The minds of men have never been a terribly cogent or consistent place, rather one that primarily “oscillates between sense and nonsense” (Jung). This, of course, begs the question as to why are we, as human beings, are the way we are; what makes us tick? Most people have probably asked this question at one point or another, there are those of us today who have dedicated their entire lives to answering this question. Humanity’s answer to this conundrum is the scientific field of Psychology, the study of the human mind and its functions. Psychology can be traced back to as far as 428 B.C. stemming from the Ancient Greeks (Plato), but at this time it was more philosophic thought than a field of science; it did not become a legitimate scientific field until the early 1800s. Before the 1800s, even after its founding to an extent, it was not fully accepted to be science; other scholars thought the study of the human mind and its mechanisms to be too abstract a field to be considered anything but philosophy. As biology developed and neurology emerged psychology gained the support it needed to given credence by other scholars and fields of science. Moving farther ahead in the history of psychology, what we would today largely recognize as practices contemporary did not come about until even later point on the psychology timeline. Furthermore, contemporary psychology is dramatically different from modern day psychology, this is a science that has grown and evolved dramatically even
However, OCAD students have an appeal to prove if they are innocent, but OCAD appeal is different from G.B. college. OCAD appeal is very tough, so students cannot prove their innocence easily. On the one hand, G.B. students have a little more time to prepare for making an appeal. In OCAD university, students have to spend such a long time to make an appeal and also they have to prepare the evidence, but G.B. can explain and show them a source which they use for writing their assignment. OCAD students would be judged that they are innocent or not by their evident, but G.B. students will be judged upon their reason. OCAD students are also discredited from many kinds of opportunity to study from their professor in the university even though they
As a result to concluding the chapter “How to Think Straight about Psychology” by Keith E. Stanovich, the infinite doors into Psychology have opened. I was immediately engaged into the history and conflicts between the continuity of previous and modern day psychology. It was astounding to find the amount of distaste, backed by modern psychologists, on the workings of Sigmund Freud, who I had recently thought to be the foundation to all psychology. However, after reading on about the diversity of psychology, it became apparent that the extensive amounts of subjects within the realm of this study, make it difficult for scientist and the overall population to agree on one unified idea. Psychology has criteria that is ever changing, but limited to the time period of discovery.
The lesson that is perhaps the most important one we learned this week is the scientific method. The scientific method is not only used in particularly every subsection in science, but allows psychologists to test different ideas about behavior. Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo in the General Psychology textbook describes the scientific method as “ a set of rules for gathering and analyzing information that enables you to test an idea or hypothesis”. (8) All scientists adhere to these standard set of rules in order to be able to better analyze the data and share the results throughout the scientific community. The scientific method consists of a few distinct parts: allow for observation, make a prediction, form a hypothesis, choose a research method/ design an
Pennington, D., McLoughlin, J. (2003) ' Debates in Psychology’ in (ed) Advanced Psychology. Child Development, Perspectives & Methods. United Kingdom: Hodder Education Group, pp.232.
When psychology first emerged as a science, the process of explaining the human mind and human behavior began. In this essay we will present a brief synopsis of what psychology is and introduce the reader to the primary biological foundations of psychology that are linked to behavior as well as introducing the reader to the major schools of thought in psychology. In Kowalski and Westen Fifth Edition of Psychology, psychology is define as “the scientific investigation of mental processes such as; thinking, remembering, feeling, and behavior. Understanding a person requires attention to the individual’s biology, psychological experience, and cultural context.”(Kowalski & Weston, 2009, p. 4). Each component is necessary in formulating who
1. Empiricism states that knowledge can only be derived from the senses. Every science utilizes the empirical approach, which has developed into the utilization of the scientific method to gain knowledge. (McLeod, 2008) Since psychology depends on the scientific method to attain knowledge, psychology can conclusively be considered a science. Besides empirical evidence, some other key traits of a science are the following: objectivity, control, predictability, hypothesis testing, and replication. (McLeod, 2008) Psychology ensures objectivity via single-, double-, and triple-blind experiments. Causation can only be confirmed in psychology through an experiment where all variables (besides the independent
The field of psychology is steadily expanding due to the progression in technology, which is being driven by the advancement of civilization. More and more time is spent on the internet, which has gradually altered the method in which primary communication takes place. Previously face-to-face interaction was touted as the primary method of interfacing with one another, now communication via the internet is almost mandatory to establish and maintain healthy relationships (Greenfield and Yan, 2006). This is especially true amongst children, adolescents and teenagers. The need for psychologists have never been greater in order to assess how individuals are able to acclimate to this societal change. Traditionally, there are two methods in which children, adolescents and teenagers communicate via the internet, through social media and video games. Each primary method presents their own unique social challenge. In response to the issues in of teenagers over use of the internet, psychologists are providing assistance for internet addictions at a greater rate. The first method utilized by mental health professionals is traditionally counseling and if those efforts fail, then the potential exists for adolescents to be placed on medications.
This field attempts to analyze the belief systems of individuals and how they affect behavior.
Throughout history there has been many different theory’s that have been presented, in numerous fashions. From psychology’s inception there has been attempts to answer many different questions, how much of our animal heritage exists, are humans basically good, is human nature neither good nor bad, do humans possess free will, is psychology really a science? There has been a persistent question throughout the ages, how are the mind and body related? This question of if there truly is a mind, and if there is, how is it linked to the body has been the center of many debates since the beginning of psychology. Every psychologist in history has at some point dealt with the question “How are the mind and body related”, and each had their own
The field of Psychology has been an area of study, since Wilhelm Wundt did the first psychology lab in 1879 (McLeod, 2008), and since then we have come a very long way in discovering what makes up human behaviors and mental processes. It is important to learn about the field of psychology, especially in the field of Child and Youth care because, understanding how the brain works and understanding the actions, and or reasoning behind feelings may help with the cognitive therapy of a child in need. To begin, I believe having the correct knowledge and understanding how neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin affect the brain are important. As well as having the knowledge of the different parts of the limbic system such as the hippocampus (memory), amygdala (emotion), thalamus (brain directory), hypothalamus (breathing, hunger, thirst, sleep). Finally, classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a way of teaching through stimuli and events (David G. Myers, 2014). We study psychology to gain more knowledge on areas of the brain, how they work, and how they may affect an individual. Three areas in the field of psychology that could improve my learning academics/ employment skills include classical conditioning, dopamine, and the amygdala.
The psychology department of State University is considered an academic discourse community. They have a stated purpose, requirements for membership, and exercise intercommunication techniques. Furthermore, they have shared common knowledge that they use to advance their discipline and attract new members. Eleanor Kutz, a leading expert in the field of language and literacy, argues that academic discourse communities differ from informal ones in the critical area of assumed shared knowledge. She states, “building on the assumed shared knowledge...affects how people participate in academic communities, including introductory ones” (Kutz 344). In other words, professors introduce basic concepts when students enter the community. These
The different psychological schools of thought reflect ideas and emotions of each time period in which they developed, and yet it can be said that they still have relevant value today. Each approach to psychology –the biological, the humanistic, the cognitive, the behavioural and the psychoanalytical– all have relevance in today’s society in their own ways, as well as having distinguishing features yet similar aspects to their teachings.
In the future, I ultimately intend to be a psychologist. With being a psychologist, I am taking on the responsibility on how to lead people into having an overall better life and promote positive change for them. Psychologists often specialize in studying and examining the brain and human behavior. That being said, psychology is a very important branch of science that attempts to help us stay sane!
What captivated my interest in working within the field of psychology was the joy and sense of accomplishment after aiding another individual in need. Since high school I have been involved in volunteer work assisting individuals by helping them acquire new skills, or becoming a friendly mentor. Throughout the years I learned how to observe others, as in discovering how different a person may react to a certain situation, to how they interact within their social groups. Since my volunteer work in high school, I went forth in taking up clinical psychology courses throughout my college career and also acquired a summer job that let me expand and learn more outside of the classroom, which then proven to me again that I love the psychology filed in helping people.
Authored by Keith E. Stanovich, How to Think Straight About Psychology is a known work of the psychology world which was published in 1986. Beginning courses in psychology use his text frequently. Stanovich primary purpose for writing the text is to bring attention to his observation that the public’s understanding of psychology is different from psychology as a modern science. Psychology as a modern science explains the underlying functions that shape human attitudes and behavior. To the people who misunderstand this, the field of psychology is not a real science, but a pseudo-science instead. How to Think Straight About Psychology describes people’s several false impressions of psychology and it gives its readers a factual understanding of the field as a modern and scientific psychology while explaining how this science works.