What is Psychology?

What is Psychology?

Psychology is classified under sciences. As Uher (2021) explained, psychology is a science that focuses on the mind. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) description of psychology leans towards learning how the brain works. As such, they describe psychology as a study of mental processes, the behavior of a person, and the way the brain functions. Therefore, a psychologist is a professional with skills that can explain people’s behavior. They have an understanding of the way the mind works. One thing that stands out, and Muthukrishna, Henrich, and Slingerland (2021) have also added to the explanation of psychology, is that it is connected to social science, medical science, and education. These three fields are also interested in the mind and human behavior, though from different perspectives. Through this science, people can explain the connection between behavior and the mind and the connection between the environment, mind, and behavior. Notably, the environment is a very significant factor for psychologists.

Unlike the other sciences, psychology is still a new science. Uher (2021) has explained this claim by revealing that psychology as a scientific field has only matured in the past 150 years, even though it has existed for many years. Airenti (2019) further explains that the first traces of psychology were in ancient Greece. The Greeks were believed to have skills in psychology between 400 and 500 years BC (Airenti, 2019). Ancient Greek scholars like Socrates and Plato were linked to the study of psychology during these ancient times. Their ideas influenced other scholars like Aristotle. Today, most of the things that these early scholars studied are also studied in psychology. Moreover, the maturity of psychology started with scientists like Wilhelm Wundt and William James, who introduced two theories used to understand the brain. William James introduced the functionalism theory, and Wilhelm Wundt introduced the Structuralism theory.

References

Airenti G. (2019). The Place of Development in the History of Psychology and Cognitive             Science. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 895. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00895

Muthukrishna, M., Henrich, J., & Slingerland, E. (2021). Psychology as a Historical Science.       Annual review of psychology, 72, 717–749. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-            082820-111436

Uher J. (2021). Psychology’s Status as a Science: Peculiarities and Intrinsic Challenges. Moving Beyond its Current Deadlock Towards Conceptual Integration. Integrative psychological        & behavioral science, 55(1), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09545-0

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