The introductory part of psychology emphasizes on two aspects:
1. Psychology as a science A Science is defined not by what it studies but by how it
studies. Psychologists like any other scientists systematically observe facts about
human beings and organize these facts to arrive at generalizations. Psychology
shares with other sciences certain aims, assumptions, ways of carrying out
research and ways of building and modifying theories.
2. Psychology is a body of knowledge that can be applied to help solve a variety of
human problems. In addition to the contribution in the area of research
(developmental, social, experimental, physiological psychology), there are many
other areas of professional applications. Clinical psychologists work with
psychiatrists in a hospital context or with other health professionals in the
community. Educational psychologists work with children and adolescents in
schools, colleges, and nurseries.
Definition
The word psychology is derived from two Greek words “psyche” and “logos.”
Psyche means soul and logos means the study. Thus, originally psychology was
defined as the study of “soul” or “spirit.” But later on philosophers defined psyche
as mind. Because of this, psychology began to be regarded as the study of an
individual’s mind or mental process. Through time, this later definition of
psychology was given up because the mind as an object does not exist: and
cannot be observed and measured objectively. The most widely and accepted
definition of psychology is: the science of behavior and mental processes of both
humans and animals.
There are some concepts in this definition which need further explanations: The
terms are “science” and “behavior.”
,What is science?
Science is a group of related facts and principles of a particular subject. In science
we collect related facts by the use of objective methods to develop a theory to
explain those facts. From a given set of conditions, science helps us to predict
future happenings.
Example-Biology explains how living things grow and develop. Anatomy describes
the structure of human body. Physiology deals with the function of various parts
and systems of the body. Nursing and the rest of the health sciences are also
founded on science.
Similarly, Psychology as a science deals systematically with human behavior,
motives, feelings, emotions, thoughts and actions of men and women. Like other
sciences, Psychology discovers and explains the underlying laws and principles of
behavior. Its goals are describing, explaining, predicting and finally modifying
human behavior.
What is behavior?
Behavior In its broader sense includes all types of human activities.
Example- Motor activities (Walking, speaking)
Cognitive activities (perceiving, remembering, thinking, reasoning)
Emotional activities (feeling happy, sad, angry, afraid)
Behavior is both mental and bodily
Mental behaviors are thinking, reasoning, imagination and other mental
experiences or processes.
Bodily behavior refers to the movements and actions of the body in
response to a situation.
,Behavior is the reaction of an individual to a particular environment. The
environment exerts influence on individuals. That influence is called stimulus. The
stimulus in turn arouses an activity from the individual and this is called the
response.
Example-A man may be admitted to a hospital for a surgical operation (stimulus)
The man feels frightened and worries because he is uncertain what may happen
next (response) This stimulus response combination constitutes the behavior of
an individual. The human behavior consists of physical responses, feelings,
emotions and tensions, and all intellectual responses, perceiving, thinking,
recalling, and reasoning.
Behavior shows growth and development from the early years of infancy to
maturity and old age. Psychology as a science studies how behavior grows and
develops from infancy to old age and also studies behavioral differences between
people. In general there are four major facts proposed in relation to the nature of
behavior. These are:
Behavior has a bodily basis
Behavior is dynamic
Behavior varies from person to person
Behavior is social
Psychologists collect facts of behavior by means of objective methods such as
observation and experiment and predict human behavior.
Example- a patient may react with anger if his movements are restricted in the
ward. If the health professional has knowledge of scientific psychology, it is
possible to predict and control the patient’s behavior.
At times psychologists study animal behavior. The reasons are:
The study of animal behavior helps to develop general laws of behavior that
apply to all organisms.
, The study of animal behavior provides important clues to answering
questions about human behavior.
For ethical reasons it is sometimes difficult to conduct psychological
experiments on human beings.
Psychology has a contribution to the health professional. Some of the
contributions are:
1. It helps to understand oneself
Helps to make rational decisions on becoming a health professional
To fulfill the need for economic self sufficiency
Helps to assess one’s own abilities and limitations
Enables to control situations in the college and attain goal through self-
discipline
2. It assists in understanding other people
The health professional works with patients, families, other nurses, doctors
and administrative staffs.
Equipped with the knowledge of psychology, the health professional will
achieve greater success in interpersonal relationships.
Psychology helps the health professional to learn why others differ from
him/her in their preferences, customs and beliefs or cultural patterns.
3. It enlightens to appreciate the necessity of changing the environment and
how to bring it about
By changing the environment, the health professional can bring about
change in the patient’s life.
Example: introducing eyeglasses and hearing devices into the environment can
help people with visual or auditory impairments.
1. Psychology as a science A Science is defined not by what it studies but by how it
studies. Psychologists like any other scientists systematically observe facts about
human beings and organize these facts to arrive at generalizations. Psychology
shares with other sciences certain aims, assumptions, ways of carrying out
research and ways of building and modifying theories.
2. Psychology is a body of knowledge that can be applied to help solve a variety of
human problems. In addition to the contribution in the area of research
(developmental, social, experimental, physiological psychology), there are many
other areas of professional applications. Clinical psychologists work with
psychiatrists in a hospital context or with other health professionals in the
community. Educational psychologists work with children and adolescents in
schools, colleges, and nurseries.
Definition
The word psychology is derived from two Greek words “psyche” and “logos.”
Psyche means soul and logos means the study. Thus, originally psychology was
defined as the study of “soul” or “spirit.” But later on philosophers defined psyche
as mind. Because of this, psychology began to be regarded as the study of an
individual’s mind or mental process. Through time, this later definition of
psychology was given up because the mind as an object does not exist: and
cannot be observed and measured objectively. The most widely and accepted
definition of psychology is: the science of behavior and mental processes of both
humans and animals.
There are some concepts in this definition which need further explanations: The
terms are “science” and “behavior.”
,What is science?
Science is a group of related facts and principles of a particular subject. In science
we collect related facts by the use of objective methods to develop a theory to
explain those facts. From a given set of conditions, science helps us to predict
future happenings.
Example-Biology explains how living things grow and develop. Anatomy describes
the structure of human body. Physiology deals with the function of various parts
and systems of the body. Nursing and the rest of the health sciences are also
founded on science.
Similarly, Psychology as a science deals systematically with human behavior,
motives, feelings, emotions, thoughts and actions of men and women. Like other
sciences, Psychology discovers and explains the underlying laws and principles of
behavior. Its goals are describing, explaining, predicting and finally modifying
human behavior.
What is behavior?
Behavior In its broader sense includes all types of human activities.
Example- Motor activities (Walking, speaking)
Cognitive activities (perceiving, remembering, thinking, reasoning)
Emotional activities (feeling happy, sad, angry, afraid)
Behavior is both mental and bodily
Mental behaviors are thinking, reasoning, imagination and other mental
experiences or processes.
Bodily behavior refers to the movements and actions of the body in
response to a situation.
,Behavior is the reaction of an individual to a particular environment. The
environment exerts influence on individuals. That influence is called stimulus. The
stimulus in turn arouses an activity from the individual and this is called the
response.
Example-A man may be admitted to a hospital for a surgical operation (stimulus)
The man feels frightened and worries because he is uncertain what may happen
next (response) This stimulus response combination constitutes the behavior of
an individual. The human behavior consists of physical responses, feelings,
emotions and tensions, and all intellectual responses, perceiving, thinking,
recalling, and reasoning.
Behavior shows growth and development from the early years of infancy to
maturity and old age. Psychology as a science studies how behavior grows and
develops from infancy to old age and also studies behavioral differences between
people. In general there are four major facts proposed in relation to the nature of
behavior. These are:
Behavior has a bodily basis
Behavior is dynamic
Behavior varies from person to person
Behavior is social
Psychologists collect facts of behavior by means of objective methods such as
observation and experiment and predict human behavior.
Example- a patient may react with anger if his movements are restricted in the
ward. If the health professional has knowledge of scientific psychology, it is
possible to predict and control the patient’s behavior.
At times psychologists study animal behavior. The reasons are:
The study of animal behavior helps to develop general laws of behavior that
apply to all organisms.
, The study of animal behavior provides important clues to answering
questions about human behavior.
For ethical reasons it is sometimes difficult to conduct psychological
experiments on human beings.
Psychology has a contribution to the health professional. Some of the
contributions are:
1. It helps to understand oneself
Helps to make rational decisions on becoming a health professional
To fulfill the need for economic self sufficiency
Helps to assess one’s own abilities and limitations
Enables to control situations in the college and attain goal through self-
discipline
2. It assists in understanding other people
The health professional works with patients, families, other nurses, doctors
and administrative staffs.
Equipped with the knowledge of psychology, the health professional will
achieve greater success in interpersonal relationships.
Psychology helps the health professional to learn why others differ from
him/her in their preferences, customs and beliefs or cultural patterns.
3. It enlightens to appreciate the necessity of changing the environment and
how to bring it about
By changing the environment, the health professional can bring about
change in the patient’s life.
Example: introducing eyeglasses and hearing devices into the environment can
help people with visual or auditory impairments.
