What Is Psychology?

What is Psychology

(Photo Credit: peterme)

Having a good grasp of what psychology is all about is essential for anybody wanting to explore the topic in greater depth. Now this may sound like a really obvious thing to state but psychology is one of those terms that is often banded around without any real consideration as to its actual meaning.

A classic case in point being the usual response you get from people when you tell them that you teach psychology; namely, "I better be careful what I say", or "so do you know what I'm thinking then?" I know I shouldn't but my stock reply to these reactions tends to be "Absolutely" and "Not at all...but then I would say that, wouldn't I"

It's actually a serious point though because there is obviously a lot of confusion surrounding psychology. Indeed, I've met psychology students coming towards the end of their degree that have admitted that they are still not 100% sure what psychology is!

Psychology Definitions

To help understand the ambiguity surrounding psychology, let's start by taking a look at some definitions of psychology.

Psychology is the scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour. It is both a thriving academic discipline and a vital professional practice. (The British Psychological Society)

The scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes. (American Psychological Association)

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. (Wikipedia)

The constant theme across these definitions is that psychology is fundamentally concerned with understanding Behaviour

So What's The Problem?

Basically, a lack of unity. Within psychology there are multiple and often competing levels of explanation when it comes to understanding behaviour. When you begin studying psychology you quickly realise what a disparate topic area it is, and at times it can almost be overwhelming.

Keep It Simple

Particularly when you're starting out. Just keep hold of the notion that psychology is basically about behaviour. You can't be expected to know all the different ways there are to explain behaviour straight away; but as you are introduced to more and more you'll find that you'll soon be able to place a behavioural explanation within an appropriate psychological framework.

If you would like to find out more about the different levels of explanation within psychology, you can do so by visiting the types of psychology page. Please note that this page is very much work in progress and will take some time to complete. However, eventually it will cover all the major branches and sub-divisions within psychological theory and practice.

Not to be confused with Psychiatry

Another common misconception about psychology is that it is very similar, if not synonymous with psychiatry. It is not. Psychiatry is a distinct medical specialism (all psychiatrists have a medical degree) that is fundamentally concerned with mental disorder. Psychology has a much broader focus and is not inextricably linked to the concept of mental illness.

Recommended Reading

What is Psychology? by Ellen E. Pastorino & Susann M Doyle-Portillo

Book Description

See the big picture of introductory psychology rather than trying to memorize a collection of fragmented ideas. With WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? In each chapter, "The Big Picture" is a real-life story of a person whose experience illustrates the concepts of the chapter. If you've ever wondered, "Why should psychology matter to me?", you'll appreciate the way the authors answer that question using practical everyday examples from their research and work in classrooms. See following link for more details: