What Psychologists Do?

Psychology or the study of human behavior is divided into many different sections or types of psychology. This disciplines also represent possible careers or jobs in psychology!

Kinds of Psychologists

Clinical psychologists: They treat people who exhibit mental or

emotional disorders which range from uncomfortable reactions to the stresses of daily life to extreme psychological disorders.

• Depression• Anxiety & Panic Disorders• Sleeping Disorders• Eating Disorders• Drug Problems

Clinical psychologists should not be confused with psychiatrists.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of psychological problems and they prescribe medication, psychologists don’t prescribe because they are not medical doctors.

School Psychologists:

They identify students with problems that interfere with learning, some typical problems that they deal with are: peer group and family problems, learning disorders (problems to read, write or do math).

They can identify these students by talking to teachers, parents and the students themselves.

Educational Psychologists:

Is focused on how people learn. Teachers, school administrators, and guidance counselors may apply the findings of educational psychologists in schools, colleges, or universities.

Developmental Psychologists:

It focuses on human development from birth to death. This type of psychology describes, measures, and explains age-related changes in behavior.

Physical: Changes in height, weight, adolescent growth, and sexual maturity.

Emotional: Development of self concept and self-esteem.

Cognitive: Such as changes from childhood to adulthood, how we learn right from wrong.

Social: Formation of bonds between parents and children, peers or intimate relationships.

Personality Psychologists:

They identify characteristics or traits as shyness, or friendliness. They share the interest in the origins of psychological problems and disorders such as anxiety, aggression and gender roles. Gender roles are behavior patterns expected of women and men in a given culture.

Social Psychologists

Social psychologists are concerned with people’s behavior in social situations. They study the following issues:

They explore how we live in the world. Our culture, group behavior, the media, attitudes and opinions are all part of social psychology.

Experimental psychologists:

They focus on basic processes of human interaction and biology. This type of psychology often involves studies on animals and people.

Industrial and Organizational Psychologists:

Industrial psychologists focus on people and work; they study the behavior of people in organizations such as businesses and to improve working conditions and increase worker output.

Environmental Psychologists:

They focus on the ways in which people influence and are influenced by their physical environment, they investigate the psychological effects of extremes in temperature, noise, and air pollution.

Forensic Psychologists:

These psychologists work within the criminal justice system; they can explain how certain kinds of psychological problems give rise to criminal behavior.

Health Psychologists:

They examine ways in which behavior and mental processes are related to physical health, they study the effects of stress and health problems such as headaches and disease.