What is psychology?
Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior and experience (normal and abnormal) and the psychological, social, and biological processes related to that behavior. It has three facets: It is a discipline, a major subject of study; it is a science, a method of conducting research and of understanding behavioral data; and it is a profession, a calling that requires one to apply special knowledge, abilities, and skills in order to solve human problems. Counseling is one of the specialty areas within the discipline of psychology.
• Psychology: the science of the mind • How do psychologists study the mind? • Human behaviour: the raw data of psychology • Psychology and other disciplines • Branches of psychologyPsychology: the science of the mind Psychology is the science of the mind. The human mind is the most complex machine on Earth. It is the source of all thought and behaviour.How do psychologists study the mind? But how can we study something as complex and mysterious as the mind? Even if we were to split open the skull of a willing volunteer and have a look inside, we would only see the gloopy grey matter of the brain. We cannot see someone thinking. Nor can we observe their emotions, or memories, or perceptions and dreams. So how do psychologists go about studying the mind? In fact, psychologists adopt a similar approach to scientists in other fields. Nuclear physicists interested in the structure of atoms cannot observe protons, electrons and neutrons directly. Instead, they predict how these elements sho
