This subject is an interesting field of science that deals with a person’s mind and behaviour. It helps in understanding a person’s thought and actions. There are several branches of psychology that focuses on the different aspects of psychological science. The scope of psychology is vast that it extends beyond the study of human brain and expressions. The importance of psychology is so advanced that it plays a great role in the lives of human beings in this complex world of today.
The subject with its multifaceted discipline was established long back during the ancient times. The term ‘Psychology’ originated from the Greek word, ‘psyche’ which means ‘life’ or ‘soul’. The different branches of psychology help in understanding the psychological behavior of a client. The concepts of the subject evaluate a person’s consciousness, critical reasoning and their problem-solving skills. The branches, scope, and importance of psychology provides great opportunity for advancement in research studies.
This subject emerged into a separate field with the establishment of the first laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879. Because of its association with social studies, education, and medical sciences, this subject is contemplated as a hub of science. A person who studies the human mind states, cognitive, and emotional behaviour is called as a psychologist.
This article focusses on:
- The branches of the subject
- Scope of the subject
- Importance
- Goals
- Processes and Methods
- Career Opportunities
- Reasons why people consult a psychologist?
- Nutshell view
Branches of Psychology
The branches of psychology are one of the most rapidly increasing profession. They help in understanding the breadth and depth of each aspect in detail. The emerging branches of this subject deals with the different subtopics of human brain and its behaviour. The branches include:
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Abnormal Psychology
- Clinical Branch
- Biological Psychology
- Cognitive Branch
- Comparative Psychology
- Forensic Branch
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Personality Psychology
- Rehabilitation Branch
- Experimental Branch
- Decision Science
- Sport and Performance Psychology
- Occupational Branch
- Developmental Branch
- Climate and Environmental Psychology
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Quantitative Branch
- Social Branch
Scope of Psychology
The scope of psychology is viewed under two different aspects namely the research and the applied psychology. Of these, the research psychology deals with abnormal, biological, cognitive, social, comparative, developmental, quantitative, and personality psychology. Applied psychology deals with clinical, counseling, educational, psychology and law, health, human factors, industrial and organisational, and school psychology. The scope of psychology improves productivity in a workplace with a safe and effective work environment.
Importance of Psychology
The importance of psychology is of great significance in the field of mental health sciences for treating a client from psychological disorders. Apart from this, it carries a role that greatly influences the everyday lives of every human beings. It is also employed in developing different kinds of educational and awareness programs, personality enhancement, psychological research, personal understanding and for the understanding of other’s personality, and for social and public policy affairs.
The principles and the applications of this subject aid in reducing the economic burden of a society in terms of disease aspects by improving the health care system of the population. The importance of psychology renders justice to the law enforcement officials in understanding the mind and behaviour of the criminals in performing a crime act.
In general, each branches of psychology, its scope, and importance contributes for the well-being of the overall population. It helps in motivating people individually and as a whole in society for the wellness of the community. It helps people to attain their goals by understanding the prime factors that greatly influence the mind and behaviour. The importance of psychology thus paves way for humans to survive well in this challenging world.
Goals
The prime goals of the subject is to solve most of the challenging and real-time mental health issues of an individual. The goals are entailed under the context of:
- Describe- this goal helps in accessing the behavior of a person as either normal or abnormal
- Explain- this goal focuses on the several psychological aspects in a client both on an individual as well as on the universal basis.
- Predict- this helps in evaluating how a person thinks and acts in different conditions
- Change- this goal influences the client to adhere to the conservative changes that are required for their mental health improvement.
Processes and Methods
The basic psychological processes that help in studying the behavior of an individual includes:
- sensation
- attention
- perception
- learning
- memory
- thinking
The various scientific methods of this subject are involved in carrying out the research studies for understanding a client’s mental health complications. These methods include:
- introspection method
- observation method
- experimental method
- case study method
- questionnaire method
- interview method
- survey method
- anecdotal method
- testing method.
Career Opportunities in Psychology
Mastering a course in this subject offers several opportunities for a person to pursue their skills and talents in (i) neurosciences (ii)scientific research studies (iii) clinical practices and (iv) consultants in government sectors, care settings, and corporations. Psychologists are of great demand due to the vast range in the scope of psychology. They serve as teachers, mental health care providers, and research scholars both in private as well as in public health sectors.
Psychologists play a role in studying a person’s feelings, emotions and behaviors and implement its principles to treat them for their mental health disorders. They gain insights from understanding a person’s experiences, tests, patient interview, and other medical records. This way, they will be able to solve the patient’s behaviour and mental health-associated problems. They evaluate the underlying relationships that exist between the function and behaviour of human brain with the environmental events and the human behaviour. Through empirical and evidence-based strategies, psychologist sorts the critical mental issues for the betterment of the world.
The extensive branches of psychology offer various roles for psychologists to serve in the most reputed organisations such as Google, NASA. They are also of high demand in various educational settings, healthcare organisations, old age homes and rehabilitation centres. Some of the most popular career opportunities for a psychologist includes the role of:
- Guidance counsellor
- Social worker
- Pain psychologist
- Health educator
- Army psychologist
- Community service manager
- Psychiatric technician
Reasons why people consult a psychologist?
- Anxiety and depression disorders
- Stress
- Fears, Mania’s and Phobia
- Compulsions
- Addictive disorders
- Sleep deprivation
- Eating behaviour
- Personality growth disorders
A Nutshell View
Psychology is a varied discipline that deals with the learning of mind and behavior in humans and animals. Due to its vast range of periodic advancements, new branches of psychology also forge to emerge. The scope of psychology widely addresses various issues related to a person’s mental health and behavioral functions. Each branches of psychology and its importance are vital in understanding the human brain and behavioral expressions.
The importance of psychology far outweighs the challenges and issues that are faced by the research scholars and the psychologists. Its concepts help in improving the mental health status and the well-being of the people individually and as a society. This subject will help in making a great career option for those who have passion and interest in understanding the human behaviour and expressions. Through various scientific methods and principles, it offers a promising field for individuals pursuing humanities and social sciences. This is due to the fact that people of these field mostly deal with the different avenues of life and relationships. With its diverse nature, this subject thus holds a great future for those interested in the advancements of psychology.