WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

Intro to Psychology

What is psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental process.

What are different types of psychologists? (8 types)

Clinical psychologists – work in clinics or hospitals or private practices treating mental disorders. They have a PhD.

School psychologists

Work for school districts to treat students for mild disorders like depression and grief.

Counseling psychologists

Treat mental disorders with “insight” therapy. They treat mental disorders without medicine. They have a PhD.

Counselors

Do not really treat mental disorders. Usually do not have a PhD. Counselors use talk therapy for everyday problems like marital counseling, family counseling, career counseling, mild depression, grief counseling.

Psychiatrists (shrinks)

Psychiatrists are MDs (doctors) who specialize in the treatment of mental disorders. They treat disorders with medicine and a little counseling.

Sports/performance psychologists

Work for major league sports teams to maximize performance and minimize performance anxiety.

Forensic psychologists

They testify in court to determine if a defendant is fit to stand trial. If a defendant is termed “insane” then no.

“sanity” is a legal term, not a psychological one.

They also study criminal behavior like serial killers

Industrial/organization psychologists

Work for large corporations to maximize employee output and profit.

Have similar duties to interior designers, architects.

They might work for human resources.

Review questions: Carlos just moved to Duncanville

from a small town and his parents were just divorced. He’s been having a hard time with life. Carlos might see a

a. Psychiatristb. Clinical psychologistc. Counselord. Moe Sizlak

6. Mr. Didden was hired by the TLC company to help them retain their employees without lowering the firm’s profits. After TLC removed cubicles and permitted employees to decorate their workroom as recommended by Mr. Didden, the absentee rate declined and no employees left for jobs elsewhere. Mr. Didden is most likely

a) a forensic psychologistb) an industrial/organizational

psychologistc) a counseling psychologistd) a clinical psychologist

A psychiatrist typically has aa) Doctorate in Psychologyb) Medical Degreec) Doctorate in Physiologyd) Doctorate in Education

2. In contrast to a clinical psychologist, a psychiatrist is more likely to

a) engage in an eclecticb) use a biomedical treatmentc) recognize the importance of group

therapy with patients having the same disorder

d) treat clients in community mental health centers exclusively

Major Perspectives of Psychology (a preview)

Ancient Roots

Archaeologists have found evidence of trephination – Stone Age humans carving holes in the skull to release evil spirits.

Trephening

The Greeks

Plato and Democritus theorized about the relationship between thought and behavior.

Phrenology

Old quacks used to predict personality based on the bumps on your head.

However, thinking about psychology is different than

scientifically studying it.

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Founder of Structuralism – studied consciousness using the technique of introspection, studying your own thoughts

Psychology began in Germany.But most is here in USA, today

First to do psych experiments.

William James (functionalism)

This approach says our mind is a product of our environment

Influenced by Darwin

Influenced Behaviorists.

Consciousness cannot be studied.

The History & Scope of Psychology

Psychology’s Perspectives

The Big Seven

Neuroscience Perspective

Biology explains everything!.

If you could not remember the names of your parents and went to a psychologist who adheres to the neuroscience perspective, what might they say?

Evolutionary Perspective

Focuses on Darwinism.

We behave the way we do because we inherited those behaviors.

Thus, those behaviors must have helped ensure our ancestors’ survival.

How could this behavior ensured Homer’s ancestors survival?

Psychodynamic Perspective

Fathered by Sigmund Freud.

Our behavior comes from unconscious drives.

Usually stemming from our childhood.

What might a psychoanalyst say is the reason someone always needs to be chewing gum?

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on our OBSERVABLE behaviors.

Focus on rewards and punishments.

If you bit your fingernails when you were nervous, a behaviorist would not focus on calming you down, but rather focus on how to stop you from biting your nails.

Cognitive PerspectiveFocuses on how we

think (or encode information)

How do we see the world?

How did we learn to act to sad or happy events?

Cognitive Therapist attempt to change the way you think.

Meet girl Get Rejected by girl

Did you learn to be depressed

Or get back on the horse

Social-Cultural Perspective

Focus on how your culture affects your behavior.

Even in the same high school, behaviors can change in accordance to the various subcultures.

Humanistic Perspective

Focuses on positive growthAttempt to seek self-actualization (be

all you can be) (think hippies)

Mr. Rogers would have made a great Humanistic Therapist!!!

Psychology came from

Neurology and philosophy