In the academic definition, psychology is the science of the patterns of development and functioning of the psyche and mental activity of a person. Psychology studies the inner, or more precisely, life world of a person and the reasons for the behavior of normal, mentally healthy people. Psychology seeks scientific explanations for why a person behaves in one way or another.
According to the successful definition of V.P. Zinchenko, psychology is an objective science about the subjective world of humans and animals. A general idea of psychology as a science can be formed with the help of lectures by Prof. V.V. Petukhova.
It seems that psychology is an invented area of life that deals with inappropriate human behavior with interest and understanding. Psychology, as a phenomenon of our cultural life, appeared when we began to react to inappropriate behavior not just as inadequacy, stupidity and bad manners, but as a symptom worthy of respect and attention, behind which something serious is hidden. That is why “psychology” is not understood and does not want to be understood by people of the “old school”, who are accustomed to living according to the principle “We need to do it? - We take it and do it.”
From letters from readers: “At first, the dousing seemed like some kind of feat. However, I was lucky, I have a wonderful grandmother who quickly brought me back to reality. I complained: “I decided to start dousing myself with cold water, but I don’t know how I’ll do it.” . Grandma made a surprised face: “How? Just take a bucket of water and pour it on yourself.” - That's it, this is where all the “psychology” ends.
Likewise, a large number of businessmen have a rather negative attitude toward “psychology,” who see psychologists as people who pander to human weaknesses. A businessman doesn’t care whether an employee wants to carry out his work duties today or doesn’t want to, he pays money only for COMPLETED, and for NOT - a fine or dismissal. If your task is to make cold calls, no one cares whether you are afraid to make these calls or not. If you don’t call or call poorly, we find another employee. AND NO PSYCHOLOGY! Beginning employees learn this, serious positions require it. It took enough time for businessmen to feel the danger posed by psychology, and for psychologists to understand that they need to be more careful with business: it has a different philosophy and different laws.
Accordingly, the word “ ” has two different meanings: “psychological” as relating to the science of psychology (psychological journal, psychological education) and “psychological” as relating to human psychology (psychological characteristics, psychological defenses).
Many sites on the Internet are devoted to psychology as a science. For the most authoritative and popular, see →
The science of psychology must be practical
Science is done by living people, and sometimes in very difficult conditions. Modern Russian psychology stands on the shoulders of L.S. Vygotsky, S.L. Rubinshteina, A.N. Leontyeva, P.Ya. Halperin and other courageous researchers who paved the way for the future through cruel winds. By creating academic psychology, they laid the foundation for a scientific approach to psychology.
We need science, but today science must be practical. Now, when already established psychological practice is overtaking theory, academic psychology must leave its crystal castle and begin to master and comprehend those fields that are already bearing fruit through the efforts of practicing psychologists. We plan to do this ourselves, we will be grateful for help in this research from academic science. We are open for cooperation. See→
Psychology textbooks should reflect not only what fellow scientists think, but also what fellow practitioners have been successfully doing for many years. New textbooks on psychology must be written in living, human language, as William James, Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl wrote, as Yulia Borisovna Gippenreiter and Boris Sergeevich Bratus write.
The soul must appear in psychology; the focus of psychologists can and should be on such topics as the mission and meaning of life, faith and hope, joy, responsibility, conscience. That's life. If psychology, as a science, does not deal with these topics, it is outside of life.
Psychology(Greek - soul; Greek - knowledge) is a science that studies the behavior and mental processes of people and animals. Psyche- this is the highest form of relationship between living beings and the objective world, expressed in their ability to realize their motives and act on the basis of information about it . Through the psyche, a person reflects the laws of the surrounding world.
Thinking, memory, perception, imagination, sensation, emotions, feelings, inclinations, temperament, - all these points are studied by psychology. But the main question remains: what motivates a person, his behavior in a given situation, what are the processes of his inner world? The range of issues addressed by psychology is quite wide. Thus, in modern psychology there are a large number of sections:
- general psychology,
- age-related psychology,
- social Psychology,
- psychology of religion,
- pathopsychology,
- neuropsychology,
- family psychology,
- psychology of sports
- etc.
Other sciences and branches of scientific knowledge also penetrate into psychology ( genetics, speech therapy, law, anthropology, psychiatry and etc.). Happening integration of classical psychology with eastern practices. To live in harmony with oneself and with the world around us, modern man needs to master the basics of psychology.
"Psychology is the expression in words of what cannot be expressed in words", wrote John Galsworthy.
Psychology operates with the following methods:
- Introspection- observation of one’s own mental processes, knowledge of one’s own mental life without using any tools.
- Observation- study of certain characteristics of a particular process without active involvement in the process itself.
- Experiment— experimental research of a certain process. The experiment can be based on modeling activity in specially specified conditions or can be carried out in conditions close to normal activity.
- Development Research- the study of certain characteristics of the same children who are observed for several years.
The origins of modern psychology were Aristotle, Ibn Sina, Rudolf Gocklenius, who first used the concept of “psychology”, Sigmund Freud, which even a person who is not related to psychology has probably heard about. As a science, psychology originated in the second half of the 19th century, separating from philosophy and physiology. Psychology explores unconscious and conscious mechanisms of the psyche person.
A person turns to psychology to know himself and better understand his loved ones. This knowledge helps you see and realize the true motives of your actions. Psychology is also called the science of the soul., which at certain moments in life begins to ask questions, “ who am I?", "where am I?", "why am I here?" Why does a person need this knowledge and awareness? To stay on the road of life and not fall into one ditch or another. And having fallen, find the strength to get up and move on.
Interest in this area of knowledge is growing. By training the body, athletes necessarily come to psychological knowledge and expand it. Moving towards our goals, building relationships with people, overcoming difficult situations, we also turn to psychology. Psychology is actively integrated into training and education, business, and art.
A person is not only a storehouse of certain knowledge, skills and abilities, but also an individual with his own emotions, feelings, ideas about this world.
Today you cannot do without knowledge of psychology, either at work or at home. To sell yourself or a manufactured product, you need certain knowledge. To have well-being in the family and be able to resolve conflicts, knowledge of psychology is also necessary. Understand the motives of people’s behavior, learn to manage your emotions, be able to establish relationships, be able to convey your thoughts to your interlocutor - and here psychological knowledge will come to the rescue. Psychology begins where a person appears and, Knowing the basics of psychology, you can avoid many mistakes in life. "Psychology is the ability to live."
Psychology is a science that studies human mental activity, the formation of cognitive processes, mental properties and states. Psychology also studies the impact of external factors on the psyche and the interaction between individuals in society. There are many sections of general psychology, and each of them studies a certain area of mental manifestations, for example, educational psychology, developmental psychology.
Psychology as a science
Throughout human history, there has been a need to separate and study the psychological make-up of people. Many ancient scientists touched upon the topic of psychology and highlighted certain aspects in terms of idealism and materialism.
Plato is considered the founder of idealism and dualism, who was the first to classify people according to their personal qualities - intelligence in their heads, courage in their chests and lust in their bellies. It was believed that leaders had intelligence, warriors had courage, and slaves had lust. In addition, Plato paid special attention to the human soul, and considered it something divine, existing separately from the body and cognizing eternal truths. Thus, Plato identified two independent principles, and his teaching was the first of its kind.
His follower was Aristotle, who became the founder of materialism - a direction that asserts the primacy of matter and the secondary nature of human consciousness. Aristotle sought to see psychology as a part of medicine, but he failed to fully explain human behavior from this point of view. That is why Aristotle first put forward the theory of the inseparability of body and soul.
Based on the works of these scientists, many philosophers worked towards studying the human psyche and behavior. In 1879, the famous psychologist Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychological laboratory, which marked the beginning of the development of psychology as an experimental science.
Subject of study psychology
Psychology is a science that considers a person as a subject of activity, the characteristics of his formation and personal qualities, the ability to understand the world and interact with it. An important aspect is the study of the emergence and development of the human psyche, the foundations of mental activity, the peculiarities of the formation of mental images of the world and their embodiment in reality, the unity of social and biological factors in human life, individual characteristics, individual behavior in the social environment and in specific types of activities.
Knowing yourself is just as important as knowing the world around you, so everyone should have the basics of general psychological knowledge. This helps to interact correctly with other people, strive for constant improvement and development, and feel confident in any environment. Psychology is used in a variety of areas of human activity, which has contributed to the development of its branches - medical, legal, pedagogical, military affairs, marketing.
General psychological knowledge is needed wherever there is a need to use the resources of the human psyche. Psychology is widely used in clinics, schools, management structures, astronaut training and social development centers. Today there are many qualified specialists who master one or another method and provide professional assistance to everyone who needs it.
Methods of psychology
Currently, it is impossible to identify any universal technique suitable for each specific person, therefore many directions have been developed to help understand the peculiarities of behavior. Psychology distinguishes the following most interesting methods:
- psychoanalysis - this method is most often used to solve personal problems and internal experiences. An experienced specialist carefully works with unconscious childhood memories, which are often the cause of problems in adulthood;
- body-oriented therapy - some psychologists believe that when emotions are suppressed, so-called muscle tension is observed in the body. To relax them, it is necessary to use special massage and exercises;
- Positive psychology is a consideration of a specific situation as a whole, seeing its positive and negative aspects. Thanks to this approach, it becomes possible to reveal and develop a person’s hidden abilities, which helps him cope with a certain problem.
- Gestalt psychology is the ability to be aware of oneself “here and now,” which helps to better cope with stressful situations through understanding personal experience.
Often, when personal problems arise, a person rushes for help to a specialist who knows some method of psychology. If you select it as much as possible for a specific patient, you can effectively find out the cause of the problem and cope with the problem.
The main tasks of psychology
The main task is to understand mental characteristics by revealing the subject connections that caused the appearance of mental phenomena. Such psychological cognition should be understood as awareness of mental characteristics through the disclosure of connections with the outside world. Thus, it becomes obvious that psychology is the most practical science that examines the essence of man, since through its study one can understand oneself, other people and the world around us.
The constant interest in self-knowledge and enrichment of the inner world is explained by the fact that there is a tendency towards the integration of all aspects of social life - economic, political and spiritual, as the basis of well-being. This is explained by the fact that classical concepts of economics (solving technological problems in economic activity) are relegated to the background by newer tasks - modernized concepts aimed at solving humanitarian and psychological problems.
10 thoughts on “ Psychology is...”
Of course, psychology is a strong science! The essence of man, his thoughts in all centuries have caused a whole storm of controversy among philosophers in search of truth...
One thing is clear: you need to know some basics of Gestalt therapy. This may come in handy in an emergency situation.
I also believe that psychology is needed in absolutely any field of activity. Whatever a person does, he is surrounded by complete psychology. Even if he is not at his best professionally, but at the same time he is a strong psychologist, climbing the career ladder is guaranteed
Everyone often considers themselves good psychologists! Whether it's sales managers or realtors! But many of them often still make mistakes in people or themselves become victims of an even greater psychologist!
I often hear more and more that “Psychology is life”!
Having not yet thoroughly mastered psychology, people made it a weapon of influence on the most unknown organ - the brain - and a method of manipulation. I don’t like that psychology is taught in every second university. This science is not for everyone. It belongs only in medical schools.
I think that every family should have a psychologist or that everyone should simply visit psychologists. These are people who save lives. But you need to be a real professional in order to help and not harm people!
Psychology has become quite popular among young people in recent years. But, as can be seen from the article, it is much more complex and multifaceted than the banal phrase “do you want to talk about this?”, with which psychologists are often associated. Interesting information, thanks.
Psychology is a rather interesting science, one that you want to study not only in a compulsory institute program, but also on your own, for self-development. It helps a lot in life, in the process of communicating with other people, achieving your own life goals.
In the USSR, very little was said about psychology and information for ordinary people was even prohibited. But this is very important knowledge and people still need to know a lot. We do a lot of things unconsciously, but our actions still work and sometimes turn out to be negative. But if you know and do it purposefully, it is easier to achieve success.
Psychology is truly a science, but what kind of “psychologists” does our society produce? Where is it actively used now? In NLP, to increase sales and create a society of “consumers”, not creators, and this is a fact. When a person begins to be personally interested in psychology, read books and analyze, then this is the psychology that society needs, in contrast to when a “brainless biorobot” comes to a so-called psychologist for help, in the hope that sessions with a “more knowledgeable person” will solve his problems. Saving a drowning person is the work of the drowning people themselves. You need to live with your own head, and not with the advice of those who tell you what is right and what is wrong.
The science of psychology appeared in the middle of the 19th century. She has come a long and difficult path in studying the mental state of the individual. With the help of this science, a person’s character, attention, and memory are determined. Many people like psychology. It helps you understand not only the people around you, but also yourself. Psychology is very broad. You can write and talk a lot about her. In this article we will look at some important aspects of the psychology of social groups and personality.
Psychology as a science
Consciousness, attention, memory, will, human soul - this is a whole science about personality. It's called psychology. Only thanks to this science does a person know himself and those around him. Not everyone understands what psychology is. The definition is quite simple. This is a science that studies the behavior, thoughts, processes of both humans and animals. A good knowledge of psychology helps to understand any personality. After all, everyone is interested, for example, in what motivates a child when he performs some action incomprehensible to his parents. Or you want to understand what kind of inner world your boss has.
Psychology will answer all questions concerning the human soul. This science will help you correctly understand your loved one, child, director or subordinate. In order to understand themselves or a loved one, some people visit a psychologist on their own initiative. Only because they want to be happy. However, some are afraid to contact a psychologist, but in vain. If it doesn’t work out for you, a specialist will definitely help you understand the problem and sort it out. So we figured out the question of what psychology is as a science. Now you can understand the intricacies of personality.
Understanding personality in psychology
A person is an individual. It’s unlikely that anyone asks the question: “What is personality in psychology?” This is the youngest psychological science. It is very extensive. Let's focus on the main thing.
No one even thinks that you need to communicate loyally with a person, even with a small child. He is, first of all, a person who deserves to be treated normally. After all, one person may not pay attention to your words, while another, on the contrary, even lets through his facial expressions, not to mention his words.
As you may have guessed, psychology has a direct bearing on personality. A person thinks, pays attention to you, knows how to listen, controls his emotions, character, feelings, etc. All this is controlled by personal psychology. A person heard bad or good news, and accordingly showed certain emotions at that time. Any unpredictability affects the state of mind very much. Therefore, if you cannot cope with yourself, something is gnawing at you, try to understand yourself first. Maybe you were stressed the other day or your joyful emotions were overwhelming, switch to a good, positive, but calm book, or just go for a walk. This will help you get distracted and understand your inner world. Now do you have an idea of what personality is in psychology? It has some subsections: character, state of mind, attention, thinking, etc.
Representation of memory in psychology
Memory is, in some way, a storage device that stores and, over time, voices some events or facts. It can be short-term or long-term.
Psychologists have identified several types of memory:
- Visual - saw and remembered.
- Auditory - heard, remembered, voiced it after a while.
- Motor - remembering movements.
- Tangible - remembering by touch.
- Figurative - even after a certain time, the image you saw emerges in your memory.
- Emotional - a person remembers previously experienced feelings.
In principle, everyone understands what memory is in psychology. This is a very complex and difficult process. It is memory that helps pass on our experience and knowledge to our children and grandchildren. This is the longest process. It’s not in vain that an 80-year-old grandmother will remember her experiences from that time when she was only 25 or 30. Quite often, a person may not remember some events from his life. This mainly happens when the information was very painful, and the memory erases this process on a subconscious level.
Manifestation of attention in psychology
If a person is focused on one object and observing it, what does this mean? Of course, attention. Without this psychological aspect it would be difficult for a person to exist. Let's look at the terminology to understand what attention is in psychology. This is the reaction of a living organism to external stimuli. When psychologists analyzed the types of attention, they concluded: there is selective attention (when it is possible to choose an object of attention), distributed (focusing on several objects simultaneously), switchable attention (attention is not constant). What happens to a person when he chooses an object of attention? Take, for example, a child who was shown a green square and the teacher asked: “What color?” Do you think he will give a substantive answer? Maybe. However, it will also be noted that this is a square that has corners, etc. Attention will not be focused only on color. It’s the same with an adult. For example, you meet an old friend, stop to chat, and in any case you will divert your attention to some little thing. Therefore, during a conversation you may miss an important detail. Attention cannot be distributed evenly to each object. This is how our brain functions.
In principle, the importance of such attention in psychology has become clear. It’s just that many people don’t think about such questions, and this is very important. Especially for parents who raise kids and are angry with them for their inattention. Listen to psychologists.
Personality abilities in psychology
Many parents with the birth of a child understand that he needs to be put on his feet. What does this mean? Raise him naturally, and also give him a decent education. From preschool age, children begin to go to sections in order to understand what abilities they have and begin to develop them. This could be art or music school, swimming, dancing, and much more. etc.
A child cannot pick up a brush and paint from birth, but perhaps he has the inclination for this. They need to be developed. If parents follow a path that only they like, the child will not be able to use his abilities. Therefore, it is necessary to give your baby the opportunity to do what he likes. Only then will he have a chance to develop in the right direction and become a great artist or composer. Absolutely every person has talent. One's parents were able to open it in early childhood, the other's were unable to.
Personality temperament in psychology
Character is an individual trait of each person. Temperament refers to human behavior. I.P. Pavlov developed the main traits of temperament a long time ago and divided them into 4 types:
1. A sanguine person is a cheerful person who does not linger on one object. Sociable, but does not stay long in one place of work. Doesn't like monotony. The new environment is a joy for him; he enjoys making contact with strangers.
2. Phlegmatic - slow, calm, rarely shows violent emotions. He approaches any task very thoughtfully. Never takes the wrong step. No one ever knows the true feelings of a phlegmatic person.
3. Choleric - very active, emotions are always overflowing. He does not know how to restrain himself, he can flare up over a trifle. No matter how quickly a choleric person takes on a new job, just as quickly he gets tired of it. Sometimes those around him find it difficult to tolerate a choleric person due to his excessive mobility.
4. Melancholic is a passive person who does not like to be interested in anything new. Feelings and emotions in slow motion. He gets offended and upset very quickly, although he doesn’t show it. He is reserved and prefers solitude rather than noisy companies. Melancholic people feel calm and confident in a familiar environment.
In any job, knowledge of temperaments is necessary. This will make it easier to communicate with people.
Psychology of emotions
Very often people do not know what feelings are. This is the emotional state of a person’s soul, which is expressed by certain body movements, facial expressions or voice.
Since childhood, we have heard about the cessation of emotions, that we need to express our feelings less. However, psychologists say the opposite. Every person should be able to throw out emotions, and not accumulate them over the years. What causes diseases and mental disorders? From the fact that a person has been holding back all his feelings and emotions within himself for years. You need to be able to express your opinion everywhere: at work, at home, in communication with others. Thanks to emotions, a person quickly determines for himself all the needs he needs. Don't be afraid to spill your feelings and emotions out. The circle that needs you will accept you like this. It costs nothing to prove to others. After all, health is more valuable.
The need for psychology
A person does not always realize what he needs. A need is something that a person feels an urgent need for. There are 3 types:
1. Labor need - a person needs to understand the world, to work.
2. Developmental need - the individual learns, self-realizes.
3. Social need - a person needs to communicate with friends, team, etc.
These are sociogenic needs. The need ends when the goal is achieved. Then a person has something else that he needs. Need is the entire mechanism in the human psyche. In other words, needs are the mental state of the individual. Thanks to them, a person strives for his goal in order to achieve what he wants, that is, he becomes more active, and passivity disappears almost completely.
You now understand what psychology is; a more precise definition can now be given. Need, attention, memory, emotions - this is what human psychology is.
Social psychology as a science
Every person lives in a world where he has many relatives, loved ones, acquaintances, friends, colleagues, etc. For this, a person needs social psychology. Thanks to it, people get to know each other and relationships. Relationships develop not only between two individuals, but also between entire groups. You probably guessed what social psychology is. Two sciences are intertwined in this subject. Sociology and psychology. Therefore, relationships are studied here not just between people, but the following types are distinguished: social, economic, political and many others. Social psychology in society allows you to occupy a certain place among people. In social psychology, there are 3 types of personality:
1. Picnics - they adapt well to a social environment. They strive to build profitable relationships with the right people. They know how to defend their interests without conflicts.
2. Athletics are sociable, love to attract due attention, dominant personality.
3. Asthenics - it is not easy for them to be in society. They are not sociable, closed, reserved.
To each person his own. Some people like to be the center of attention in society, others like to be in the shadows. There's nothing you can do about it. We must accept the personality as it is. You can write a lot about what social psychology is. Since this is not a book, but just an article, the most important definitions and concepts are given.
Psychology... Spelling dictionary-reference book
PSYCHOLOGY- PSYCHOLOGY, the science of the psyche, personality processes and their specifically human forms: perception and thinking, consciousness and character, speech and behavior. Soviet P. builds a coherent understanding of the subject of P. on the basis of the development of the ideological heritage of Marx... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia
- (from Greek soul and word, teaching), the science of patterns, mechanisms and facts of the psyche. life of humans and animals. The relationships of living beings with the world are realized through feelings. and intelligence. images, motivations, communication processes,... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
psychology- (from the Greek psyche soul and logos doctrine, science) the science of the laws of development and functioning of the psyche as a special form of life activity. The interaction of living beings with the surrounding world is realized through qualitatively different... ... Great psychological encyclopedia
- (from psychology... and...logy) the science of the patterns, mechanisms and facts of the mental life of humans and animals. The main theme of psychological thought in antiquity and the Middle Ages is the problem of the soul (Aristotle, On the Soul, etc.). In the 17th and 18th centuries. based… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (from psychology... and...logy), the science of the patterns, mechanisms and facts of the mental life of humans and animals. The main theme of psychological thought in antiquity and the Middle Ages is the problem of the soul (On the soul of Aristotle, etc.). In the 17th and 18th centuries. based… … Modern encyclopedia
psychology- And. and. psychologie f. 1. The science of the psyche, human mental activity. General psychology. BAS 1. Experimental psychology. Animal psychology. Ush. 1939. || An educational subject that sets out the content of this science. BAS 1. || A book outlining... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
Psychology- (from psychology... and...logy), the science of the patterns, mechanisms and facts of the mental life of humans and animals. The main theme of psychological thought in antiquity and the Middle Ages is the problem of the soul (“On the Soul” by Aristotle and others). In the 17th and 18th centuries. based… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Greek, from psyche soul, and logos teaching, science). The science of mental activity. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. PSYCHOLOGY Greek, from psyche, soul, and lego, I say. Science of the soul. Explanation 25000... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
PSYCHOLOGY, psychology, many. no, female (Greek psyche soul and logos teaching) (book). 1. Science that studies mental processes that arise as a result of the constant influence of the objective world and the social environment on humans (and animals).... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
psychology I- PSYCHOLOGY I (ego psychology) is one of the areas of psychoanalytic psychology that arose in the mid-20th century, reflected in the works of A. Freud, H. Hartmann and focused on the study of the defense mechanisms of the I, as well as their connections and ... Encyclopedia of Epistemology and Philosophy of Science
Books
- Psychology, Abraham P. Sperling. Without being confined within the framework of a strict encyclopedic definition, which states that psychology is a multidisciplinary science about the patterns, mechanisms and facts of the mental life of humans and animals,...
