intro to psych lecture 01 and 2

• Psychology


  A science investigating questions about human behaviour in a scientific way
• Psychology


  • Fundamental question it seeks to answer is: 'what is human nature'
  • Is practical
  • Provides a powerful way of thinking about human behaviour
  • Is a broad discipline that includes: Social science, behavioural science, biological science, cognitive science and health science
  • Focuses largely on the experiences of individuals
• Goals of Psychology


  • To improve the quality of human life
  • To describe, understand (or explain), predict and achieve some measure of control over what we study
• Psychiatrist


  Studies the science of medicine - is trained as a medical doctor first, and then specialises in psychiatry; they prescribe medicine
• Psychologist


  Studies the science of psyche - trains in psychology; they do not prescribe medicine
• Although both professionals can do therapy, within SA psychiatrists do very little therapy and focus more on medicine
• Major Subdivisions of the Field of Psychology

  • Abnormal psychology, or psychopathology
  • Career psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Community psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Environmental psychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Health psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Pastoral psychology
  • Personality psychology
  • Psychological counselling
  • Psychological evaluation and assessment
  • Social psychology
  • Sport psychology
• Different Registration Categories For Psychologists Working In South Africa

  • Clinical psychologists
  • Counselling psychologists
  • Educational psychologists
  • Forensic psychologists
  • Industrial/organisational psychologists
  • Neuropsychologists
  • Research psychologists
• Clinical psychologists


  • Evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of individuals with psychological disorders, as well as treatment of severe behavioural and emotional problems – involves interviewing, psychological testing, group and individual psychotherapy
• Counselling psychologists


  • Overlap with clinical – focus on people struggling with everyday problems of moderate severity; specialise in career counselling
• Educational psychologists


  • Focus – promotion of cognitive, emotional and social development of children in schools – testing and counselling of school children
• Forensic psychologists


  • Applies psychological knowledge, principles, skills etc to respond to legal questions – criminal, civil, family law
• Industrial/organisational psychologists


  • Applies psychological knowledge, principles etc in the world of business and industry – human resources, improving morale and attitudes, job satisfaction, productivity, organisational culture/structure etc
• Neuropsychologists


  • Focus on psychological assessment to diagnose and treat neuropathology (diseases affecting the nervous system)
• Research psychologists


  • Focus – planning and conducting research in various psychological domains – validating tools used for research
• Psychology has a unique and important role in therapy, assessment, and research
• Psychology's 'intellectual parents'


  Philosophy and Physiology
• Wilhelm Wundt


  • First person to campaign to make psychology an independent discipline
  • Established the first research laboratory in 1879
  • Established the first psychology research journal in 1881
  • Psychology = the scientific study of conscious experience (mind & mental processes)
  • Modelled psychology on sciences such as physics and chemistry
  • Focused on discovering basic elements or structures of mental processes
• Structuralism


  • Emerged with the work of Edward Titchener
  • The task of psychology is to analyse consciousness into its basic elements and to investigate how these elements are related
  • Examined the fundamental/basic components of conscious e.g. sensations, feelings & images
  • Used the method of introspection - " the careful, systematic self-observation of one's conscious experience"
• Functionalism


  • Emerged from the work of William James
  • Psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure
  • Consciousness consists of a continuous flow of thoughts
  • Called this flow the 'stream of consciousness'
  • Flexible and fluid mind changes, adaptation to a constantly changing flow of information
• Structuralism vs Functionalism


  Structuralists were looking inside the mind, searching for the structures, whereas the functionalists were looking more at what was going on in the person's interaction with the outside world
• Sigmund Freud


  • Identified the presence of the 'unconscious' (vs masters of our own mind)
  • The unconscious contains thoughts, memories and desires that are hidden below the surface of conscious awareness but that exert great influence on behaviour
  • His theory attempted to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorder by focusing on unconscious determinants of behaviour
  • Put great emphasis on sex, and coping with sexual urges
• Behaviourism


  • A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behaviour
  • Must shift away from the study of the consciousness, and focus exclusively on behaviour
  • Brought about the nature vs. nurture debate
  • Behaviour is governed by the environment, we are 'made, not born'
• B.F Skinner


  • Organisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive outcomes, and they tend not to repeat responses that lead to neutral or negative outcomes
  • All behaviour is governed by external stimuli
  • Free will is an illusion
• Humanism


  • Takes on an optimistic view of human nature
  • Humans are governed primarily by their sense of self – 'self-concept'
  • If psychologists want to understand people's behaviour they must take into account the human drive towards personal growth
  • Critiques of both behaviourism & Freudian ideas
• Focus areas of positive psychology

  • Positive subjective experiences
  • Positive individual traits
  • Positive institutions and communities
• Psychology as a profession: Clinical psychology was the first to gain prominence
• Emergence of renewed interest in Cognition & Physiology
• Increased interest in cultural diversity: Historically largely been a Western initiative, more interest in recent decades due to globalization and more diverse Western world
• History of Psychology in SA dates back before WWII
• Psychometric Testing, Psychoanalytic Perspective, and Contributions in Behaviour Therapy in SA
• Professional Associations in SA: South African Psychological Association, Psychological Institute of RSA, Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA)
• Academic boycott of SA from 1965-1990 due to psychology's generally seen as complicit with apartheid ideology
• Toward an African Psychology: Dominance of Western psychology in Africa, need for a psychology that is relevant to SA context
• Four Orientations of African Psychology Suggested

  • Western-oriented African Psychology
  • Cultural African Psychology
  • Critical African Psychology
  • Psychological African studies
• Transformation & Inclusion in South African Psychology