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¿Qué deberías saber sobre la psicología?

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Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. It encompasses the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect how people think, act, and feel.

Gaining a richer and deeper understanding of psychology can help people achieve insights into their own actions as well as a better understanding of other people.

It's difficult to capture everything that psychology encompasses in just a brief definition, but topics such as development, personality, thoughts, feelings, emotions, motivations, and social behaviors represent just a portion of what psychology seeks to understand, predict, and explain.

Types of Psychology

Psychology is a broad and diverse field that encompasses the study of human thought, behavior, development, personality, emotion, motivation, and more. As a result, some different subfields and specialty areas have emerged. The following are some of the major areas of research and application within psychology:

Abnormal psychology is the study of abnormal behavior and psychopathology. This specialty area is focused on research and treatment of a variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical psychology.

Biological psychology (biopsychology) studies how biological processes influence the mind and behavior. This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain injury or brain abnormalities.

Clinical psychology is focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders.

Cognitive psychology is the study of human thought processes including attention, memory, perception, decision-making, problem-solving, and language acquisition.

Comparative psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior.

Developmental psychology is an area that looks at human growth and development over the lifespan including cognitive abilities, morality, social functioning, identity, and other life areas.

Forensic psychology is an applied field focused on using psychological research and principles in the legal and criminal justice system.

Industrial-organizational psychology is a field that uses psychological research to enhance work performance and select employees.

Personality psychology focuses on understanding how personality develops as well as the patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and characteristics that make each individual unique.

Social psychology focuses on group behavior, social influences on individual behavior, attitudes, prejudice, conformity, aggression, and related topics.

The most obvious application for psychology is in the field of mental health where psychologists use principles, research, and clinical findings to help clients manage and overcome symptoms of mental distress and psychological illness. Some of the additional applications for psychology include:

Developing educational programs

Ergonomics

Informing public policy

Mental health treatment

Performance enhancement

Personal health and well-being

Psychological research

Self-help

Social program design

Understanding child development

Careers in Psychology

A background in psychology opens far more career paths than clinical practice. Learn more in this guide to 80 careers in psychology.

Impact of Psychology

Psychology is both an applied and academic field that benefits both individuals and society as a whole. A large part of psychology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact of psychology.

Some of the ways that psychology contributes to individuals and society include:

Improving our understanding of why people behave as they do

Understanding the different factors that can impact the human mind and behavior

Understanding issues that impact health, daily life, and well-being

Improving ergonomics to improve product design

Creating safer and more efficient workspaces

Helping motivate people to achieve their goals

Improving productivity

Psychologists accomplish these things by using objective scientific methods to understand, explain, and predict human behavior. Psychological studies are highly structured, beginning with a hypothesis that is then empirically tested.

Potential Pitfalls

There's a lot of confusion out there about psychology. Unfortunately, such misconceptions about psychology abound in part thanks to stereotyped portrayals of psychologists in popular media as well as the diverse career paths of those holding psychology degrees.

Sure, there are psychologists who help solve crimes, and there are plenty of professionals who help people deal with mental health issues. However, there are also psychologists who:

Contribute to creating healthier workplaces

Design and implement public health programs

Research airplane safety

Help design technology and computer programs

Study military life and the psychological impact of combat

No matter where psychologists work, their primary goals are to help describe, explain, predict, and influence human behavior.

History of Psychology

Early psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers, including Aristotle and Socrates.

The word "psychology" itself is derived from the Greek word psyche, literally meaning "life" or "breath." Derived meanings of the word include "soul" or "self."

The emergence of psychology as a separate and independent field of study truly came about when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879.

Throughout psychology's history, various schools of thought have formed to explain the human mind and behavior. In some cases, certain schools of thought rose to dominate the field of psychology for a period of time.

The following are some of the major schools of thought in psychology.

Structuralism: Wundt and Titchener's structuralism was the earliest school of thought, but others soon began to emerge.

Functionalism: The early psychologist and philosopher William James became associated with a school of thought known as functionalism, which focused its attention on the purpose of human consciousness and behavior.

Psychoanalysis: Soon, these initial schools of thought gave way to several dominant and influential approaches to psychology. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis centered on how the unconscious mind impacted human behavior.

Behaviorism: The behavioral school of thought turned away from looking at internal influences on behavior and sought to make psychology the study of observable behaviors.

Humanistic psychology: Later, the humanistic approach centered on the importance of personal growth and self-actualization.

Cognitive psychology: By the 1960s and 1970s, the cognitive revolution spurred the investigation of internal mental processes such as thinking, decision-making, language development, and memory.

While these schools of thought are sometimes perceived as competing forces, each perspective has contributed to our understanding of psychology.

A Word From Verywell

As you can see, while psychology may be a relatively young science it also has a tremendous amount of both depth and breadth. The assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness are central interests of psychology, but psychology encompasses much more than mental health.

Today, psychologists seek to understand many different aspects of the human mind and behavior, adding new knowledge to our understanding of how people think as well as developing practical applications that have an important impact on everyday human lives.

Psychology works to help people improve their individual well-being and thrive in an increasingly complex world.

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Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. Learn more about what this field involves including emotion, development, and personality.

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Esta es una línea del tiempo interactiva elaborada por la APA y es una excelente herramienta para saber más sobre la historia de la psicología. (Recuerda activar la traducción al español con google translate).

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Este video en dos partes retoma el contexto histórico y el desarrollo de la psicología durante el siglo XX.

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Segunda parte.

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Esta breve lectura, resume y explica las etapas en la que puede describirse la evolución de la Psicología.

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Este video habla sobre el estudio de la mente a lo largo de la historia.

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Grandes Documentales: Filosofía de la mente

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Interesante texto sobre la psicología, de Rubén Ardila.

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Ardila, R. (2007) Psicologia en el contexto de las ciencias naturales.

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Aquí encontrarás una cronología histórica de la psicología.

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The history of modern psychology spans centuries, with the earliest known mention of clinical depression appearing in 1500 BCE on an ancient Egyptian manuscript known as the Ebers Papyrus. However, it wasn't until the 11th century that Persian physician Avicenna made a connection between emotions and physical responses in a practice dubbed "physiological psychology."

Understanding the history of modern psychology provides insight into how this field has developed and evolved over time. It also gives a better understanding of the thought processes of some of the most influential figures in the field, ultimately emerging into psychology as we know it today.

The Birth of Modern Psychology

Some say that modern psychology was born in the 18th century, which is largely due to William Battie's "Treatise on Madness," published in 1758. Others consider the mid-19th century experiments conducted in Hermann von Helmholtz's lab to be the origin of modern psychology.

Still others suggest that modern psychology began in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt-also known as the father of modern psychology-established the first experimental psychology lab. From that moment forward, the study of psychology would evolve, as it still does today.

Important Events in the History of Modern Psychology

A number of important, landmark events highlight psychology's transformation throughout the years.

19th Century

In the 19th century, psychology was established as an empirical, accepted science. While measures would change, the model of research and evaluation would begin to take shape within this 100-year time span.

1878: G. Stanley Hall becomes the first American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

1879: Wilhelm Wundt establishes the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany dedicated to the study of the mind.

1883: G. Stanley Hall opens the first experimental psychology lab in the U.S. at Johns Hopkins University.

1885: Herman Ebbinghaus publishes his seminal "Über das Gedächtnis" ("On Memory"), in which he describes learning and memory experiments he conducted on himself.

1886:Sigmund Freud begins offering therapy to patients in Vienna, Austria.

1888: James McKeen Cattell becomes the first professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He would later publish "Mental Tests and Measurements," marking the advent of psychological assessment.

1890: William James publishes "Principles of Psychology." Sir Francis Galton establishes correlation techniques to better understand the relationship between variables in intelligence studies.

1892: G. Stanley Hall forms the American Psychological Association (APA), enlisting 26 members in the first meeting.

1896: Lightner Witmer establishes the first psychology clinic in America.

1900 to 1950

The first half of the 20th century was dominated by two major figures: Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. During this segment of modern psychology's history, these two theorists established the foundation of analysis, including Freud's examination of psychopathology and Jung's analytic psychology.

1900: Sigmund Freud publishes his landmark book, "Interpretation of Dreams."

1901: The British Psychological Society is established.

1906: Ivan Pavlov publishes his findings on classical conditioning. Carl Jung publishes "The Psychology of Dementia Praecox."

1911:Edward Thorndike publishes "Animal Intelligence," which leads to the development of the theory of operant conditioning.

1913: Carl Jung begins to depart from Freudian views and develop his own theories, which he refers to as analytical psychology. John B. Watson publishes "Psychology As the Behaviorist Views," in which he establishes the concept of behaviorism.

1915: Freud publishes work on repression.

1920: Watson and Rosalie Rayner publish research on the classical conditioning of fear, highlighting the subject of their experiment, Little Albert.

1932: Jean Piaget becomes the foremost cognitive theorist with the publication of his work "The Moral Judgment of the Child."

1950 to 2000

The latter half of the 20th century centered around the standardization of diagnostic criteria for mental illness. The hallmark of this process was the publication of the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This foundational tool is still in use in modern psychology and helps direct diagnosis and treatment.

1952: The first "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" is published.

1954: Abraham Maslow publishes "Motivation and Personality," describing his theory of a hierarchy of needs. Maslow is one of the founders of humanistic psychology.

1958: Harry Harlow publishes "The Nature of Love," which describes the importance of attachment and love in rhesus monkeys.

1963: Bandura first describes the concept of observational learning to explain aggression.

1968: The DSM-II is published.

1980: The DSM-III is published.

1990: Noam Chomsky publishes "On the Nature, Use, and Acquisition of Language."

1991: Steven Pinker publishes an article introducing his theories as to how children acquire language, which he later publishes in the book "The Language Instinct."

1994: The DSM-IV is published.

21st Century

With the advent of genetic science, psychologists began grappling with the ways in which physiology and genetics contribute to a person's psychological being in the 21st century.

2002: Steven Pinker publishes "The Blank Slate," arguing against the concept of tabula rasa (the theory that the mind is a blank slate at birth). Avshalom Caspi offers the first evidence that genetics are associated with a child's response to maltreatment. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman is awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his research on how people make judgments in the face of uncertainty.

2003: Genetic researchers finish mapping human genes, with the aim of​ isolating the individual chromosomes responsible for physiological and neurological conditions.

2010:Simon LeVay publishes "Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why," which argues that sexual orientation emerges from prenatal differentiation in the brain.

Modern Psychology Today

Thanks to the contributions of the many experts along the way, the field of modern psychology has expanded into multiple subdivisions or specializations. Some of the numerous branches in modern psychology as it stands right now are:

Additional Reading

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From 1878 to Today: A Timeline of the History of Modern Psychology

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The history of modern psychology spans centuries, with the earliest known mention of clinical depression appearing in 1500 BCE on an ancient Egyptian manuscript known as the Ebers Papyrus. However, it wasn't until the 11th century that Persian physician Avicenna made a connection between emotions and physical responses in a practice dubbed "physiological psychology."

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Las principales ramas de la psicología

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How Different Branches of Psychology Study the Brain and Behavior

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There are many different branches of psychology that study the brain, mind, and behavior. Learn 18 psychological areas you can pursue, and their definition.

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Esta clase abierta aborda los aportes de la Neuropsicología al desarrollo de la psicología. ¿Por qué el psicólogo debe conocer el funcionamiento del cerebro?

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¿Por qué el psicólogo debe conocer el funcionamiento del cerebro? | UNIR OPENCLASS

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REFLEXIONES SOBRE LA HISTORIA DE LA PSICOLOGÍA Y LA FORMACIÓN DE PSICÓLOGOS

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¿Qué opinan algunos estudiantes sobre el carácter científico de la psicología al terminar su licenciatura?

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El carácter científico de la Psicología. Estudio sobre las representaciones de sus estudiantes

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Eres una mente con un cuerpo o un cuerpo con una mente?

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Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? - Maryam Alimardani