Psychology an Introduction

1. Psychology: Introduction
Dr. Rajesh Verma
Assistant Professor in Psychology
Govt. College Adampur, Hisar (Haryana)

2. Interesting Sayings and An Experiment
“Imagination is more important than
knowledge…”
– Albert Einstein
“In real terms everyone is a psychologist”
“Psychology often runs against common
sense” – It was demonstrated by Dweck in 1975.

3. Meaning
Psychology is derived from two Greek
words Psyche + Logos.
Psyche means Soul
Logos means Science or study of a subject.
So, psychology was a study of soul or mind
(NCERT).
But now it has graduated to a science
that studies behaviour and
underlying mental processes.

4. Introduction
Psychology has its root in Philosophy. It is a
discipline that covers large range of phenomena
because it is a science of behaviour and mind.
It seeks to understand the
complexity of human
behaviour in the light of
various factors such
as biological, social,
cognitive, situational etc.
To gain insights about the human behaviour, it
uses methods of both physical as well as social
sciences.

5. It studies mental health problems,
perception, connection between brain &
behaviour, attention, stress, emotions,
intelligence, phenomenology, motivation, brain
functioning,
interpersonal relations,
group behaviour & its
dynamics, resilience and
personality.
In traditional Indian literature the
psychological thought is found in terms of clear
distinction between transient Self and Eternal
Unchanging Soul (wikipedia).

6. Definition
Psychology is scientific study of behaviour
management .
“Psychology is defined
formally as a science
which studies mental
processes, experiences and
behaviour in different contexts” (NCERT, XI).
“The science of mental life, both of its phenomena
and their conditions“ (William James, 1880).

7. Three Components of Definition
1. Behaviour – All outward or overt actions and
reactions such as talking, facial expression and
movements (Ciccarelli & Meyer, 2016). In other words
all responses, reactions and activities we make.
2. Mental Processes – All covert
cognitive activities (thinking,
perception, remembering, feeling,
knowing, learning, attention etc.)
of our mind.
3. Experiences – The events or
occurrences that are embedded in
our awareness or consciousness.
These subjective in nature and
can not be known to other person.

8. Two Parallel Streams of Psychology
Stream A (Psychology as a natural science) - It uses
methods of physical and biological sciences. It focuses
on biological principles to explain behaviour. Theory-
Hypothesis-Testing-if required modification in theory.
Stream B (Psychology as a social science) - It uses
methods of social and cultural sciences. It focuses on
explanation of behaviour between the person and his
socio-cultural
environment

9. Mind and Behaviour Relationship
The mind and behaviour are related to each other. It
has been demonstrated by neuroscientists that suggests that
positive visualization can bring positive physical changes in
body (Ornish, 1990). The mental imagery have been used to
cure various kinds of phobias, physical illness such as
blockage in arteries etc. Imagery can trigger a full spectrum
of physiological responses which can either help or hinder
our health and well-being (Amendola). The concept of
phantom limbs or transformation of real parents into
imposter
parents is
the handy
work of
mind.

10. Branches of Psychology
1. Cognitive Psychology,
2. Biological Psychology,
3. Neuropsychology,
4. Developmental
Psychology,
5. Social Psychology,
6. Cultural and
Cross-cultural
Psychology,
7. Environmental
Psychology,
8. Health Psychology,

11. 9. Clinical and Counselling Psychology,
10. Industrial/Organizational Psychology,
11. Educational Psychology,
12. Sports Psychology,
13. Forensic Psychology.
14. Child and Women Psychology and
15. Military Psychology.

12. References:
1. NCERT, XI Psychology Text book.
2. https://www.ornish.com/zine/stress-free-
sunday-imagery/

13. Meet You Soon
With Next Video
vermasujit@yahoo.com
Thanks