Chapter 1 Introducing Psychology
PsychologyThe scientific study of mind and behavior. is the scientific study of mind and behavior. The word “psychology” comes from the Greek words “psyche,” meaning life, and “logos,” meaning explanation. Psychology is a popular major for students, a popular topic in the public media, and a part of our everyday lives. Television shows such as In Treatment, Lie to Me, Obsessed, and Hoarders feature psychologists who provide personal advice to those with personal or family difficulties. Other shows including This is Us, BoJack Horseman, and Parks and Rec deal with the psychological problems of their characters. Crime dramas such as CSI, Bones, Dexter, and others feature the work of forensic psychologists who use psychological principles to help solve crimes. And many people have direct knowledge about psychology because they have visited psychologists, for instance, school counselors, family therapists, and religious, marriage, or bereavement counselors.
Because we are frequently exposed to the work of psychologists in our everyday lives, we all have an idea about what psychology is and what psychologists do. In many ways I am sure that your conceptions are correct. Psychologists do work in forensic fields, and they do provide counseling and therapy for people in distress. But there are hundreds of thousands of psychologists around the world, working together to learn about human behavior and to help people who are in psychological distress cope with their difficulties. Psychology is a fast-growing global effort which aims to understand how people think and act, and to create a better world for all of us.
Most psychologists work in research laboratories, hospitals, and other field settings where they study the behavior of humans and animals. For instance, my colleagues in the Psychology Department at the University of Maryland study such diverse topics as how college students learn new material, the interpretation of dreams, the effects of caffeine on thinking, how birds recognize each other, how praying mantises hear, how people from different cultures react differently in negotiation, and the factors that lead people to engage in terrorism. Other psychologists study such topics as alcohol and drug addiction, memory, emotion, hypnosis, love, what makes people aggressive or helpful, and the psychologies of politics, prejudice, culture, and religion. Psychologists also work in health care settings, schools, and businesses, and they use a variety of methods—including observation, questionnaires, interviews, and laboratory studies—to help them understand behavior.
This chapter provides an introduction to the broad field of psychology and the many approaches that psychologists take to understanding human behavior. We will consider how psychologists conduct scientific research, with an overview of some of the most important approaches used and topics studied by psychologists, and also consider the variety of fields in which psychologists work. I expect that you may find that at least some of your preconceptions about psychology will be challenged and changed, and you will learn that psychology is a field that will provide you with new ways of thinking about your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The COVID-19 health crisis has brought dramatic changes to the field of psychology, just as it has affected everyone else’s daily lives. For psychologists who work in university settings, their buildings are closed and their students are gone. It is difficult and potentially dangerous to conduct research. The demand for the services provided by psychologists who work in the areas of mental health has increased dramatically. Many psychologists are conducting therapy sessions online, but it is not yet known how effective this approach is. It is not yet known how psychology will change as a result of the coronavirus. Will there still be funding for research on psychological questions? Will psychologists develop new ways of treating psychological disorders virtually on a mass scale? Will the coronavirus cause a turning point in the history of psychology? We will consider these questions in the chapters to come.
In addition to learning about its content, your study of psychology will also provide you with another important benefit. Psychologists think carefully and critically about the world around them. They systematically differentiate opinions that are based on values and preconceptions from those that are based on rational, scientific, and empirical evidence. The ability to make appropriate judgments and decisions based on available information is known as critical thinking. According to the American Psychological Association (2013), good critical thinkers have the traits listed in this table:
Tolerant of ambiguity | Amiably skeptical | Open-minded | Curious |
Creative | Inventive | Logical | Persistent |
Systematic | Intentional | Constructively critical | Precise |
Self-directed | Self-starting | Collaborative | Careful |
The ability to think critically is important because critical thinking is a strong predictor of your future success, including your performance in postgraduate education and in your working career. Students with psychology degrees are highly sought after by employers in various domains, and critical thinking skills are an important part of the market value of a psychology degree. Among others, a degree in psychology can prepare you for the jobs shown in Table 1.1 (Appleby, Millspaugh, & Hammersley, 2011).
Table 1.1 Careers in Psychology
Potential careers with a bachelor’s degree in psychology | Careers that require a degree beyond the bachelor’s degree in psychology |
---|---|
Activities director | Academic counselor |
Admissions evaluator | Air Force psychologist |
Advertising sales representative | Army psychologist |
Alumni director | Art therapist |
Animal trainer | Assessment professional/program evaluator |
Applied statistician | Biogerontologist |
Army mental health specialist | Chief psychologist |
Benefits manager | Child abuse counselor |
Career/employment counselor | Child counselor |
Career information specialist | Child psychologist |
Caseworker | Clinical psychologist |
Child development specialist | Clinical social worker |
Child welfare/placement caseworker | Cognitive neuroscientist |
Child welfare social worker | Cognitive psychologist |
Chiropractor | College/university professor |
Claims supervisor | Community counselor |
Coach | Community psychologist |
Community organization worker | Comparative psychologist |
Community worker | Counseling psychologist |
Computer programmer | Developmental psychologist |
Conservation officer | Domestic violence counselor |
Consumer psychologist | Educational psychologist |
Correctional treatment specialist | Psychologist |
Corrections officer | Exercise therapist |
Criminal investigator (FBI and other) | Experimental psychologist |
Customer service representative supervisor | Family counselor/caseworker |
Database administrator | Forensic psychologist |
Database design analyst | Gerontological counselor |
Delinquency prevention social worker | Geropsychologist |
Department manager | Guidance counselor |
Dietician | Health psychologist |
Disability policy worker | Industrial/organizational psychologist |
Disability case manager | Lawyer |
Elementary school teacher | Licensed professional counselor |
Employee health maintenance program specialist | Marriage and family counselor |
Employee relations specialist | Marriage and family therapist |
Employment counselor | Mathematical/quantitative psychologist |
Employment interviewer | Media psychologist |
Engineering/human factors/ergonomic | Medical social worker |
Financial aid counselor | Mental health counselor |
Fund raiser I | Military chaplain |
Fund raiser II | Military counselor |
Geriatric social worker | Military psychologist |
Group worker | Minister, priest, rabbi, chaplain, etc. |
Health care facility administrator | Multicultural counselor |
High school teacher | Music therapist |
Host/hostess | Navy clinical psychologist |
Human resources advisor | Neurologist |
Information specialist | Neuropathologist |
Job analyst | Neuropsychologist |
Labor relations manager | Neurosurgeon |
Loan officer | Nurse |
Management analyst | Occupational therapist |
Market research analyst | Optometrist |
Mental health social worker | Pediatrician |
Neuropsychologist | Penologist |
News writer | Personnel psychologist |
Occupational analyst | Pharmacologist |
Patient resources and reimbursement agent | Physiatrist |
Personnel recruiter | Physical therapist |
Police officer | Physician |
Polygraph examiner | Primary therapist |
Preschool teacher | Psychiatric social worker |
Probation/parole officer | Psychiatrist |
Psychiatric aide/attendant | Psychological anthropologist |
Psychiatric technician | Psychometrician |
Psychological stress evaluator | Psychotherapist |
Public health director | Rehabilitation psychologist |
Public health social worker | School psychologist |
Public relations representative | School social worker |
Purchasing agent | Social psychologist |
Real estate agent | Speech pathologist |
Recreation leader | Sports psychologist |
Recreation supervisor | Therapist for the blind |
Recreational therapist | Veterinarian |
Research assistant | Vocational rehabilitation counselor |
Retail salesperson | |
Sales clerk | |
Social group worker | |
Social services aide | |
Substance abuse counselor | |
Systems analyst | |
Teacher for the emotionally impaired | |
Teacher for the hearing impaired | |
Teacher for the learning disabled | |
Teacher for the mentally impaired | |
Teacher for the visually impaired | |
Technical writer | |
Veterans contact representative | |
Veterans counselor | |
Victims’ advocate | |
Vocational training teacher | |
Volunteer coordinator | |
Writer |