Psychology (Unit -1) PDF

# Unit-1: Introduction ## Psychology as the science of soul: The word "psychology" comes from two Greek words, "psyche" meaning "soul" and "logos" meaning "science". Therefore, psychology means the "science of the soul." Great philosophers like Democritus, Plato, and Aristotle interpreted psychol...

# Unit-1: Introduction ## Psychology as the science of soul: The word "psychology" comes from two Greek words, "psyche" meaning "soul" and "logos" meaning "science". Therefore, psychology means the "science of the soul." Great philosophers like Democritus, Plato, and Aristotle interpreted psychology as the science of the soul. However, the nature of the soul could not be defined, therefore, the meaning of psychology in terms of soul was rejected. ## Psychology as the science of Mind: German philosopher, Kant, and others criticized psychology as a science of the soul and instead laid stress on the mental aspects of science. However, they failed to contribute the exact nature and form of the mind of an individual. Thus, the concept of mind was also not clear, and psychology as a science of the mind could not progress. ## Psychology as the science of Consciousness: Psychologists called Wilhelm Wundt, William James, and others considered psychology as the science of consciousness or immediate experiences. By consciousness, the psychologists meant "awareness of wakefulness". However, there were several interpretations of consciousness, and this concept was also rejected. ## Psychology as the science of behaviour: The latest and modern concept of psychology is in terms of behavior. The term behavior was popularized by J.B.Watson. According to him, "Psychology is the positive science of behavior." The term "behavior" is used in a very broad sense. It includes all activities of the individual. Those are mainly motor and emotional activities. 1. **Motor activities** include walking, digging, building, and playing. 2. **Emotional activities** include feeling happy, sad, angry, frightened, etc. Psychology is the study of mental activity and behavior. To understand psychology, it is important to understand its basic goals. ### The main goals are as follows: - To describe: What actually happened? This is the first step to understand the behavior. - To explain: Why something happened? Explaining a behavior usually means trying to discover the underlying cause. - To predict: What would happen? The first two steps will describe and predict behavior. The next step specifies the conditions under which the behavior is likely to occur again. - To change behavior and mental processes through the use of scientific methods - applying psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted outcomes or bring about the desired outcome. ### About the science: - The word Science deals with the group of related facts and principles of a particular subject. It focuses on the search for facts. - Besides gathering facts, it also develops scientific theories to explain the facts. - Physics is a science that explains the facts and laws about heat, light, sound, electricity, and atomic energy. - Biology deals with living things, plants and animals, and explains how they grow and develop. - Chemistry deals with matters, its composition, reactions, and affinities. - Anatomy deals with the functions of various parts and systems of the body. While psychology is the study of the mind, its thought, feeling and behavior. It is an academic branch that involves the scientific study of mental faculties, functions and behaviors'. ## Psychology as the science of the behaviour of the mind: Psychology contains the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. ## About the behaviour: - The word "Behaviour" indicates a broad sense that contains all the activities such as communication, motor activities such as the way of walking, intellectual activities include thinking, recollecting, assuming, reasoning, and emotional activities that comprises feelings of happiness, sadness, irritated or scared, and all such activities can be included in the term behaviour. - Behavior is both bodily and mental. - Some psychologists have the intent to call 'mental behaviour such as thinking, reasoning and imagining 'mental experiences or processes'. - Bodily behavior refers to the movements and actions of the body in reaction to the situation. For example, if an old man has been admitted to the hospital ward for a surgical operation, he is afraid and is uncertain that what will happen to him at the operation table. This is his behavioural response to the hospital situation. - Psychology studies the growth of behaviour from infancy to old age and the different behaviour is observed at various stages of life. - Psychology detects the abnormal behaviour of people who suffer from mental defects or abnormalities. # Applied Psychology: ## 1.3.1. Scope of Psychology We are very curious to understand ourselves and others too. We all desire to know why we act as we do. Why are we feeling angry in some situations? How are we different from others in reactions to some conditions? Why are we frustrated? What makes us unsatisfied? Why do we behave abnormally in some circumstances? To answer the above questions, we need to understand the behavior and mind process of the individual. The study of psychology enables us to understand about human nature and behaviour and able to answer all the questions mentioned above in a scientific manner. ## 1.3.2. Branches of Psychology As mentioned earlier, psychology is a science of behaviour. It contains various aspects and can be learned from different angles. Psychology can be branched into fields: 1. General psychology, 2. Comparative and animal psychology, 3. Physiological psychology, 4. Genetic psychology, 5. Child psychology, 6. Abnormal psychology, 7. Social psychology, 8. Clinical psychology, 9. Applied psychology, 10. Counselling psychology, 11. Experimental psychology and 12. Community Psychology. ### 1. General psychology: It studies the general principles of psychology. It explains the general characteristics of an individual behaviour and that deals with the general principles of psychology. It is concerned with the mental life of normal human beings. ### 2. Comparative and animal psychology: It studies an behaviour of the animal and compares it with that of human behaviour. Comparative psychology compares the behaviour of an adult civilised people with that of primitive people. ### 3. Physiological psychology: It studies the structure and functions of sensory organs, nervous systems, muscles and glands underlying all behaviour. It emphasis studying the influence of bodily factors on the development of human behaviour. ### 4. Genetic psychology or development: It is also called developmental psychology. It studies the behavior of humans from birth, through childhood, adolescence, to old age. It studies the factors that influence the growth or development of human behaviour. ### 5. Child psychology: It studies the behaviour of children from birth to 12 years. It overlaps genetic psychology. ### 6. Abnormal psychology: It studies the behaviour of individuals whose mental state is not normal. It studies mental disorders, their causes and treatment. ### 7. Social psychology: It studies the influence of one individual's behaviour on others. It studies how the individual influences other’s behaviour. It studies various types of group phenomena such as public opinion, propaganda attitudes, beliefs and crowd behaviour. ### 8. Clinical psychology: It is the largest subfield of psychology. It is the study of techniques that are employed in the diagnosis and treatment of mentally and emotionally abnormal personalities ### 9. Applied Psychology: It deals to solve practical problems. The subdivisions of applied psychology are educational, industrial, business, personnel, vocational and legal psychology. ### 10. Counselling psychology: It is similar to clinical psychology but, deals with people with relatively mild personal or emotional problems. Educational psychology deals with learning problems and their interventions. Industrial and organisational psychology applies psychological principles to industry. ### 11. Experimental psychology: It deals with the basic research into the fundamental causes of human behaviour by studying such basic processes as learning and memory, sensation and perception and motivation. ### 12. Community psychology: It is a broad field where the social problems and the attempts of the people to adapt to their work and community living are studied in the light of the principles of general psychology. ## 1.3.3.Methods Of Psychology Psychology is a systematic and scientific study of human behaviour. It has its special tools and procedures. The behaviour in all its aspects can be studied scientifically through a single technique or approach known as observation. A technique or approach may give birth to a number of methods and techniques depending upon the types and nature of the conditions in which observations have been recorded. ### Following are some of the methods of psychology: 1. Introspection or self-observation, 2. The observational method or systematic observation, 3. The experimental method or laboratory method, 4. The case study method or clinical method, 5. Survey method or inventory method, 6. The genetic or developmental method. ### 1. INTROSPECTION OR SELF-OBSERVATIONAL METHOD - Introspection means self-observation i.e. to look into one's mental state. Introspection allows an individual to check their behaviour. - In this individual, he observes his internal activities and process wherever and where he likes to do. It is one of the oldest methods of psychology. In this method, an individual is both the observer and subject. - Observation by an individual of his mental states directly and by the use of his memory. For example, a patient has just gained consciousness after an operation. A doctor or a nurse may ask him, how are you feeling now? The patient will try to look within and recall what happened and how he is feeling now, and will accordingly respond. In making this report, the patient is making use of this method. ### Advantages of introspection: - It is an easy and simple method and provides direct observation of mental processes. - No expenditure is required in this method. - It does not require laboratories and apparatus. - We will be able to get direct knowledge of the individual. ### Limitations: - The technique is impossible to use on children or animals. - In the case of complex subjects such as learning, personality mental disorders and development are difficult or even impossible to study with this technique ### 2. THE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD OR SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATION - In this method behaviour of the people is observed by somebody other than that person. - When a nurse is asked to give an observational report on a patient who has been admitted in the ward for an undiagnosed illness, she makes use of this method. e.g. She reports her observations such as the patient’s temperature, colour, facial expression, restlessness etc. - When a group of children are playing in the park or studying in a classroom and we observe what they do, how they perform, how they speak and how they work together. This method hugely uses to learn the behaviour of animals and children - Nurses use this method to understand the behaviour of patients and other employees. She records the changes in the vitals of the patients. ### Types of observational methods are as follows; 1. Controlled observations, 2. Naturalistic observations, 3. Participant observations. ### **a) Controlled observations:** - Usually, there are structured observations and likely to carry out in a psychology laboratory. - The researcher decides the place, time and circumstances of the observation and the participant on whom observations are made. - The researcher systematically categorises the behavior of the individual they made. For example, nurses use a behavior schedule to study how infants responded to brief periods of separation from their mothers. ### **Limitations:** When participants know that they are being watched, they may act differently. ### **b) Naturalistic observation:** - This method is usually used by psychologists and even social scientists. - In this technique, the behaviour of the people is observed in natural surroundings. This method is commonly used to study the behaviour of the animal in a zoo and natural habitats. -Kathy Sylva has executed this technique to study children at play by observing their behaviour in a playground. ### **Limitations:** Natural observations are less reliable as other variables cannot be controlled. This makes it difficult for another researcher to repeat the study in the same way. ### **c) Participant observation:** - In this technique, the researcher becomes part of the study group to get a deeper insight into their lives. - This study can be covert or overt. - In the case of covert, the researcher identity that what was kept concealed from the study group. - In the case of overt, the research reveals the identity and purpose of the study. ### **Limitations:** It takes more time for the researcher as she participates in the study. In the case of covert observations, researchers cannot take notes openly as this would blow their cover. ### 3. THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD OR LABORATORY METHOD - The experimental method was first made by a popular German psychologist named Wundt, who opened the first psychological laboratory and Leipzig in 1879. - In this method, one variable is manipulated by another variable to make the changes. - It is conducted in controlled circumstances. The main features of the study are the randomisation and manipulation of the variable to test the hypothesis. - All conditions affecting the behaviour or performance of the subject is maintained constant or unchanged. For example, if we desire to experiment on the impact of regular room temperature on student’s learning in the classroom. To check the impact, the control group also should be taken, who is having similar characteristics to the experimental group. The lighting, seating arrangements, absence of noise, interest and purpose of learning need to be similar in both groups. But, the temperature variation is to be maintained from one group to another. - In the study group, the researcher will find out the important variables, formulate the hypothesis, manipulate the variables and collect the data from the participants. - Researchers need to be careful to control the extraneous variables to reduce the potential impact on the outcome of the study. ### Types of experiments: 1. Lab experiments: Lab experiments help in controlling the variables. These studies can be replicated by researchers. 2. Field experiments: Studies can be conducted in the field. This study helps the researcher to observe the behaviours of participants directly in the field. 3. Quasi-experiments: In this study, the researcher will not have control over the independent variables. ### The experimental process: The four basic steps of the process are: 1. Formulation of hypothesis. 2. Research design and data collection. 3. Data analysis and making conclusions. 4. Dissemination of research findings. - Results obtained through this method are more reliable and verifiable. ### 4. THE CASE STUDY METHOD OR CLINICAL METHOD - A case study is a type of descriptive research design, which is used to obtain in-depth information about a person or group. - A variety of techniques may be employed including personal interviews, direct-observation, psychometric tests, and archival records. - In psychology, case studies are most often used in clinical research to describe the events and conditions. - The case studies are generally single-case designs, but can also be a multiple-case design, where replication instead of sampling is the criterion for inclusion. - Like other research methodologies, the case studies also provide valid and reliable research results for the development of future research. - This method is commonly used when the researcher desires to understand the causes of fears, anxieties and social maladjustments of people. ### For example: A nurse who is under training has intense fears of darkness and closed space. She cannot explain her fears. She cannot study at night in her room with closed doors, on account of these fears. We can use this method to understand her behaviour and its causes. For the execution of this study, the researcher uses case histories, interviews, visits to the home or school, and psychological testing. A case history finds the family and health history, clarifies the developmental data, the educational progress, inter-personal and inter-parental relationships and thus makes us understand the major forces and influences which have developed and shaped the individual's personality. ### Table: Difference between experiment, case study, and survey | SI. No. | Experiment | Case Study | Survey | | :------ | :---------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------- | | 1 | A small number of units. | A small number of units (sometimes one). | A larger number of units | | 2 | Data collected and analyzed about a small number of predetermined features of each unit. | Data collected and analyzed about large and often not predetermined features of each unit. | Data collected and analyzed about a small number of features of each case. | | 3 | Study of units organized in such a way as to control variables of interest. | Interest in naturally occurring features of the variables in the context. | Units selected to represent characteristics of the study of population. | | 4 | Data usually quantified. | Data can be quantitative, qualitative or both. | Data usually quantified. | | 5 | The aim is not testing theory or evaluation of an intervention. | The aim is to understand and theorize by encoding the structure. | The aim is to generalize the findings from a sample to the population. | ### Types of case studies: 1. Illustrative case studies. 2. Exploratory case studies. 3. Cumulative case studies. 4. Critical instance case studies. ### 5. SURVEY METHOD OR INVENTORY METHOD - In this method, checklist, rating scales are employed as a measurement scale to examine different aspects of behaviour, emotional experiences and aptitude of the individuals. - This test is employed to check the problems that can't be checked directly. In this method, surveys are conducted to gather information regarding political opinion, customer preferences, health needs and sexual behaviour. - The information is superficially collected, not in-depth - A large number of subjects are used and analysed to conclude. - The measurement scale contains structured questions or statements. This is used when a researcher desires to collect information from a larger population. The tool can be sent either by mails or post or by hand. ### Merits: - A large group of people can be assessed. - It has a broader scope. - It can be used for many topics and its generalization will be good. - It is more flexible and is best used for extensive studies. - It is easily administered and requires minimum skills. ### Demerits: - Improper method of sample collections can spoil the data. - Designing of instructions and questions need more knowledge and care. - These studies are superficial. ### 6. THE GENETIC OR DEVELOPMENTAL METHOD - In this method, psychologists study the behaviour of the individual from birth to death. - He also studies influencing factors such as hereditary and environmental factors on the development of an individual's behaviour. - This study investigates the growth and development of the behaviour of an individual. For example, to examine the behaviour of an adult, it is essential to study even childhood and adolescence. - This can be done in two ways. 1. A cross-sectional study in which, the children of different age groups will be studied at a particular period of time. 2. A longitudinal study in which, the same child will be studied in different stages of life. ## 1.3.4. MEASUREMENT SCALES ### TYPES OF MEASUREMENT SCALE 1. Rating scale, 2. Checklists, 3. Questionnaires, 4. The testing methods comprising of psychological and educational tests. ### 1. Rating scale: - These scales commonly are used in observing and evaluating the personality or behavioural traits of the individual. In rating scales, we rate an individual on the possession or absence of certain traits on a certain scale. - The rating scale is defined as a closed-ended survey question used to represent respondent feedback in a comparative form for specific particular features/ products/ services. - The individual is given a place on the scale or a score that indicates the degree to which a person possesses a given behaviour trait. For example, if we want to rate student nurses on their sociability, we might ask three or four supervisors to point out the place of each student on the scale which may be as follows: | Avoids others | Tolerates others | Likes others | Likes others well | Seeks others | | :----------- | :--------------- | :----------- | :--------------- | :----------- | | | | | | | ### Types of rating scales: 1. Graphic rating scale, 2. Numerical rating scale, 3. Descriptive rating scale, 4. Comparative rating scale, ### a. Graphic rating scale: - The graphic rating scale indicates the answer options on a scale of 1-3, 1-5 etc. The Likert scale is a popular graphic rating scale. - e.g. Express the level of understanding of the work of an employee in a particular department. - Highly dissatisfied, - Dissatisfied, - Neutral, - Satisfied, - Highly satisfied. ### b. Numerical rating scale: - The numerical rating scale has numbers as answer options and not each number corresponds to a characteristic or meaning. - e.g. a visual analogue scale or a semantic differential scale can be presented using a numerical rating scale. - On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with a student performance: | Highly | Satisfied | Neutral | Dissatisfied | Highly | | :----- | :-------- | :------ | :----------- | :------ | | | | | | | ### c. Descriptive rating scale: - In a descriptive rating scale, each answer option is elaborately explained. - e.g. a customer satisfaction survey, which needs to be described all the answer options in detail, so that every customer has thoroughly explained information about what is expected from the survey. ### d. Comparative rating scale: - Comparative rating scale, as the name suggests, expects respondents to answer a particular question in terms of comparison, i.e. based on relative measurement or keeping other organizations/products/features as a reference. ### 2. Checklist method: - The checklist is used to memorise the procedures or events easily. The main goal of the checklist is to ensure the consistency and completeness of a certain task. In a simple language, we can say that to-do list. - In the checklist, a list of traits, or tasks are given to the individuals that they are supposed to perform. - For example, a student nurse will be given a checklist to perform the procedure of a wound dressing. - Another example is, when a nurse desires to assess the social maturity of a five-year child, the following checklist can be used: | S.No | Tasks | Yes | No | | :---- | :----------------------------------- | :-- | :- | | 1 | Cares for self at the toilet | | | | 2 | Washes face unassisted | | | | 3 | Goes about neighborhood unattended | | | | 4 | Dresses self except for tying shoelaces | | | | 5 | Uses pencils or crayons for drawing | | | | 6 | Plays competitive exercise games | | | | 7 | Is trusted with money | | | | 8 | Goes to school unattended | | | | 9 | Helps at little household tasks | | | | 10 | Goes to bed unassisted | | | ### 3. Questionnaires: - These are the structured printed written questions administered on the subjects for which they are supposed to answer. - Questionnaires are used to gather information from respondents. - Questionnaires can be administered either by written, face to face interview, telephone interview, or by mail or google form. - Questionnaires provide a relatively cheap, quick and efficient way of obtaining a large amount of information from a large sample of people. - This scale is used to measure the behaviour, attitudes, preferences, opinions and intentions of a relatively large number of subjects more cheaply and quickly than other methods. ### 4. Testing Method: - Test methods are to check the behaviour of an individual. - The samples of behaviour that make up a paper and pencil test, the most common type of test, are a series of items. Performance on these items produces a test score - A score on the well-constructed test is believed to reflect a psychological construct such as achievement is a school subject, cognitive ability, aptitude, emotional functioning, personality, etc. ### **Types of testing methods:** 1. IQ or achievement testing: - IQ tests measure the intelligence of the individual. - In these types of tests, a series of tasks are given to the individual and grades are allotted as per the performance of the individual. - After the test is completed, the results can be compiled and compared to the responses of a norm group, usually composed of people at the same age or grade level as the person being evaluated. 2. Public safety employment test: These tests are used to check the individual’s behaviour and performance ability before joining the institutions or organisations for employment. ### **c. Attitude tests:** - These tests are used to examine the feelings of individuals and they also determine the individual preference for brands and items. - Typically Attitude tests use either a Thurstone scale or Likert Scale to measure specific items. ### **d. Personality tests:** - Psychological measures of personality are often described as either objective tests or projective tests. - Objective tests (Rating scale or self-report measure): Objective tests have a restricted response format, such as allowing for true or false answers or rating using an ordinal scale. - Projective tests (Free response measures): Projective tests allow for a freer type of response. An example of this would be the Rorschach test, in which a person states what each of the ten inkblots might be. ### **e. Sexological tests:** - These tests are used to examine the various aspects of the discomfort, problems or dysfunction of sexual intercourse. ### **f. Interest tests:** - Psychological tests assess a person’s interests and preferences. These tests are used primarily for career counselling. - Interest tests include items about daily activities from among which applicants select their preferences. - A widely used interest test is the strong interest inventory, which is used in career assessment, career counselling, and educational guidance. ### **g. Aptitude tests:** - Psychological tests measure the specific abilities, such as clerical, perceptual, numerical, or spatial aptitude. - Sometimes these tests must be specially designed for a particular job, but there are also tests available that measure general clerical and mechanical aptitudes, or even general learning ability. - An example of an occupational aptitude test is the Minnesota clerical test, which measures the perceptual speed and accuracy required to perform various clerical duties. ## **1.4.RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER SUBJECTS** Many other sciences are associated with human life and human behaviour. It is very important to understand the relationship between these sciences and psychology. ### **1. Psychology and physical sciences:** - Psychology deals with mental processes of knowing, feeling and willing of an individual and physical stimuli are required to acknowledge the willingness, and feeling etc. - Physical sciences examine the nature of the interaction between an individual with physical stimuli. - Psychological science examine the behaviour of an individual in response to physical stimuli. - Psychology is primarily concerned with the behaviour of an individual and indirectly concerned with external stimuli. ### **2. Psychology and biological sciences:** - Psychology is a science of the experience and behaviour of people. However, the experience might not be described properly without the related physiological processes. - The environment acts on the mind via sensory organs and the mind react to the environment through the muscles. The sensory organs and muscles are the organs of the body. So mental processes are closely related to bodily processes. - Biology, anatomy and physiology study the growth, structure and functions of human’s organisms. - The psychologists state that the mental process acts as functions of life. - The relationship between psychological sciences and biological science is very close. - The experience and behaviour of an individual can be described in means of the basic concepts of biological science. - There are common connections which are observed between "psychic performances and the organization of the brain". ### **3. Psychology and physiology** - Psychology is closely associated with physiological processes, primarily of the nervous system. - Behaviour is a bodily reaction of an individual in response to the physical and social environment. - Psychology studies the nature of the different kinds of behaviour. While physiology, studies the nature of all types of physiological processes, explain the roles of organs of the body. - Psychology deals with behaviour, which is a reaction of the whole organism to the stimulus, and not a part of it. But, physiology studies the reaction of the different parts or organs of the body. - Physiological psychology has developed by adopting the concept and techniques from other allied disciplines includes neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, endocrinology, pharmacology, cellular physiology and biochemistry. ### **4. Psychology and philosophy:** - Psychology has been considered a part or wing of philosophy. Now due to the development of the experimental methods, psychology was separated from philosophy. - There is a close association between philosophy and psychology. Psychology deals with the "individual mind" whereas philosophy is interested to study the "universal mind". ### **5. Psychology and sociology:** - Sociology deals with the activities of a group of people, taken as a whole. It studies the customs, traditions, institutions and other group behaviour. - Psychology is more interested in the study of an individual behaviour during many occasions, which is influenced by traditions, taboos and customs of the group to which the individual belongs. - In a branch of psychology, called social psychology, these subjects are closely connected. - Sometimes individuals act very differently within a group. An individual mind grows and develops through interaction with society. People develop their personalities through social intercourse. ### **6. Psychology and psychiatry** - Psychiatry is a medical specialty. It helps in the diagnosis and treatment of mentally ill patients. - Psychiatrists are considered physicians who complete post-graduate training and experience in treating patients with mental disorders. They prescribe the drugs and deploy physical therapies and psychotherapies for the treatment of mental disorders. ### **7. Psychology and education:** - Psychology is the science of the behaviour of an individual about the environment. - Education tries to mould the character and behaviour of the students and makes them become useful citizens in the community. - Education is the process of developing the powers of an individual harmoniously, and make them adjust to the social environment by modifying their behaviour. Therefore, educational psychology applies the general principles of psychology to the practical needs of education. It gives a psychological foundation to education and makes it sound. ### **1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN NURSING** - It helps the nurses to understand, the way other people behave and act differently in some different situations. - Psychology is an applied science that helps nurses to study the mental functions and behaviour of individuals and groups. - Psychology and social psychology play a major role in the field of nursing practice. These fields help the nurses to understand how individual behaviour is influenced by others. It helps to know how individuals behave under the presence of social situation or norms. - Nurses have to interact with sick and ill patients even with the relatives of the patients. Thus, nurses have to study the behaviour and attitude of these people to gain their cooperation during patient care. - It is the responsibility of the nurses as well as the whole health care team in the hospital to develop a conducive environment for the patients, which helps to recover the patients from physical and mental disorders. That requires an understanding of the patient's psychology. - Understanding the patient's behaviour helps to know each other, nurses can predict how the patients are going to react in certain situations such as pain, illness and distress. A prior understanding of this situation can help in giving the right therapy. - The physical and mental well-being of the patients in the hospital mainly depends on the nurse’s behaviour. In her professional capacity, the nurses need to balance their anxiety, sorrow, anger, fear and even hostility to handle sick patients. ### **At present nurses are living in a fast-changing world with all its technological advancement. The majority of the patients know about illness and technology used in the hospital. They tend to google each and everything that is happening to them in the hospital.** To serve them satisfactorily, acquiring the knowledge of psychology is very essential for all nurses. - The ability to understand their behavior: Studying psychology will allow nursing students to understand their behaviour, emotions and ideas. - The ability to understand the behaviour of other people: Studying psychology enables students to understand the behaviour of the people. They will have the ability to read people's minds and emotions. Understanding human emotions can be hard, but if students can master the principles of psychology, it will be easier to understand human actions. - Psychology will throw light on the interdependence of body, mind and spirit in each individual. ## **1.6. APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY TO SOLVE EVERYDAY ISSUES:** - Psychology helps to live with others easily by understanding their behaviour. Psychology makes the person to understand how humans think and behave in different situations. - The main purpose of applied psychology in our life is to lead a happy and healthy mental life. - Psychology is the study of people’s behaviour, performance and mental operations. The application of this knowledge helps to understand the events, treat the psychological issues and deploy good human relations. - By studying psychology, a person understands better about himself, others and the world too. ### **Psychology is important in the following areas;** 1. **Career:** An employee and employer need to understand the psychology of the organization, colleagues, boss, leader etc. for better performance and to attain the goal of the organization. 2. **Family life:** Family members need to understand each one of them to establish a happy family. 3. **Social life:** The individuals need to understand the intentions, mindset of friends, neighbours to maintain good human relations. 4. **Public life:** We need to understand the mindset of everyone who is there in our routine life, such as maid, colleagues, friends, shop keeper, barber etc. - This everyday psychology application can address problems across multiple facts of the human experience, including the workplace or at school, etc. ### **Practical applications of psychology in everyday issues:** 1. **Health and medicine:** - The application of psychology promotes physical health and prevent illness. - Human health and well being depend on both biological and psychological factors. - Psychophysiological disorders are influenced by psychological stress. These disorders include high blood pressure, headache, asthma and ulcers. - Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. - Behaviour counts much more than medicines and this behaviour can be learned only through psychology. It has removed many superstitions in the diagnosis and cure of mental and physical diseases. Psychology has contributed many valuable therapeutic measures like behaviour therapy, group therapy, shock therapy and psychoanalysis. A doctor, nurse or any other person who attends the patient needs to know the science of behaviour to achieve good results. 2. **Education:** - Psychological standardized tests are used to measure the academic aptitude and achievement abilities of the students. These tests are capable to find the cognitive skills of the children. - Psychology has contributed a