This document provides an overview of psychology, including its definition, history, and branches. It defines psychology as the scientific study of the human mind, behavior, and mental states. The history section notes that psychology emerged as a formal scientific discipline in the late 19th century with Wundt establishing the first psychology laboratory. It also discusses several influential early female psychologists who helped establish the field despite facing social prejudices. Finally, it outlines the major pure and applied branches of psychology, such as cognitive psychology, clinical psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology.

1. Introduction to
PSYCHOLOGY
Prepared by:
Rigen V. Maalam
La Salle University
College of Teacher Education

2. Overview
I. Psychology Defined
II. History: Timeline
a. Women in Psychology: Founding
Mothers
III. Branches of Psychology
a. Pure Branches
b. Applied Branches

3. I. Psychology Defined

4. I. Psychology Defined
• psy·chol·o·gy [sī kólləjee]
• (plural psy·chol·o·gies) noun
1. study of human mind: the scientific study of the
human mind and mental states, and of human and
animal behavior
2. characteristic mental makeup: the characteristic
temperament and associated behavior of a person or
group, or that exhibited by those engaged in an
activity

5. I. Psychology Defined
3. subtle manipulative behavior: subtle clever actions
and words used to influence a person or group
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

6. II. History: Timeline

7. II. History: Timeline
• Philosopher Plato (427-347 BCE) and French
Philosopher/Mathematician Rene Descartes
(1596-1650), who were against of John Locke,
believed that some knowledge was born in
humans.
• Late 19th century- the start of the formal
Psychology as a scientific discipline.

8. II. History: Timeline
• Wilhem Wundt
-established the first experimental laboratory in
Leipzig, Germany, devoted to psychological
phenomena.
-a professor of Biology in Germany
-regarded as the “Father of Modern Psychology”
-his aim was to study the building blocks of mind
-he considered psychology to be the study of
conscious experience

9. II. Women in Psychology:
Founding Mothers

10. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
In early 1900’s, many universities would not even
admit women to their graduate psychology
programs. Social prejudices hindered women’s
participation in the early development of
Psychology.

11. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)
-the fist woman to receive a doctorate in
psychology and she did important work on
animal behavior.

12. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886-1939)
-one of the first psychologist to focus on child
development and on women’s issues.
-collected data to refute the view that women’s
abilities periodically decline during parts of their
menstrual cycle.

13. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Mary Calkins (1863-1930)
-studied memory in the early part of the 20th
century and became the first female president of
the American Psychological Association (APA)

14. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Karen Horney (1885-1952)
- reads as Ka-ren Horn-eye
-focused on the social and cultural factors
behind personality

15. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• June Etta Downey (1875-1932)
-spearheaded the study of personality traits and
became the first woman to head a psychology
department at a state university

16. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Anna Freud (1895-1982)
-daughter of Sigmund Freud who made notable
contributions to the treatment of abnormal
behavior.

17. II. Women in Psychology: Founding Mothers
• Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983)
-carried out pioneering work on how children of
color grew to recognize racial differences

18. III. Branches
of Psychology

19. A. Pure Branches
of Psychology

20. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Behavioral Neuroscience
-mainly examines how the brain and nervous
system—as well as biological processes—
determine behavior

21. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
-studies the processes of sensing, perceiving,
learning and thinking about the world
-typically involves laboratory research in basic
areas of the discipline

22. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
-focuses on higher mental processes including
thinking, memory, reasoning, problem-solving,
judging, decision-making and language

23. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
-studies how people grow and change from the
moment of conception through death

24. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Personality Psychology
-focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior
over time and the traits that differentiate one
person from another

25. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology
-investigates the similarities and differences in
psychological functioning in and across various
cultures and ethnic groups

26. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Social Psychology
-study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and
actions are affected by others
-includes human aggression, liking and loving,
persuasion, and conformity

27. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
-study of the etiology or cause of mental,
emotional or personality disorders, or the
individual’s behavior deviates from the norms,
thus abnormal

28. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Evolutionary Psychology
-considers how behavior is influenced by our
genetic inheritance from our ancestors

29. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Behavioral Genetics
-studies the inheritance of traits related to
behavior

30. A. Pure Branches of Psychology
• Clinical Neuropsychology
-unites the areas of biopsychology and clinical
psychology, focusing on the relationship
between biological factors and psychological
factors

31. B. Applied Branches
of Psychology

32. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Health Psychology
-explores the relationship between psychological
factors and physical disorders

33. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
-deals with the study, diagnosis and treatment of
psychological disorders

34. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
-focuses primarily on educational, social and
career adjustment problems

35. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Educational Psychology
-concerned with teaching and learning
processes, such as the relationship between
motivation and school performance

36. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Environmental Psychology
-considers the relationship between people and
their physical environment

37. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
-focuses on legal issues, such as determining
the accuracy of witness’ memories

38. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology
-concerned with the psychology of workplace
-applies psychological principles to improve
productivity in business, industry and
government organization

39. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• School Psychology
-devoted to counseling children in elementary
and secondary schools who have academic or
emotional problems

40. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Sports Psychology
-applies psychology to athletic activity and
exercise

41. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Consumer Psychology
-deals with the consumer’s activities directly
involved in selecting, obtaining and using
products, services and ideas to satisfy needs
and desires, including decision processes that
precede and follow their actions

42. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Engineering Psychology
-concerned with man and machine system that
is fitting man and machine together so that both
can function with efficiency and effectiveness

43. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Community Psychology
-provides psychological services for unprivileged
client groups like homeless, poor and others
who have stressful conditions of life who need
help but tend not to seek it, and offers changes
for prevention from psychological disorders in
the community

44. B. Applied Branches of Psychology
• Psychology of Women
-focuses on issues such as discrimination
against women and the cause of violence
against women

45. Thank You! 