Branches of Psychology

Branches of Psychology

• Psychology has two main branches: pure and applied.
• Pure psychology provides the theoretical framework and methods for assessing and modifying behavior.
• Applied psychology uses psychological principles to solve practical problems for humans and animals.

Pure Psychology Branches

• General Psychology: Covers fundamental rules, principles, and theories related to the behavior of normal adults and explains psychological processes like sensations, perceptions, emotions, learning, intelligence, and personality.
• Physiological Psychology: Focuses on the biological basis of behavior, the relationship between body and mind, and how the brain, nervous system, and endocrine glands influence behavior.
• Developmental Psychology: Studies human life stages from conception to old age and explains growth and development in relation to behavior.
• Child Psychology: Concentrates on a child's development and behavior from birth to adolescence.
• Animal Psychology: Examines animal behavior through experiments to understand the functioning of the mind; findings are often generalized to human behavior. Common animals used in experimentation include rats, dogs, chimpanzees, pigeons and cats.
• Abnormal Psychology: Addresses mental disorders, their symptoms, and causes.
• Social Psychology: Investigates how society influences interpersonal relationships, likes, dislikes, attitudes, interests, prejudices, social distances, group behavior, cohesiveness, and conflicts.
• Environmental Psychology: Studies the interrelationships between people and their physical surroundings, including built and natural environments, resource use/abuse, and sustainability-related behavior.
• Personality Psychology: Focuses on characteristics and traits that influence a person's environment, cognitions, emotions, motivations, and behaviors in various situations.
• Experimental Psychology: Studies emotional and mental activity, including learning in humans and animals, through experimental methods; utilizes scientific methods to research the brain and behavior, along with techniques used in other areas of psychology.

Applied Psychology Branches

• Educational Psychology: Studies human learning, memory, conceptual processes, and individual learning differences; aids in creating new learning strategies.
• Clinical Psychology: Integrates science, theory, and practice to address psychological problems; focuses on assessment, diagnosis, clinical formulation, treatment of mental illness, and research.
• Industrial or Organizational Psychology: Psychologists work in industries and companies focusing on employee selection, recruitment, motivation, job stress, and job satisfaction.
• Legal Psychology: Researches law, legal institutions, and individuals interacting with the law and applies social and cognitive principles to issues like eyewitness memory, jury decision-making, investigations, and interviewing.
• Military Psychology: Studies and applies psychological principles and methods in military settings, addressing war stress, conditions, and psychological assessments for recruitment and selection of soldiers.
• Sports Psychology: It deals with athletic performance, the psychological care and well-being of athletes, coaches and sport organizations, along with the connection between physical and psychological functioning.
• Health Psychology: Studies psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare; examines how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors relate to physical health/illness and uses psychological science to promote health, prevent illness, and improve healthcare systems.
• Consumer Psychology: Explores buying habits and advertising effects, focusing on people's likes, dislikes, and preferences.
• Psychometrics/Psychological Testing: Measures different aspects of human behavior, such as IQ, personality, aptitude, and memory.

Scope of Psychology in Pakistan

• Psychology graduates can work in various settings, including: Clinical settings such as, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and clinics.
• Educational Institutions such as, schools.
• Organizational settings
• Military
• Psychometrics
• NGOs

Four Goals of Psychology

• Describe: Identify the different ways that organisms behave.
• Explain: Determine the causes of behavior.
• Predict: Anticipate how organisms will behave in specific situations.
• Control: Influence an organism's behavior.

Goals of Psychology Described

• Description: To observe behavior and describe it in as much objective detail as possible.
• Explanation: To go beyond observable data and explain the reasons behind the observed behavior.
• Prediction: To speculate on what will happen in the future based on existing knowledge of behavior.
• Control: To exert control over behavior.
• Improve: To use psychological interventions to improve a person's life.

Science and Psychology

• Psychology deals with natural phenomena rather than the supernatural.
• It focuses on behaviors that are overt and can be experienced through the senses.
• These behaviors are understood via psychological/scientific terms and addressed through psychological interventions.

Misconceptions About Psychology

• The common thought that psychologists are like magicians is incorrect.
• Psychologists are professionals whose area of interest is the study of human behavior and mental processes and require good observation and prediction skills.
• Not all individuals with a psychology degree can understand, explain, and predict personality or behavior, because it requires proper training.
• Psychologists can only predict future direction and assess/predict personality and behavior; cannot predict fate or destiny
• Psychologists are not medical doctors, but are instead specially trained to deal with psychological (not medical) problems.
• Psychiatrists are medical doctors with training in medicine, and training in treating psychiatric/psychological disorders
• Psychiatrists prescribe medications to patients, while psychologists do not.

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist

• Psychologist: Holds a Ph.D. in psychology, is not a medical doctor, cannot prescribe drugs, and has a variety of specialties.
• Psychiatrist: An MD (medical doctor), has the same basic training as any medical doctor, specializes in mental problems, and can prescribe drugs.