We explain what psychology is, the origin and the branches that make up this science. Also, its objectives and its relationship with education.
What is psychology?
Psychology or psychology is a social science and academic discipline focused on the analysis and understanding of human behavior and mental processes experienced by individuals and social groups during specific moments and situations.
Psychology has a vast field of study, as it focuses on the human mind and experience, from various perspectives, currents and methodologies. Some of them are closer to the hard sciences and the use of the scientific method, while others do not consider it appropriate for the object of study, and prefer to build their own methods and approaches.
In this sense, this social science is interested in the processes of perception, motivation, attention, intelligence, learning, thinking, personality, love, consciousness and unconsciousness, but also in interpersonal relationships and by the biochemical functioning of the brain.
The professional practice of psychology, on the other hand, is usually divided between academic research, education and educational innovation, or clinical practice, that is, therapeutic work to understand and resolve various emotional ailments psychological or affective in their patients. The latter is known as psychotherapy.
Psychology should not be confused with psychiatry. The latter is a branch of medicine that studies the biochemical behavior of the brain, without generally dealing with the emotional or experiential content of patients. Nor should it be done with psychoanalysis, which is an interpretive and therapeutic discipline derived from Sigmund Freud's studies of the human mind.
See also: Pedagogy
Origin of psychology
Psychology is a relatively new science, detached from philosophy from the 18th century following the philosophical doctrines of empiricism, which began to understand human behavior as a series of stimuli and responses determined by our biology.
Thus, psychophysiology was born, the precursor of the psychological field. With the entry of formal sciences into the landscape of knowledge, the possibility of a psychology that is no longer merely theoretical, but even experimental, begins.
The first laboratory of experimental psychology was founded at the University of Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. From then on, various branches of theoretical and practical exploration of the human mind would emerge, inaugurating an area of knowledge as vast and diverse as it is today.
Branches of psychology
Psychology presents an enormous number of branches and divisions, which can be grouped into two sets according to their common characteristics, in this way:
- Basic psychology Located as a field of knowledge between the biological of man and the social or human, it focuses on the understanding and collection of information about the basic processes of human thought. It includes the following sub-branches:
- Cognitive psychology It studies the mental processes that allow knowledge, that is, experience. Perception, memory, language and thinking are his areas of interest.
- Psychology of learning It is dedicated to the study of the processes of adaptation and more or less permanent change in the individual, that is, the way in which human beings learn.
- Evolutionary psychology It studies the different stages of growth and development of the human psyche throughout life.
- Psychopathology The study of “abnormalities” or disorders of the psyche, from an eminently descriptive method.
- Psychology of art It studies the phenomena of creativity, creation and artistic expression from the point of view of the human mind.
- Personality psychology Try to build models of understanding of human personality.
- Applied psychology. Also called professional psychology, it is the basic psychological knowledge put at the service of solving specific problems in society. It includes the following sub-branches:
- Clinical psychology She is the one who deals with patients, caring for their mental and emotional suffering and allowing them to lead a life that is as functional as possible depending on the case.
- Educational psychology Focused on learning and the growth of the individual, it collaborates with the construction of habits and school environments that are more conducive to training future generations.
- Child psychology Together with children and adolescents, they specialize in emotional or mental problems during the first stages of human life.
- Social psychology It focuses on human groups and human interactions, emphasizing the importance of the environment in shaping the psyche.
- Industrial psychology Similar to the social one, but applied to the various work environments and the mental situations involved in work.
- Forensic psychology Collaborate with justice in the mental understanding of criminals, homicides and other extreme situations.
- Sports psychology He applies his knowledge to the athletic and sports field, to understand what happens there mentally and emotionally.
Objective of psychology
The general objectives of psychology can be summarized in understanding the processes of the human mind. This includes numerous approaches and methodologies, each with its specific objectives, with its specific approaches to what consciousness, thinking and learning are.
This understanding of the human mind pursues the possibility of, on the one hand, helping to solve the emotional and mental pathologies that afflict contemporary man, perfecting the learning tools available to him and provide clues regarding the nature of consciousness and that which distinguishes us from animals.
Psychology and education
Education and psychology have gone hand in hand since the invention of the latter, since it has been possible to understand much better how learning processes occur formulate theories about it and try to build educational institutions that solve the problems of human society by addressing them from their seed: the coming generations that are still young.
