A. Before you read - think and discuss

1. Do you like the profession of psychologist?

2. Why do you think it‟s important?

3. Do we need this profession in our country?

PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes in humans and animals. The goals of psychology are to describe, predict, explain and control behaviour.

Behaviour includes those activities of an organism which can be directly observed or recorded. Mental processes are cognitive operations which can be directly known only by the experiencing person, for example thinking, perceiving, dreaming. Some mental processes operate outside of conscious awareness and are called non-conscious or unconscious. They may include problem solving or emotions.

Psychology appeared as a science in the late 19^th century. Historically it was influenced by Chinese philosophers such as Confucius and Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle.

In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt developed the first scientific psychology laboratory. Wundt used the approach that became known as structuralism. It emphasized the importance of conscious thought and classification of the mind’s structures and elements of consciousness (sensations, images, feelings).

In the United States, William James used functionalism, the approach that emphasized the study of the functions of the mind and behaviour in adapting to environment. Mental phenomena were called processes or functions (thinking, feeling, perceiving). This school gave ideas of modern applied psychology.

In 1900 Freud created psychoanalysis. This approach emphasized the importance of thoughts and motives which are unconscious but strongly influence behaviour. Freud’s theory of personality dynamics has been applied to development, abnormal behaviour, and psychotherapy. 

A group of psychologists, including John Watson, used the approach that emphasized scientific study of stimuli and responses. This approach is called behaviorism. It dominated American psychology from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The experimental psychology, research technology helped to show the importance of neurobiological factors in behaviour. The use of computers as models for human intelligence helped popularize the field known as cognitive psychology.

The following 6 perspectives have dominated the development of psychology research:

Who is a psychologist? A psychologist is a person who deals with psychology. Psychology is present in different branches of our life, knowing about psychology may not give all the answers but it helps to ask the right questions. A psychologist studies the mind and behaviour to learn more about it. He or she may also work with the people to help solve problems.

Psychologists may be divided into two groups.

Academic psychologists do research. In the research area specializations exist in the following areas: experimental and physiological, developmental, social, personality, cross-cultural psychology. Professional psychologists, on the other hand, use the results of research work and put them into practice.

Psychology is a science with many areas of specialization. The most practiced specialization is clinical and counseling psychology. A branch of medicine that specializes in abnormal behaviour and psychotherapy is psychiatry. Psychiatrists are doctors that use physical treatment like drugs. But clinical psychologists develop programmes to teach people better ways of coping with their lives. Counseling psychologists help people to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

Psychologists who study behaviour and mental processes in the life cycle are developmental psychologists.

Educational psychologists study children’s learning and adjustment.

Health psychology is a very broad area. The aspects of it are health education problems, antismoking campaigns, anti-AIDS campaigns, healthy diets.

Environmental psychologists are specialists in how people are affected by the environment. They act as consultants for new architectural developments, in approaches to reducing crime through the design of the city.

Forensic psychologists deal with many aspects of crime: analyzing the reasons of committing crimes, rehabilitation of criminals.

Sport psychologists work with coaches and sportsmen, advise on how to reduce stress, develop better training systems.

Consumer psychologists study how people spend their money. They take part in designing shops, shelf lay-outs. They do advertising and market research, study how the products can come to the markets.

As we can see, professional psychologists can be found at work in almost any area of dealing with people.

I) Say if these sentences are True or False:

1. To describe, predict, explain and control behavior are the goals of psychology.

2. The science “Psychology” appeared in the early 19^th century.

3. Wilhelm Wundt is one of the greatest psychologists who developed the first psychology laboratory.

4. William Wundt is the “father” of “functional psychology”.

5. Freud created the theory of personality dynamics that has been applied to development, abnormal behaviour, and psychotherapy. 

6. A psychologist is a person who deals with biology and physiology.

7. Academic psychologist use the results of research work and put them into practice.

8. The aspects of forensic psychologists are health education problems, antismoking campaigns, anti-AIDS campaigns, healthy diets.

9. Consumer psychologists study how the products can come to the markets and take part in designing shops, shelf lay-outs.

10.  Sport psychologists give advice on how to reduce stress, develop better training systems.

II) Answer the questions below in full sentences:

1. What is psychology?

2. When and how did this science appear?

3. What did Wilhelm Wundt, William James developed in psychology?

4. What is psychoanalysis and who is the author of it?

5. What are 6 dominating perspectives in the development of psychology research?

6. What is the difference between academic and professional psychology?

7. What do developmental psychologists study?

8. What does the consumer psychologist do?

9. What is the most practiced specialization in psychology?

10. What are the differences between forensic psychologists, sport psychologists, environmental psychologists?

III) Fill in the gaps in the sentences below with an appropriate phrasal verb from the box:

1. The History of Psychology as a scholarly study of the mind and behavior

__________________________to the Ancient Greeks.

2. Psychology____________________various other fields including physiology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, sociology, anthropology, as well as philosophy and other components of the humanities.

3. Wundt is credited with___________________ psychology as a field of scientific inquiry independent of the disciplines philosophy and biology.

4. James felt that psychology should have practical value, and that psychologists should_________________ how the mind can function to a person‟s benefit.

5. Starting in the 1950s, the experimental techniques set forth by Wundt, James, Ebbinghaus, and others would be reiterated as experimental psychology became increasingly cognitivist__________________information and its processing – and, eventually, constituted a part of the wider cognitive science.