The connection between psychology and technical sciences is due to the fact that a person is a direct participant in all technological and production processes. Man has been and remains the main participant in these processes. Therefore, it is no coincidence that psychological science considers man as part of technological progress. In the study of psychologists involved in the development of sociotechnical systems, a person acts as the most complex element of the "man-machine" system. Thanks to the activities of psychologists, models of technology are created that take into account the mental and physiological capabilities of a person, otherwise technical samples could be created that, due to their ergonomic characteristics, could never be operated by a person.
Thus, modern psychology is closely connected with various fields of science and practice. We can rightly say that wherever a person is involved, there is a place for psychological science. Therefore, it is no coincidence that psychology is gaining more and more popularity and distribution every year. In turn, the rapid development of psychology, its introduction into all areas of practical and scientific activity led to the emergence of various branches of psychology.
5. Branches of psychological knowledge.
Modern psychology is a very branched science with many branches. Branches of psychology are relatively independently developing areas of scientific psychological research. Moreover, due to the rapid development psychological science every four or five years, new directions appear.
The emergence of branches of psychology is due, firstly, to the widespread introduction of psychology into all areas of scientific and practical activities and secondly, the emergence of new psychological knowledge. Some branches of psychology differ from others primarily in the complex of problems and tasks that this or that scientific direction solves. At the same time, all branches of psychology can be conditionally divided into fundamental (general) and applied (special).
Fundamental (they are also called basic) branches of psychological science are of general importance for understanding and explaining various mental phenomena, including the behavior of people, regardless of what activity they are engaged in. Fundamental knowledge is necessary for everyone who deals with the problems of psychology and human behavior. Fundamental knowledge is the basis that not only unites all branches of the psychological science, but also serves as the basis for their development. Therefore, fundamental knowledge, as a rule, is united by the term "general psychology".
Applied are the branches of science, the achievements of which are used in practice. In most cases, applied branches of psychological science solve specific problems within the framework of their direction. However, in some cases, achievement or scientific discoveries applied industries can be fundamental, which determines the need to use newly acquired knowledge in all industries and areas.
It should also be emphasized that in most cases the applied branches of psychology are not isolated from each other. Most often, in a particular branch of psychology, the knowledge or methodology of its other branches is used. For example, space psychology - a branch of psychological science dealing with the problems of psychological support for human activity in space - includes engineering psychology, medical psychology, educational psychology, etc.
General psychology - a branch of psychological science that combines fundamental psychological knowledge and solves the problem of studying an individual - a specific representative of a species Homo sapiens . It includes theoretical and experimental studies that reveal the most common psychological patterns, theoretical principles and methods of psychology, its basic concepts and categorical structure. The basic concepts of general psychology are mental processes (cognitive, volitional, emotional), mental properties (temperament, character, abilities, orientation) and mental states.
emergence general psychology as an independent and fundamental branch of psychological science is associated with the name of S. L. Rubinshtein, who systematized psychological knowledge and proposed a methodology for the study of mental phenomena.
Last update: 29/10/2017
There are a number of independent branches (sections) of psychology that consider questions and problems of psychology from their own unique point of view. Learn more about the most basic and relevant of them.
Despite the fact that, like every branch of psychology, it has its own view of psychological problems, yet they all pursue one common goal, namely: the study and explanation of human thinking and behavior.
Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies psychopathology and abnormal behavior. This area is focused on the study of a wide range mental disorders including depression, obsession, sexual deviance, and more. Clinical psychologists and psychotherapists often work directly in this area.
Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a learning theory based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through what is known as conditioning. Although this branch of psychology dominated the first half of the 20th century, it became less prominent in the 1950s. Nevertheless, the methods of behavioral psychology today remain a mainstay in therapy, education and many other fields.
The branch of psychology focused on the study of how the brain influences behavior is often referred to as . However, it has other names: "physiological psychology", "behavioral neuroscience" and "psychobiology".
is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study internal states such as motivation, problem solving, attention, decision making and thinking. This area of psychology has continued to develop continuously since its inception (1960).
is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. The idea is that the study of animal behavior can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.
Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that studies how cultural factors influence human behavior. The International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) was founded in 1972, and the field of psychology has continued to grow and develop ever since. Everything more Psychologists today are interested in studying how the behavior of people around the world differs depending on their belonging to a particular culture.
Developmental psychology, as a branch of psychology, is designed to study the features of human development throughout its life cycle, from the stage of childhood to the stage of maturity. The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people's behavior changes throughout life. This applies to all aspects of human development, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual and personal. This area of psychology studies a huge range of topics, ranging from intrauterine development to Alzheimer's disease.
Pedagogical psychology is a branch of psychology dealing with schools, the psychology of teaching, educational issues, and student issues. Psychologists in this field often study how students interact directly with students, parents, teachers, officials and what can improve their academic performance.
Experimental psychology is a branch of psychology that uses scientific methods to study the brain and behavior. Many of these methods are also used in other areas of psychology to investigate a wide range of issues, ranging from questions child development and ending with the so-called social issues.
Forensic psychology is a branch that deals with issues related to psychology and the law. Forensic psychologists perform a wide range of duties, including testifying in court cases, identifying cases of child abuse, preparing children to testify, and determining the sanity of criminal suspects.
Health psychology is a branch dedicated to the study of how biology, psychology, behavior and social factors affect human health and disease. Sometimes, along with the term "", the terms " medical psychology and behavioral medicine. This area pursues the goal of researching measures to improve human health, as well as the prevention and treatment of diseases and ailments.
This branch of psychology is focused on the study of the ability to think, as well as feelings and behavior that make a person different from other representatives of the animal world. Some of the best-known theories in psychology originated in this area, including Freud's theory of psychoanalysis and Erickson's theory of psychosocial development.
Social Psychology aims to understand and explain social behavior and considers topics such as human behavior in a group, social interaction, leadership, non-verbal communication and the influence of society on a person when making decisions.
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Modern psychology is a very branched science with many branches. Branches of psychology are relatively independent areas of scientific research. psychological research. At the same time, due to the rapid development of psychological science, new directions appear every 4-5 years.
The emergence of branches of psychology is due, firstly, to the widespread introduction of psychology into all areas of scientific and practical activity, and secondly, to the emergence of new psychological knowledge. Some branches of psychology differ from others primarily in the complex of problems and tasks that this or that scientific direction solves. At the same time, all branches of psychology can be conditionally divided into fundamental (general) and applied (special).
Fundamental (they are also called basic) branches of psychological science have general meaning to understand and explain various mental phenomena, including the behavior of people, regardless of what activity they are engaged in. Fundamental knowledge is necessary for everyone who deals with the problems of psychology and human behavior. Fundamental knowledge is the basis that not only unites all branches of psychological science, but also serves as the basis for their development. Therefore, fundamental knowledge, as a rule, is designated by the single term "general psychology".
Applied are the branches of science, the achievements of which are used in practice. In most cases, applied branches of psychological science solve specific problems within the framework of their direction. However, in some cases, achievements or scientific discoveries of applied industries can be of a fundamental nature, which determines the need to use newly acquired knowledge in all industries and areas.
It should also be emphasized that in most cases the applied branches of psychology are not isolated from each other. Most often, a particular industry uses the knowledge or methodology of other industries. For example, space psychology is a branch of psychological science that deals with the problems of psychological support for human activity in space, includes engineering psychology, medical psychology, educational psychology, etc. Consequently, the applied areas of psychology, according to the degree of their generalization, can be conditionally divided into synthetic own knowledge of other areas) and primary (which are a relatively narrow and specific area of the applied industry). For example, medical psychology includes general medical psychology, clinical psychology, pathopsychology, psychohygiene and psychoprophylaxis, psychotherapy and psychocorrection, etc. Similarly, in engineering psychology, the following sections can be distinguished: ergonomics, labor psychology, management, etc.
Let us consider some branches of psychological science in more detail.
General psychology is a branch of psychological science that combines fundamental psychological knowledge and problem solving according to the study of an individual - a specific representative of Homo sapiens. It combines theoretical and experimental research that reveals the most general psychological patterns, theoretical principles and methods of psychology, its basic concepts and categorical structure. The basic concepts of general psychology are mental processes (cognitive, volitional, emotional), mental properties (temperament, character, abilities, orientation) and mental states (Fig. 2.1).
The division of the concepts of general psychology into groups is very conditional. The concept of "mental process" emphasizes the procedural nature of the studied mental phenomenon. The concept of "mental state" characterizes a static moment, the relative constancy of a mental phenomenon. The concept of "mental property" reflects the stability of the phenomenon under study, its repetition and fixation in the structure of personality.
The emergence of general psychology as an independent and fundamental branch of psychological science is associated with the name of S. L. Rubinshtein, who systematized psychological knowledge and proposed a methodology for the study of mental phenomena.
On the basis of the basic concepts of general psychology, the concepts of other branches of psychological science are formed. One of the most famous sciences having a large practical value, is pedagogical psychology - a branch of psychology that studies the psychological problems of training and education. Educational psychology explores the issues of purposeful formation cognitive activity and socially significant personality traits, as well as the conditions that ensure the optimal learning effect. No less significant for pedagogical psychology are the issues of taking into account the individual characteristics of the student in the construction educational process and the relationship between the student and the teacher, as well as the relationship within the educational team As an independent branch of psychological science, pedagogical psychology originated in the second half of the 19th century, which was due to the penetration of developmental ideas into psychology. The evolution of educational psychology was largely determined by the prevailing psychological concepts. So, at the end of the XIX century. Introspective psychology has played an important role in the development of educational psychology. Later, its development was determined by the behaviorist direction, which offered to focus on strict “behavior modification” in education. At the heart of modern domestic pedagogical psychology lies the fundamental position that the essence of individual mental development human is the assimilation of socio-historical experience, recorded in the objects of material and spiritual culture. At the same time, this assimilation is carried out through active human activity, the means and methods of which are updated in communication with other people. According to the areas of application, educational psychology can be divided into psychology preschool education, the psychology of training and education at school age, divided into junior, middle and senior school age, psychology vocational training and psychology of higher education.
The following branch of psychological science is very close to educational psychology - age-related psychology, which studies the regularities of the stages of mental development and personality formation throughout ontogenesis (the process of formation of an individual organism, including mental functions) of a person from birth to old age. Just like pedagogical psychology, developmental psychology took shape as an independent branch of psychological science at the end of the 19th century. Having emerged as child psychology, developmental psychology in the process of its development began to solve the problems of a holistic analysis of ontogenetic processes. Currently, the main sections of developmental psychology are: the psychology of childhood, the psychology of youth, the psychology of adulthood, and gerontopsychology. Developmental psychology studies the age-related dynamics of mental processes, which is impossible without taking into account the influence of cultural, historical, ethnic, and socio-economic conditions on individual development. In addition, for developmental psychology great importance have differential psychological differences, which include gender and age and typological properties, so very often research in developmental psychology is carried out using the techniques of differential psychology.
differential psychology The branch of psychology that studies differences both between individuals and between groups, as well as the causes and consequences of these differences. A prerequisite for the emergence of differential psychology was the introduction of experiments into psychology, as well as genetic and mathematical methods. The beginning of this branch of psychology was laid by F. Galton, who created a number of techniques and instruments for studying individual differences, including their statistical analysis. The term "differential psychology" was proposed in 1900 by V. Stern. Tests became the main methods of differential psychology. Initially, these were individual tests, then group tests appeared, and later projective tests.
Since pedagogical, developmental, and differential psychology operate with the concept of "group", social psychology is closely connected with them, studying the patterns of behavior and activities of people, due to the fact of their inclusion in groups, as well as psychological characteristics the groups themselves. For a long time, socio-psychological views were developed within the framework of philosophy, and only by the end of the 19th century. the first independent socio-psychological concepts appeared, such as the “psychology of peoples” (M. Lazarus, H. Steingal, W. Wundt), “mass psychology” (S. Sigle, G. Lebon), the theory of “social behavior instincts” (W. McDougall).
The emergence of social psychology as an independent discipline dates back to 1908, when the works of the English psychologist W. McDougall and the American sociologist E. Ross appeared simultaneously, the titles of which contained the term "social psychology". Modern social psychology as an independent science includes the following main sections: patterns of communication and interaction between people (in particular, the role of communication in the system of social and interpersonal relations); psychological characteristics social groups both large (classes, nations) and small (where phenomena such as cohesion, leadership, etc. are studied); personality psychology (this includes problems of social attitude, socialization, etc.).
In turn, political psychology and the psychology of art are very closely related to social psychology, since, to one degree or another, they consider phenomena not only of the individual, but also of the social plane. Political psychology is a branch of psychology that studies the psychological components of the political life and activities of people, their moods, opinions, feelings, value orientations, etc. These psychological phenomena are formed and manifested at the level of the political consciousness of nations, classes, social groups, governments, individuals and are realized in their concrete political actions.
The psychology of art is a branch of psychological science, the subjects of which are the properties and states of an individual or a group of individuals that determine the creation and perception of artistic values, as well as the influence of these values on the life of an individual and society as a whole.
All the considered applied branches of psychological science are to some extent connected with education, upbringing and, in general, with the development of man and human society. But there are also branches of psychology that deal with other problems. One of these branches is medical psychology, which studies the psychological aspects of hygiene, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, examination and rehabilitation of patients. The field of research in medical psychology includes a wide range of issues related to the onset, development and course of the disease, the influence of certain diseases on the human psyche and, conversely, the influence of the psyche on the disease. Therefore, among the most important problems of medical psychology are the interaction of mental and somatic processes, the patterns of formation of the patient's idea of his disease, the study of the dynamics of the patient's awareness of his condition, the use of compensatory and protective mechanisms of the personality for therapeutic purposes, the study of the psychological impact of therapeutic methods and means, etc.
Medical psychology includes a number of sections, some of which have already been named. The most common of them are: clinical psychology, including pathopsychology, neuropsychology, somatopsychology; general medical psychology; psychoprophylaxis and psychohygiene; psychotherapy and psychocorrection, etc.
No less significant for solving practical problems economic development society and technical progress is engineering psychology - a branch of psychology that studies the processes and means of interaction between man and machine. Engineering psychology arose as an independent science under the influence of the scientific and technological revolution, which transformed the psychological structure of production processes. The acceleration of technological development, observed in the second half of the 19th and in the first half of the 20th century, raised the question of the need to study the mental capabilities of a person in manufacturing process and determining the means and methods of its interaction with technology. The main problems solved by engineering psychology are: analysis of human tasks in control systems, distribution of functions between a person and automatic devices; study joint activities operators, communication processes and information interaction between them; analysis of the psychological structure of the operators' activity; study of factors affecting the efficiency, quality and reliability of operators' activities: study of the processes of receiving information by a person; analysis of the processes of information processing by a person, its storage and decision-making; development of methods for psychodiagnostics of human abilities in the interests of solving the problems of professional psychological selection and career guidance; analysis of the processes of optimizing the training of operators, etc. An independent branch of psychology is military psychology.
Psychology (other Greek soul; knowledge, i.e. "the science of the soul") is an academic and applied science about the patterns of emergence, formation, development, functioning and manifestations of the human psyche in various conditions and on different stages their lives and activities. Psychology is a field of scientific knowledge that studies the features and patterns of the emergence, formation and development of mental processes (sensation, perception, memory, thinking, imagination), mental states (tension, motivation, frustration, emotions, feelings) and mental properties (orientation, abilities , inclinations, character, temperament) of a person.
official registration scientific psychology received in 1879, when the German psychologist W. Wundt opened the first laboratory of experimental psychology in Leipzig. Psychology arose at the intersection of two large areas of knowledge - philosophy and natural sciences, and it has not yet been determined whether to consider it a natural science or a humanitarian one.
The focus of attention in different historical periods was a different subject of psychology:
- from ancient times to the 17th century. - psychology - the science of the soul;
- from the 17th century at the beginning 20th century - psychology - the science of consciousness;
- in the beginning. 20th century - psychology - the science of behavior, the science of unconscious manifestations of the psyche, etc .;
- modern understanding - psychology - the science of the laws of the emergence, formation and manifestation of the psyche.
The subject of psychology (in the general view) - phenomena, facts and patterns of human mental life. The psyche is a property of highly organized living matter, a subjective reflection of the objective world, necessary for a person (or animal) to be active in it and control their behavior.
Correlation between everyday and scientific psychology
Each person has a store of worldly psychological knowledge, the basis of which is life experience. We can understand another, influence his behavior, predict his actions, help him. The content of everyday psychology is embodied in rituals, traditions, proverbs, sayings, parables, rituals. But there are fundamental differences between worldly and scientific psychology.
Scientific psychological knowledge is specific: it is associated with certain people, certain situations and particular tasks. Scientific knowledge is systematized and generalized, they are expressed in scientific (rational) concepts. The formation of these concepts is the main purpose of science. The concepts of everyday psychology are characterized by vagueness and ambiguity, they are intuitive in nature.
Scientific psychology puts forward hypotheses that can be tested (it does not put forward absurd ones).
Scientific - uses scientific methods (own or borrowed from other sciences). The way to gain knowledge in everyday psychology is observation and self-observation, through practical trial and error.
It is difficult to transfer the accumulated experience to other people (emotions, experiences are difficult to explain) and such information is subjective. Plus the problem of "fathers" and "children" - children cannot and do not want to learn from the experience of their elders. Every generation learns from its mistakes. Scientific knowledge is enshrined in specialized literature, transferred without difficulty.
But scientific psychology uses everyday knowledge to confirm the laws of science. Thus, scientific psychology studies mental facts, the mechanisms of mental phenomena and regularities.
The specifics of psychological knowledge
Psychological knowledge can be obtained in two ways: ordinary and scientific;
The system of sciences provides scientific knowledge of psychology: natural (anatomy, physiology of GNI, biology) and public (philosophy, history).
Psychology considers facts, mechanisms, patterns, studies the origin, functioning, place of the mental in the activity of the subject.
The specificity of psychological knowledge is connected with its object.
Other features of psychological knowledge:
The subject and the object of knowledge merge. The thought turned on itself. The scientific consciousness of man becomes his scientific self-consciousness.
The psychological fact depends on the theoretical conception of it (it depends on how the researcher presents it).
A psychological fact depends on the subjective idea of it (as the subject himself imagines).
Unique practical tools. New knowledge about a person makes him different: it changes his attitudes, goals, his states and experiences. Those. psychology is a science that not only cognizes, but also creates, constructs a person.
The branches of psychology are divided into fundamental ones, which are of general importance for understanding and explaining various mental phenomena; and application areas - the achievements of which are being implemented in practice.
Fundamental areas
General psychology studies the general properties and patterns of functioning of the human psyche. Within the framework of general psychology, the general patterns of cognitive, emotional processes and the processes of regulation of activity, as well as the mental states of a person, are studied.
Personality psychology studies the socially conditioned qualities of a person, general patterns of character, motivation, self-awareness.
Differential psychology (the psychology of individual differences) studies individual psychological features people, their temperament, character, abilities, personal properties.
Psychophysiology studies the relationship of mental phenomena with the work of the body, with the activity of the nervous system.
Neuropsychology deals with the study of the anatomical and physiological foundations of higher mental functions.
Social psychology studies mental phenomena that arise in the process of people interacting with each other, people understanding each other, interpersonal relationships and the impact of people on each other.
Developmental psychology (or developmental psychology) studies the general patterns of development of various mental processes and personal qualities person.
Application areas
Applied psychology studies psychological problems that are specific to certain areas of life or professional activities of people. The branches of applied psychology include: pedagogical psychology, family psychology, military psychology, legal psychology, etc.
Pedagogical psychology studies the patterns of education and upbringing of a person.
Legal psychology deals with the application of psychological knowledge to the study of the psychological problems of legal practice. It is subdivided into criminological, judicial and penitentiary (or correctional) psychology.
Labor psychology is knowledge about psychological characteristics labor activity man, the psychological foundations of the scientific organization of labor.
Sports psychology considers the psychological characteristics of the personality and activities of athletes, the conditions and means of an effective training process, as well as psychological problems associated with competitions.
Family psychology - psychological issues of family formation, analysis of interpersonal, household and other relations of spouses, relationships between parents and children in the family, styles of family education.
In this regard, a special industry is developing independently - practical psychology. It includes several main areas: psychodiagnostics, psychoconsulting, psychocorrection, psychotherapy, psychological education.
Psychology as a science is closely related to other sciences. The task of psychology is to develop this relationship. Psychology itself is of great importance for solving the problems of professional and personal growth, education and upbringing of the individual, the moral and spiritual development of society, and is also important for the economy, the development of culture and the protection of people's health.
The expression of the tasks of science is not an easy and painstaking task, since there are general and particular tasks, theoretical and practical, broad and narrow, and so on. The main task is to study the laws of mental activity in its development.
In addition to it, psychology solves a number of other tasks:- First you need discover the facts, i.e. describe psychological phenomena in as much detail as possible, noting their diversity and numerous manifestations. Facts are the beginning, background, empirical basis of any knowledge. However, facts alone do not make science. Some of them are repeatable and, as it were, understandable to the researcher. Others seem less important at first, but over time, as they accumulate, they require ordering and interpretation.
- From knowledge of the facts follows more difficult task — pattern setting or laws of discovered phenomena. This means a transition from a description to an explanation of the facts obtained, to finding cause-and-effect relationships. It becomes possible to predict this or that fact, event, provided that science has proven measures of influence on this event.
- The task then becomes identification of mechanisms for implementing the established law. Find the mechanism, therefore, understand, model the theoretical essence, driving force, connections of phenomena and essence. Knowledge of laws and mechanisms is already a complete scientific concept. With regard to psychology, the task of identifying mechanisms is quite difficult. For example, we can talk about the biochemical mechanisms of memory, but for all their material significance, they do not directly explain the psychological patterns of memory.
- The final task is practical use competent implementation of its knowledge and results in real life. But at the same time, a large number of related problems are raised: social, economic, methodological, organizational. In addition, the psychologist comes into contact with problematic aspects, such as: moral, ethical, moral. Suppose that a scientist has proved his ability to form this or that psychological quality, which was previously considered impossible. However, what is the certainty that such a formation should be carried out for everyone? Indeed, the real harmlessness, the significance of the intervention is far from always scientifically substantiated.
