Introduction to Psychology

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour.
• Psychologists aim to understand how the mind and behaviour are influenced by biological and environmental factors.
• Early psychology focused on observing behaviour and making inferences about internal states.
• Psychologists typically have four goals: description, explanation, prediction, and control.
• Mental processes and behaviour occur at multiple levels: brain, individual, and group, and all three interact.

Brain Level

• Psychologists examine neuronal activity, brain structure, and genes that influence brain development.
• Advances in molecular biology and brain imaging allow for studying brain variations among individuals and in different situations.
• Research investigates brain regions activated by drugs and brain changes associated with mental health conditions.

Individual Level

• Psychologists analyze how mental processes (emotions, thoughts, ideas) shape behaviour.
• Key individual-level concepts include: consciousness, intelligence, personality, and motivation.
• Psychologists examine how personality affects emotional responses and how childhood experiences impact later behaviour.

Group Level

• Humans are influenced by their social environments, which evolve over time.
• Groups include families, friends, and larger populations.
• Group-level research investigates topics like: the impact of immigration status on school performance and the relationship between culture and mental health.
• Culture is a shared set of beliefs and practices transmitted across generations.
• Group membership can significantly influence individual thoughts and behaviours.

The Importance of Multiple Levels of Analysis

• Everyday activities involve interactions across all three levels – brain, individual, and group.
• The levels influence each other; for example, brain activity can be shaped by social and cultural contexts.
• Understanding all three levels provides a comprehensive view of mental processes and behaviours.

Psychology's Roots in Philosophy

• Humans have used rituals and myths to explain events in their natural environment.
• Myths are stories explaining universal mysteries of life, common across cultures.
• Rituals are ceremonies associated with myths, celebrating important religious or social occasions.
• Both science and mythology seek to describe, explain, predict, and control our reality.

Early Greek Philosophers

• Greek philosophers sought to understand reality and the limits of human awareness.
• They did not rely solely on empirical methods but engaged in critical discussions.
• Philosophy is the study of knowledge, reality, and the meaning of life.

Plato

• Believed the human mind was imprinted with innate knowledge.
• Theorised that a healthy mind maintained a balance between intellect, emotion, and base desires.
• A balanced psyche allowed reasoning to uncover core ideas.

Aristotle

• Proposed that knowledge is acquired through experience.
• Believed in the concept of a "soul" that animates the body.
• Emphasized the importance of observation and empirical investigation.
• Believed in a hierarchy of knowledge, with the highest form being philosophical reasoning.

Hippocrates

• Known as the "Father of Medicine."
• Believed that diseases had physical explanations, not supernatural causes.
• Proposed that health was influenced by a balance of four bodily humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
• Identified the brain as the organ of mental life.
• Advocated for using empirical methods and direct observation.
• Emphasized the importance of good food, fresh air, and rest for physical and mental health.
• His theory of humourism was associated with temperamental characteristics:
  • Blood: Sanguine
  • Phlegm: Phlegmatic
  • Yellow Bile: Choleric
  • Black Bile: Melancholic

Galen of Pergamon

• Associated Hippocrates' humours with specific temperamental characteristics.