Define psychology, psychology is the scientific study of the
mind and behavior. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and
includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports,
health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes.
Psychology is really a
very new science, with most advances happening over the past 150 years or
so. However, it's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, 400 – 500
years BC. The emphasis was a philosophical one, with great thinkers such
as Socrates influencing Plato, who in turn influenced Aristotle. Philosophers
used to discuss many topics now studied by modern psychology, such as memory, free
will, attraction etc.[1]
Psychology is the
scientific study of human and animal behavior with the object of understanding
why living beings behave as they do. As almost any science, its discoveries
have practical applications. As it is a rather new science, applications are
sometimes confused with the science itself. It is easier to distinguish what is
'pure' and 'applied' in older disciplines: everybody can separate physics and
mathematics from engineering, or anatomy and physiology from medicine. People
often confound psychology with psychiatry, which is a branch of medicine
dedicated to the cure of mental disorders.
Some topics that
'pure' psychologists may study are: how behavior changes with development, when
a behavior is instinctive or learned, how persons differ, and how people get
into trouble. 'Applied' psychologists may use scientific knowledge to find
better ways to deal with adolescents, to teach, to match persons with jobs, and
to get people out of their troubles. Accordingly, several branches exist of
psychology: developmental psychology, animal psychology, educational
psychology, psychotherapy, industrial psychology, psychology of personality,
social psychology, are but some of them.[2]
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