Introducing Psychology: A Graphic Guide

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

Psychology comes from two words: psyche and logos. The word psyche (pronounced sigh-key) is from the Greek word Ψυχη – meaning breath of life, i.e. soul or spirit, loosely translated as MIND.

And logos means knowledge, study: like all ologies!

In Greek mythology, Psyche was represented by a butterfly. She became the wife of Eros, the god of love (renamed Cupid by the Romans).

The Greek letter Ψ (spelled psi, and pronounced sigh) is now used as the international symbol for Psychology.

Hence, Psychology was originally defined as: the study of the mind.

But, this isn’t how most Psychologists define Psychology today.

Towards a Definition

Most Psychologists try hard to make a clear distinction between what is proper Psychology, and what isn’t.

So, how do Psychologists define Psychology? Well, there are difficulties in finding one universally accepted definition. Although most Psychologists agree that it is important to be scientific – to avoid muddled thinking – it’s not always clear exactly what this means.

Another difficulty is the practical problem – some say impossibility! – of studying the mind directly. Indeed, even trying to define mind is very difficult. Some Psychologists have avoided this completely, especially the Behaviourists, like B. F. Skinner and J. B. Watson.

We do not need to try to discover what personalities, states of mind, feelings… really are in order to get on with a scientific analysis of behaviour.

"Never use the terms consciousness, mental states, mind…"

In practice, therefore, most Psychologists concentrate on what is observable and measurable in a person’s behaviour, including the biological processes in the body. At the same time, despite the extreme views of certain Behaviourists, the mind is still generally considered to be central to the subject.

Thus, a commonly accepted working definition is:

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour of humans and animals.

Doesn’t that definition also apply to Sociology?

It is similar, but Sociology is generally about the study of large groups of people – in societies or sub-cultures.

Psychology, on the other hand, is mainly about individuals or small groups of people, as in Social Psychology.

There are also differences in the methods used. In Psychology, there is emphasis on experiments, but in Sociology that method is not usually possible – for practical and ethical reasons – so observations and surveys are more commonly used.

What Does Psychology Include?

Unlike the Natural Sciences, Psychology doesn’t have one unifying theory or particular approach…

We’re working on a Unified Field.

We have Molecular Bonding.

We have Common Descent.

We don’t have any particular approach.

We have several perspectives…

We shall look at the 6 main approaches or perspectives within Psychology:

PSYCHODYNAMIC; BEHAVIOURISM; COGNITIVE (including Gestalt); HUMANISTIC; BIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL; SOCIAL-CULTURAL

The Sections Within Psychology

In addition to the different perspectives, the subject can be divided into various areas of study in university departments. A typical division would look like this:

(whispering…) Excuse me, where is the Psychodynamic Department, please?

Down in the basement… use the rear entrance.

To qualify as a Psychologist requires a recognized qualification at degree level (e.g. BSc Hons) and membership of a relevant Professional Association, for example one of the following:

the BPS – British Psychological Society (founded 1901),

the APA – American Psychological Association (founded 1893),

the APS – American Psychological Society (founded 1988).

Psychology and Psychiatry?

There is a common confusion between the two. Put simply, the difference is this:

A Psychologist studies all human behavior – normal and abnormal.

A Psychiatrist is a DOCTOR who specializes in abnormal behavior – mental disorders.

Psychiatrists have a Medical Degree, plus a Psychiatric Qualification, and belong to a Medical Association. (Only they have the authority to prescribe drugs.) But some Psychologists also specialize, with extra training, in helping people with mental disorders – they are Clinical Psychologists.

To qualify as a Clinical Psychologist requires a good Psychology Degree (at least a 2.1) plus relevant work experience (e.g. nursing, social or care work) and a recognized Clinical qualification (e.g. a BPS approved Diploma or Masters Degree).

Some Clinical Psychologists base their therapies, like traditional Psychiatrists, on Psychoanalysis (e.g. the Tavistock Clinic), while others use Behaviour Therapy and Modification (e.g. the Maudsley Clinic). (These therapies are described later.)

Is Psychology a Science?

Since the definition includes scientific study, this begs the question: What is Science?. To most people, science conjures up images of laboratories with test-tubes, complex measuring equipment, etc. This is appropriate because it emphasizes the importance of EXPERIMENTS, which can only be properly carried out in controlled conditions.

Experiments are conducted to try to find the CAUSES of EFFECTS, in all scientific subjects.

Psychologists also like to carry out experiments. How/ever, sometimes this can’t be done for practical and ethical reasons.

In general, Psychologists can’t research on human beings in the same way that, for example, a Chemist researches chemicals.

So, Psychologists have to use various research METHODS other than just experiments.

METHODOLOGY

The study of methods of research is called methodology. There are two aspects to this:

(a) the more PRACTICAL considerations about which research methods should be used, and

(b) the more PHILOSOPHICAL questions about the nature of SCIENCE itself. Let’s start with practical methodology.

In practice, there are 5 methods of research that a Psychologist can choose from.

The last one may be seen as more a form of measurement rather than a method.

Within each method, various TECHNIQUES can be used, e.g. audio and/or video recording, questionnaires, interviews, tests, measurements, etc.

Research Methods: 1 Experiment

The first Social Psychology experiment was by Triplett (1898) who tested the hypothesis (prediction) that boys would wind fishing reels more quickly in pairs than alone.

As predicted, the average times were less (i.e. quicker) for pairs than individuals.

So the hypothesis was accepted, supporting the theory that, at least on some simple repetitive tasks, people work better in pairs.

This has the characteristics of all experiments. One cause variable (IV) is changed and the effect (DV) is measured, while all other variables are CONTROLLED to remain the same. Two disadvantages are that they can be trivial and artificial.

2 Observation

A lot of information can be gained by observing behaviour, especially in more natural environments: home, school playgrounds, nursery. McIntyre (1972) observed children, aged 2-4 yrs, measuring aggression (according to predetermined ratings). Some of the results were:

Possible conclusion: at a young age, boys are more aggressive than girls.

This supports the general theory that males are more aggressive than females (Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974).

However, as this wasn’t an experiment (no IV or cause variable), it’s not possible to confidently say that gender is a cause of aggression. Also, there were many variables outside the researcher’s control, e.g. parental discipline, books read, TV and films watched, etc.

3 Survey

This typically involves measuring many people, often using questionnaires and/or interviews, e.g. about attitudes. Wellings and others conducted the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, published as Sexual Behaviour in Britain (1994).

One of the statements was: Companionship and affection are more important than sex in a marriage or relationship.

"Most noteworthy perhaps, given the emphasis placed on the importance of sex in