psycho

• Psychology


  Scientific discipline which deals with processes underlying human experiences and behavior
• Psyche


  Greek word meaning soul
• Logos


  Greek word meaning science or study of a subject
• Psychology was defined as the science of soul or study of soul
• Psychology


  • Studies mental processes, experiences and behavior in different contexts
  • Covers phenomena at individual, dyadic, group and organisational levels
• Mental Processes


  Brain activities that could be recorded, such as thinking, solving problems, which give us clues about how the mind functions
• Experiences


  Internal to the experiencing person, subjective in nature, cannot be directly observed
• Behavior


  Responses or reactions, simple/complex, short/enduring, overt/covert, triggered by stimulus in environment or internal changes
• Psychology seeks to understand and explain how the mind works and how different mental processes result in different behaviors
• Psychologists try to remove biases while explaining behavior and experiences in various ways
• Approaches in Psychology


  • Scientific approach using physical and biological sciences
  • Socio-cultural approach using social and cultural sciences
• Scientific approach in Psychology

  • Applies scientific method, emphasizes objectivity, based on Descartes' hypothetico-deductive model
  • Develops theories that are tested and revised based on empirical data
• Socio-cultural approach in Psychology

  • Studies human behavior in socio-cultural context, focuses on humans as social beings
• Psychology as a discipline is young, with the first psychology lab established in 1879
• Common sense explanations are based on hindsight and explain little, while psychology as a science looks for predictable patterns of behavior
• Scientific knowledge generated by psychology often runs against common sense
• Popular notions to challenge

  • Women are bad drivers
  • Men are more intelligent
• Evolution of Psychology


  • Structuralism
  • Functionalism
  • Gestalt psychology
  • Behaviourism
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Humanistic perspective
  • Cognitive perspective
  • Constructivism
• Indian philosophical tradition is rich in focus on mental processes and reflections on human consciousness, self, mind-body relations, and mental functions
• Phases in development of Psychology in India

  • Till independence - experimental, psychoanalytic and psychological testing research
  • Till 1960s - expansion into different branches, linking western psychology to Indian context
  • Post 1960s - problem-oriented research addressing Indian societal issues
  • 1970s onwards - development of indigenous psychology based on Indian traditional knowledge
• Cognitive Psychology


  • Investigates mental processes involved in acquisition, storage, manipulation, and transformation of information, including attention, perception, memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision-making and language
  • Conducts experiments in laboratory settings
• Branches of psychology in India


  Showed a desire to have an Indian identity by seeking to link western psychology to the Indian context. They did this by using western ideas to understand the Indian situation.
• Psychologists became more focused on addressing the problems of the Indian society. Psychology in India sought to become relevant for Indian society in the phase of problem-oriented research


  Post 1960s
• Fourth phase of psychology in India

  Characterised by development in indigenous psychology, (1970) which originated from the Indian cultural context and was relevant for society and Indian psychology based on the Indian traditional knowledge system.
• While these developments continue, psychology in India is making significant contributions to the field of psychology in the world. It has become more contextual emphasising the need for developing psychological principles, which are rooted in our own social and cultural context.
• Cognitive Psychology


  Investigates mental processes involved in acquisition, storage, manipulation, and transformation of information received from the environment along with its use and communication.
• Major cognitive processes


  • Attention
  • Perception
  • Memory
  • Reasoning
  • Problem solving
  • Decision-making
  • Language
• Cognitive psychologists


  • Conduct experiments in laboratory settings
  • Follow an ecological approach, i.e. an approach which focuses on the environmental factors, to study cognitive processes in a natural setting
  • Often collaborate with neuroscientists and computer scientists
• Biological Psychology


  Focuses on the relationship between behaviour and the physical system, including the brain and the rest of the nervous system, the immune system, and genetics.
• Biological psychologists


  • Often collaborate with neuroscientists, zoologists, and anthropologists
  • Neuropsychology has emerged as a field of research where psychologists and neuroscientists are working together
  • Researchers are studying the role of neurotransmitters or chemical substances which are responsible for neural communication in different areas of the brain and therefore in associated mental functions
  • Do their research on people with normal functioning brain as well as on people with damaged brain by following advanced technologies like EEG, PET and fMRI, etc.
• Developmental Psychology


  Studies the physical, social and psychological changes that occur at different ages and stages over a life-span, from conception to old age.
• Developmental psychologists


  • In earlier years major emphasis was on child and adolescent development, today an increasing number of developmental psychologists show strong interest in adult development and ageing
  • Focus on the biological, socio-cultural and environmental factors that influence psychological characteristics such as intelligence, cognition, emotion, temperament, morality, and social relationship
  • Collaborate with anthropologists, educationists, neurologists, social workers, counsellors and almost every branch of knowledge where there is a concern for growth and development of a human being
• Social Psychology


  Explores how people are affected by their social environments, how people think about and influence others.
• Topics of interest for social psychologists

  • Attitudes
  • Conformity and obedience to authority
  • Interpersonal attraction
  • Helpful behaviour
  • Prejudice
  • Aggression
  • Social motivation
  • Inter-group relations
• Cross-cultural and Cultural Psychology


  Examines the role of culture in understanding behaviour, thought, and emotion. It assumes that human behaviour is not only a reflection of human-biological potential but also a product of culture. Therefore behaviour should be studied in its socio-cultural context.
• Culture influences human behaviour in many ways and in varying degrees.
• Environmental Psychology


  Studies the interaction of physical factors such as temperature, humidity, pollution, and natural disasters on human behaviour. The influence of physical arrangement of the workplace on health, the emotional state, and interpersonal relations are also investigated.
• Current topics of research in Environmental Psychology

  • Extent to which disposal of waste is associated with human behaviour
  • Extent to which population explosion is associated with human behaviour
  • Extent to which efficient use of community resources is associated with human behaviour
• Health Psychology


  Focuses on the role of psychological factors (for example, stress, anxiety) in the development, prevention and treatment of illness.
• Areas of interest for a health psychologist

  • Stress and coping
  • Relationship between psychological factors and health
  • Patient-doctor relationship
  • Ways of promoting health enhancing factors