GEN PSYC

• Ψ


  Symbol for psychology likened to a "master" controlling the waters (see: Poseidon)
• Psychology


  • State of mind
  • Hidden depths as our unconscious mind
  • Territory of our cognitive processes
• PSY


  Human soul, mind, or spirit
• Psyche


  Greek goddess of the soul
• Definitions of Psychology


  • "...study of the soul"
  • "...study of the mind"
  • "...study of behavior and mental processes"
• Psychology as a Young Science: Experimental exploration of issues, thoughts, and things related to the mind generally happened before the 19th century. But it was only until 1879 that psychology became a science–a discipline that applied scientific methods
• Psychology as an Old Subject: Earliest men already wondered about thought processes manifested by their cave paintings, dreams, and curiosity about fire
• Historical Figures in Psychology

  • Socrates, Thales, Plato
  • Islamic physicians @ Fez, Morroco
  • Francis Bacon
  • Franz Joseph Gall
  • Wilhelm Wundt
  • G. Stanley Hall
• History of Psychology in the Philippines

  • Augustin Alonzo
  • Sinforoso Padilla
  • Jesus Perpinan
  • Angel de Blas, OP
  • Estefania Aldaba – Lim
  • Joseph Goertz
  • Fr Jaime Bulatao, SJ
  • Virgilio Enriquez
• Psychology was carried out in the Philippines in 1982
• The Psychology Law, known as RA 10029, was passed in 2009 to govern the Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists and Psychometricians, oversee the professionalization and regulation of the practice of psychology, and provide consequences for harm done to practitioners and clients
• Goals of Psychology


  • Describe how people behave
  • Predict what people will do under certain conditions
  • Control/influence behavior through manipulation of its causes
• Scientific Methods Used in Psychology

  • Observation
  • Case studies
  • Surveys
  • Experimentations
• Behavior


  Any (easily) observable act and can include immobility
• Types of Behavior


  • Overt
  • Covert
  • Voluntary
  • Involuntary
  • Conscious
  • Unconscious
• Mental Processes


  Mental processing as the study of the mind (immaterial and abstract)
• Areas of Abnormalities


  • Neurosis
  • Psychosis
• Schools of Thought in Psychology

  • Structuralism
  • Functionalism
  • Behavioralism (S-R)
  • Gestaltism (Configurationism)
  • Humanistic Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
• Branches of Psychology

  • Educational
  • Developmental
  • Psychometrics
  • Industrial and Organizational
  • Counseling
  • Abnormal and Clinical
  • Forensic
  • Sports
  • Engineering and AI
• Nervous System


  • Chief of all systems and in coordinating the body
  • Controls and regulates all the other systems in the body
• Glial Cell


  Provides structural support and is the form/framework of the nervous system
• Neuron (Nerve Cell)


  • Makes the forms/frameworks of the glial cells operate
  • Information-processing cells
  • Highly specialized cells
• Approximately 100 billion neurons are already present at birth
• Neurons cannot repair or regenerate themselves, and when a critical number are damaged, this can lead to illnesses and disorders
• Neurons are the only cell in the body that can process electrochemical energy, which is the only language they understand
• The nervous system develops around the 5th to 6th week, with development ending around age 25
• Stages of Neural Development

  • Neural Production (Proliferation)
  • Migration
  • Differentiation
  • Synaptogenesis
  • Myelination
  • Synaptic Pruning
• Types of Neurons

  • Afferent/Sensory Neurons
  • Efferent/Motor Neurons
• Structure of the Nerve Cell


  • Dendrites
  • Nucleus
  • Myelin Sheath
  • Axon Terminals
• More than 120 independent neurotransmitters have been discovered, but less than 20 are fully understood especially when it comes to their functions
• Nerve cell


  Three main parts: Dendrites, Axon, Cell body / Soma
• Parts not present in other cells

  • Dendrites, axon, Myelin Sheath
• Dendrites

  Entry ports to the cell
• Nucleus

  Center of the cell and decides where the transferred energy will go
• Myelin Sheath

  • Functions like a cord (insulator) and makes the energy go in one direction
  • Segment into different 'sausages' which functions like a pump and makes fast brain reaction possible
• Axon Terminals


  Cells are deposited to their destinations or synapses (gaps between the cells)
• Neurotransmitters


  • Chemical substances manufactured and released by neurons that carry information across the synaptic gap to the next neuron
  • Special chemical messengers
• Neurotransmitters


  • Dopamine
  • Endorphin
  • GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid)
  • Serotonin
  • Acetylcholine
• Dopamine


  • Attention, hormone regulation, increased emotional response, sexual desire
  • Too much = Schizophrenia
  • Too little = Parkinson's disease
• Endorphin


  Pain control, pleasure, memory, similar to OPIATES (structure and action)