate field of study.
• The birth of formal psychology can be tracked back to 1879.
It was found by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipizig, Germany.

Word meaning
Word psychology used by Rudolf Gockle - 1590.
Psychology derived from two Greek words
Psyche Logos
(spirit or soul, mind) (study)
Soul means spiritual or immortal elements in a person.
William James used word mind instead of soul in 1890.
Mind is abstract and could not be seen but behavior is what mind do. Mind is a
stream of consciousness.

According to Aristotle psychology is study of soul. (not accepted).
Later on Philosopher Plato said Psychology is study of mind. (incomplete).
According to Sigmund Freud “ mind” is divided into three parts –
conscious, subconscious and unconscious. This was also rejected.
Later on 18th century experimental psychology or scientific psychology
came into being – founder was William Wundt.(1832-1920) : first
psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, 1879.

Concept of psychology
Definition of Psychology changed to
“ Psychology is the systematic study of behavior”.
By this definition psychology became as a subject of science and it comes under
Behavioral sciences.
Scientific study of behavior by measuring tools or tests- called as Psychological
tests.

Why Psychology is science?
1. Method e.g. observation, recording, analysis etc.,
2. Cause and effect relationship
3. Study of facts : factual concepts like intelligence, memory, learning.
4. Universality. E.g., laws of learning applicable to universe.
5. Validity and reliability e.g., intelligence tests.
6. Verification e.g., research.
7. Predictability e.g., theories and principles can predict the behavior of person.

Defintion
Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
It is study of mind and how it works.
Oxford dictionary.
Psychology is the science of human and animal behavior which
includes the application of this science to solve human behavior.
W. Hamilton

Definition
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its
functions, especially those affecting behavior in given context.
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical
state, mental state and external environment.

Roots of Psychology:
Psychology: The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Let’s break
down the definition………..
Behavior
• Anything that you do that can be observed.
Mental
Processes
• Internal experiences such as: thoughts, feelings, sensations,
and perceptions.
Systematic
Study
• Systematic collection and examination of data (empirical
evidence) to support or disprove hypotheses (predictions)
rather than depending on common sense.

Introduction and method of psychology

History of Psychology:
People have been studying human behavior for thousands of years.
(Examples: Romans, Egyptians, Indians). This was good, but was not done
in an organized manner.
Psychology as a science has a very short history. Some scientists (like Mr.
Lark) still call psychology a “soft” science.
Roots of psychology can be traced back 2000 years ago to the early
philosophers, biologists, and physiologists of ancient Greece.

Nature of psychology:
1)Psychology uses scientific methods:
Almost all the method used in psychology are almost scientific in
nature. Out of these the experimental method is the most exact
one. In experimental method the psychologist observes a certain
phenomenon in controlled environment.
Here the psychologist use new and exact instruments to observe
the phenomenon, notes it, compares and classifies it and finally
discovers various principles through generalization.

2)Psychology is factual: Psychology studies the facts of behavior. The
psychologist is objective in his observations and experiments. The field of
psychology is not value but facts.
3)The laws of psychology are universal: At all times and places the laws of
psychology have been found to be same under similar conditions. Eg. Theory
of mind discipline.
4)The laws of psychology are verifiable: By verification and re-verification
psychological principles have been found to be true everywhere. They can be
verified by any one.

5)Psychology discovers the cause-effect relationship in human behavior:
Psychology not only observers behavior, but also finds out cause-effect relationship
in it. E.g.: psychology has discovered why and in what circumstances a child
becomes a delinquent or a degenerate. Psychology discovers the ‘how’ of behavior
together with its ‘what’.
6)Psychology predicts human behavior: By discovering the cause-effect
relationship, psychologists also predict human behavior and these predictions are
generally correct.
From the above characteristics it can be said that Objectivity, reliability, validity and
predictability are characteristics of science, therefore the nature of psychology is
scientific.

SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
• The scope of subject psychology is discussed
under the following two headings as follows:
I. The field of operation and application of
Psychology
II. The branches of Psychology

SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
I.The field of operation and application of Psychology
1)It studies, describes and explains the behavior of living organisms.
2)It describes all types of life activities and experiences like cognitive,
co-native or affective, overt or covert behavior, conscious,
subconscious or unconscious behavior of an organism.
3)It studies not only human behavior but also the human experience,
languages and other forms of communication. It also studies about
individual differences and also how an individual and society
interact and how they behaves a member of small and large groups.

SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
I.The field of operation and application of Psychology
4) Psychology is applied to all the living organisms on the
earth irrespective of species, caste, color, age, gender, mental
or physical state. Thus in subject psychology all are studied
like normal, abnormal, children, adolescents, youth, adults,
old persons, criminals, patients, students, teachers, parents,
employee, employers etc
5) It also studies the behavior of the animals, insects, birds
and plant life.

II.The branches of Psychology
• provide framework and
theory: basic concepts
of psychology.
• Formulation of
psychological
principles and theories
Pure
psychology
• Pure psychology is used
in practical form.
• Application of
principles, rules and
techniques of
psychology is done
Applied
psychology

Branches of Pure and Applied Psychology
A)Pure Psychology B)Applied Psychology
1. General Psychology 1.EducationalPsychology
2. Abnormal Psychology 2. Clinical Psychology
3. Social Psychology 3. Industrial Psychology
4. Physiological Psychology 4. Legal Psychology
5. Para-Psychology Psychology 5. Military Psychology
6. Geo-Psychology Psychology 6. Political Psychology
7. Developmental Psychology 7. School Psychology
8. Experimental Psychology
9. Comparative Psychology
10.Cognitive Psychology

Pure Psychology
1)General Psychology: it deals with fundamental rules, principles and theories of
psychology in relation to study of behavior of normal adult.
2) Abnormal Psychology: it deals with the behavior of individuals who are unusual. It
studies mental disorders, their causes and treatment.
3) Social psychology: it deals with the group behavior and interrelationships of people
with other people (how an individual's behavior influences the group and how the group
behavior influences the individual behavior). It studies various types of group
phenomenon such as public opinion, attitudes, beliefs and crowd behavior.
4) Physiological Psychology: it describes and explains the biological and physiological
basis of behavior. It concerns with the structure and function of sense organs, nervous
system, muscles and glands associated with the behavior.

Pure Psychology
5) Para Psychology: it deals with extra-sensory perceptions, causes of rebirth and telepathy.
6)Geo Psychology: it describes and explains the relation of physical environment particularly
weather, climate and soil with behavior.
7)Developmental Psychology: it studies the factors that influence the growth and
development of human behavior from birth to old age. It also studies the influence of
hereditary and environment on behavior. It is further subdivided in to branches like child
psychology, adolescent, adult and old age psychology.
8) Experimental Psychology: it studies about ways and means of carrying out psychological
experiments by using scientific methods. Here research method is applied to discover and
understand the fundamental and general causes of behavior. It studies basic processes such
as learning and memory, sensation, perception and motivation.

Pure Psychology
9)Comparative Psychology: it is concerned with the study of
animal behavior. The study of animal behavior can lead to
deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.
10)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.

Applied Psychology
1) Educational Psychology: it applies the principles, theories and techniques to
human behavior in the educational situation. It is concerned with the ways and
means of improving all aspects of the teaching/learning process. Educational
psychologist applies the psychological knowledge about learning and motivation to
increase the efficiency of learning in schools.
2)Clinical Psychology: this is the largest sub-field of psychology. This
branch describes the causes of mental illness, abnormal behavior of a patient and
suggests treatment and effective adjustment of the affected person in society.

Applied Psychology
3) Industrial Psychology: this branch of psychology applies the psychological principles,
theories and techniques for the study of human behavior in relation to industrial environment.
Industrial psychologists apply psychological principles to assist public and private organizations for
hiring and recruitment programs, training and supervision of their personnel and the improvement
of communication within the organization and between the organizations. They also counsel
employees within the organization who need help with their personnel problems.
4) Legal psychology: this branch of psychology applies the psychological principles,
theories and techniques to study the behavior of persons like clients, criminals, witnesses etc. It
helps to understand the root cause for the crime, offence, dispute or any legal case.

Applied Psychology
5) Military Psychology: this branch of psychology applies the psychological
principles, theories and techniques in the military science. This branch of
psychology helps to keep the morale of soldiers and citizens during war and
disaster time. It also helps for better recruitment of the personnel for the
fighting capacities and to develop the leadership qualities in the personnel.
6) Political Psychology: this branch of psychology applies the psychological
principles, theories and techniques in studying politics, deriving political gains,
origin of political organization.
7) School Psychology: is a branch of psychology that works within the
educational system to help children with emotional, social and academic
problems

Application of Psychology
In the Field of Education Theories of learning, motivation
and personality, etc. have been responsible for shaping and
designing the educational system according to the needs and
requirements of the students.
The application of psychology in the field of education has
helped the learners to learn, the teachers to teach,
administrators to administer and educational planners to plan
effectively and efficiently.

In the Field of Medicine A doctor, nurse or any person who
attends the patient needs to know the science of behavior to
achieve good results.
Psychology has contributed valuable therapeutic measures like
behavior therapy, play therapy, group therapy, psychoanalysis,
etc. for the diagnosis and cure of patients suffering from
psycho somatic as well as mental diseases.

In the Field of Business and Industry It has
highlighted the importance of know ledge of
consumer's psychology and harmonious interpersonal
relationship in the field of commerce and industry.
In the Field of Criminology It has helped in detection
of crimes and in dealing with criminals.

In the Field of Politics It has proved useful to the
politicians and leaders to learn the qualities of leadership
for leading the masses.
In the Field of Guidance and Counseling: It has provided
valuable help in relation to guidance and counseling in
educational, personal as well as vocational areas.

In the Field of Military Science: Psychology help in the selection,
training, promotion and classification of defence personnel. In fighting
the enemy, the morale of the defence personnel and of citizens must
at all costs be high and this can only be achieved by providing
suggestions, insight and confidence.
In the Field of Human Relationship and Self-Development: Finally it
has helped human beings to learn the art of understanding their own
behavior, seeking adjustment with their self and others and enhancing
as well as actualizing their potentialities to the utmost possible

Methods of Psychology:
• Psychology is termed as the scientific study of human
behavior. Special tools and procedures help us in
gathering and organizing its subject matter or the
essential facts about behavior.
• These procedures are termed as methods, which are
used to study human behavior.

Methods of Psychology:
The important methods of Psychology are:
1). Introspection/ Self Observation Method
2). Observation Method
3). Experimental Method
4). Survey Method
5). Test Method
6). Case Study Method
7). Developmental/Genetic Method

1) Introspection or self
observation
Means to look within. It is internal
perception or self observation. The individual
himself observes his internal activities and
processes whenever and wherever he likes to
do so.
For eg. A patient after an operation may be
asked to report how he feels. The patient will
try to look within and recall what happened
and how he is feeling now.

1) Introspection or self
observation
Advantages:
1). It does not involve any expenditure as it does not need any laboratory or
apparatus
2). We get a direct knowledge of the mental experience of the individual.
3). This method gives us direct, immediate & exact knowledge of the mental
experience of the individual.
Disadvantage:
1). This method cannot be used by children or animal or mental deficiency
patients because they cannot introspect
2). It cannot be verified by other observer because it is purely private affair.

2) Observation method:
It consists of collection of data of an individual behavior by the other
individual. E.g.. When a nurse is assessed to make an observational report on
a patient with an undiagnosed illness then nurse reports her observation such
as patient’s TPR, color, facial expression, restlessness etc.It is widely used in
studying behavior of children and animals
Steps in observation:
1.Observation of behavior.
2.Noting of behavior.
3.Interpretation & analysis of behavior.
4.Generalization.

2) Observation method:
Advantages:
1.It is economical, natural & flexible.
2.Results can be verified & relied
3.Observation method is suitable for observing developmental characteristics of
children’s habit &interest.
Disadvantages:
1 .By Observation method we can observe only external behavior but not the things
that happening in the mind. Eg. Some patients are expert in hiding his feelings and
emotions from others.
2. Behavior observed is dependent on the particular time & place & on particular
individual or groups of individuals involved. It lacks repeatability as each natural
situation can occur only once.

3) Experimental Method:
• The word experiment is derived from a Latin word meaning ‘to try’. This method made
popular by Wundt. In this method the psychologist studies the effects of dependent
variables on changes in independent variables. eg.Effect of anxiety on the behavior.
• Here the psychologists use objective observations under controlled
environment/conditions to observe the behavior performed by the individuals. eg. Effect
of noise on learning.
• From these observations certain conclusions are drawn and theories, principles or laws
established.
• Many experiments are being conducted on people & animals dealing with learning,
forgetting any many other mental activities. The tremendous progress of psychology
during the 20th century is mainly due to this method.

3) Experimental Method:
Advantages:
1.Experiments are objective.
2.Experiments can be repeated for result confirmation
Disadvantages:
1. It cannot always be used due to difficulties such as dangerous to
subjects, difficulty in artificial situations of laboratory.
2. It has difficulty in getting cooperation of subjects.
3. It causes biases as spontaneous behavior may qualitatively be different
from artificial behavior of laboratory results

4) Survey method:
It involves collection or gathering of information from a large number of people by
using questionnaire or interview method. eg. Political opinion, attitudes, health care
needs etc. It is commonly employed in social psychology.
Survey is done by means of self-report, personal interviews and telephonic interviews
by using questionnaires, checklist, rating scales, ranking and inventories. It assesses
different aspects of behavior, emotional experience, aptitudes, knowledge, opinions,
Attitudes and values.

4) Survey method:
Advantages:
1.A large amount of data can be collected in a shorter time.
2.Flexibility.
3.Can be applied to many populations.
4.Broadness of scope
5.Can focus on wide range of topics/ can be used for many topics.
Disadvantages:
1.Tends to be relatively superficial.
2.Behavior not observed directly.
3.Rarely probe deeply in to such complexities or contradictions of human
behavior & feelings.

5) Developmental or genetic
method:
• It studies growth and changes in behavior in terms of its development
from birth till death and influence of heredity and environment in the
development of the person’s behavior and conditions favorable &
unfavorable for normal development and abnormality

RELEVANCE TO NURSING
 Physical and mental well being of a patient depends largely on the nurse
A nurse should know the science of behavior for better result to deal with
the patient.
Psychology explains the relationship between the psychological stress and
physical disorders.
After detail study of the psychology nurse can apply the principles of
psychology in the dealing with the patients.
Psychology helps the nurse to accept the individual differences in terms of
likings, disliking, emotions, response to stress etc.

 Psychology helps to understand the concept of self awareness, self esteem.
 It describes the coping abilities, defense mechanism used by the patients and
this relevance to diseased conditions.
Psychology helps to understand herself
 Psychology helps to understand other people
 It will help her to improve situations by helping others
 Psychology also contributes in many therapeutic measures like- behavior
therapy, play therapy, psychoanalysis etc.
 Make her to understand close relationship between body mind and spirit

Psychology helps to understand herself
 Psychology helps to understand other people
 It will help her to improve situations by helping others
 Make her to understand close relationship between body mind and
spirit.

Introduction and method of psychology

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