1. The World of Psychology
Chapter 1
The World of Psychology

2. Chapter 1 Objectives
1-1: Describe what psychology is, what psychologists do, and the main types of psychology.
1-2: Explain why the psychology of the past is important today, particularly the work of key pioneers.
1-3: Compare the seven different contemporary approaches to psychology.

3. OBJECTIVE 1-1: I. What is Psychology?
Definition: the study of the mind and behavior
Behavior includes every measurable internal and external activity a living thing does.

4. A. What Psychologists do
Five major areas in which psychologists work:
Psychologists Conduct Research.
Psychologists Promote Physical and Mental Health.
Psychologists Help People Learn.
Psychologists Work in the Community.
Psychologists Contribute to the Work Environment.

5. 1) Psychologists Conduct Research
Laboratory and natural settings
Study animal behavior, individual behavior, and group behavior
Study just about any area of human behavior

6. 2) Psychologists Promote Physical and Mental Health
Help people change unhealthy behaviors that cause problems in their lives
Many are part of health care teams

7. 3) Psychologists Help People Learn
Use tools from research to help people learn
Provide counseling services to help people learn

8. 4) Psychologists Work in the Community
Work with organizations and correctional facilities

9. 5) Psychologists Contribute to the Work Environment
Involved in designing comfortable and less stressful work environments as well as other changes in the work environments.
Run employee assistance programs that help employees with their problems

10. B. The Two Main Types of Psychology
1)Basic Research
How and why people behave the way they do
Compare effectiveness of different treatments
Use scientific method
Conduct experiments and make measurements to discover relationships
2)Applied psychology
Use the knowledge gained from research to help people

11. C. Careers in Psychology
Require some training or certification beyond a college bachelor’s degree:
Developmental
Sports
Advertising
Industrial/organizational plus other specialties
Require certification by a state or other government agency:
Clinical
counseling

12. D. Psychology in Your Life
Psychology can help you:
Understand and change what is happening in your social relationships
Understand how you are influenced by your peers or the media
Identify the causes of test anxiety or stress
Understand that you always have choices

13. OBJECTIVE 1-2: II. Psychology in the Past
Why Study the History of Psychology?
Today’s approaches are built on a foundation of ideas of the past
Knowing what worked and what didn’t will save time
Can revisit old ideas that were not appropriate at the time they were studied

14. B. Key Figures 1) Wilheim Wundt Ideas: Name of Approach:
Humans use their free will to focus their attention on particular aspects of a situation
Attention and behavior have a purpose related to some kind of internal motivation
Used introspection (looking inside oneself and describing what is going on)
Name of Approach:
Voluntarism that emphasized free will, choice, and purpose

15. Major Contribution:
Demonstrated the idea that the mind and behavior can be studied scientifically
Many of his students came to the US to start labs and use introspection, a forerunner to the scientific method

16. 2) William James Ideas: Name of Approach: Major Contribution:
Wanted to understand how the mind functions to help people adapt to rather than just describe it
Name of Approach:
Functionalism that focused on how the mind functions
Also developed pragmatism - if an idea works , it is useful
Major Contribution:
Studying all aspects of an individual’s experience, including behavior and individual differences

17. 3) Sigmund Freud Ideas: Name of Approach: Major Contribution:
Focus on unconscious mind
Focus on early experiences and look at effects
Used free association and dream analysis
Name of Approach:
Psychoanalysis which analyzes info in the unconscious mind
Major Contribution:
Emphasized importance of unconscious mind and early experiences

18. 4) John B. Watson Ideas: Name of approach: Major Contribution:
Believed behavior was caused by a previous association made in the brain
Thought only behavior could be studied
Focused on how we learn and how experience produces associations in the brain
Name of approach:
Behaviorism focused on the study of behavior - prediction and control
Major Contribution:
Developed learning theories still used today

19. Objective 1-3: III. Contemporary Approaches
1) The Neurobiological Approach
Interested in how physical systems - brain, nervous system, and other body systems - affect behavior, thought and feelings
2) The Behavioral Approach
Carried forward by B.F. Skinner
We are products of our experiences (environment - rewards and punishments)
Criticized for denying idea of free will

20. 3) Psychodynamic Approach
Focuses on the inner forces, conflicts, or instincts of the unconscious may affect behavior
4) The Cognitive Approach
Studies mental processes - thinking, language, memory, perception, problem solving, reasoning, and creativity.
Criticized for not focusing on emotion

21. 5) The Evolutionary Approach
Believes many modules of the mind are evolutionary adaptations arising through natural selection
6) The Humanistic Approach
Emphasizes personal growth and the achievement of human potential
Carl Rogers developed client-centered therapy

22. 7) The Sociocultural Approach
Studies social and cultural influences on behavior
Studies groups that we belong to and determine how they influence our behavior

23. What about the future?
As society evolves and changes so will the questions and focuses of psychology
Unlikely to soon have a full picture of what humans are about
No one approach is correct
Most agree a combination of approaches is best