Why Psychology is a Science?

   Introduction to psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the discipline concerned with behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state and external environment.

In short psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior.

Psychology is a pseudoscience. Pseudo means false. This is so because we as a human posses different behaviors. Humans do not have set patterns of behavior. The patterns of behavior vary in them these are not definite.

Why Psychology is a Science?

Science is basically a process of inquiry, process of formulating specific question and then finding answers. So we ask questions of nature and get answers.

“We ask questions of nature and get answers”

                                                              (D.E Moss)

 Sub-fields of psychology

Psychology is an emerging field. A lot of its fields have been emerged which provide this discipline a diversity. Some of its fields are as follows

Behavioral genetics: it is the branch of psychology in which psychologists study the inheritance of traits related to behavior.

Behavioral neuroscience: In this branch psychologist examines the biological basis of behavior.

Clinical psychology: this branch there is a study, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.

Clinical neuropsychology: psychologists unite the areas of biopsychology and clinical psychology, focusing on the relationship between the biological factors and psychological disorders.

Cognitive psychology: cognition is the study of higher mental processes. So this field study the processes related to human mind.

Counseling psychology: this branch focuses primarily on educational, social, and career adjustment problems.

Cross-cultural psychology: this subfield focuses on the similarities and differences in psychological functioning across cultures and ethnic groups.

Developmental psychology: developmental psychology examines how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.   

Environmental psychology: psychologist examines the relationship between people and their physical environment.

Educational psychology: this field is concerned with teaching and learning processes, such as the relationship between motivation and school performance.

Experimental psychology: psychologists study the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world in experimental psychology.

Evolutionary psychology: it examines how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our ancestors.

Forensic psychology: this field focuses on the legal issues such as determining the accuracy of witness memories.

Health psychology: health psychology explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease.

Industrial/organizational psychology:  it is concerned with the psychology of the workplace.

Personality psychology: this field focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one person from another.

Social psychology: social psychology is the study of how peoples thoughts, feelings and actions are affected by others.

Sport psychology: sport psychology applies psychology to athletic activity and exercise.

(Note)

The material provided in the post is taken from the book “UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY”   (10^th edition)

All credit goes to the author; Robert S. Feldman 

 (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)