Psychology Fields of Specialization

Type of psychology: Origin and definition of psychology
Fields of study: Behavioral therapies; cognitive development;
experimental methodologies; general constructs and issues;
psychodynamic and neoanalytic models
Psychology is both a theoretical and an applied science. Psychologists use observational
and experimental methods to reach a greater understanding of the human mind
and human behavior. They then use this knowledge in a variety of settings to help people
in their daily lives.
Key concepts
• behaviorism
• cognitive psychology
• Gestalt psychology
• social psychology
• structuralism

Because the fields of specialization within psychology are so numerous, one
must first examine the science as an entity unto itself. This involves defining
psychology, exploring the reasons for its existence, reviewing its history, and
surveying the diverse specialists who assist various populations. Although
the semantics of defining psychology differ from text to text, the actual explanation
remains constant: It is the science of human behavior as it relates
to the functions of the mind. More specifically, it provides evidence for why
people experience a gamut of emotions, think rationally or irrationally, and
act either predictably or unpredictably.

The discipline’s very existence reflects humankind’s need to plumb the
depths of its interior to search for the self, to process conflict, to solve problems,
and to think critically as well as act pragmatically. Its challenge is to assist
people in understanding themselves. Humans have a natural curiosity; it
moves them to try to determine their relationship to the world in which they
live. With this comes the inclination to observe and compare other people:
their ideas, behavior patterns, and abilities. These analyses and comparisons,
which people cannot help but make, involve the self as well as others.
People may be either overly harsh or selectively blind when examining
themselves; both these situations can be handicaps, and both can be helped
by psychology.

At times, one’s anxiety level may peak uncontrollably. Through the science
of the mind, one seeks to temper one’s agitation by becoming familiar
with and acknowledging vague fears and uncomfortable feelings. Thus, the
person learns about the source of his or her tension. From this, experts
learn how behavior originates. They assist an individual in learning to cope with change; the person discovers how to make adequate adjustments in
daily living. The fast pace that humans in industrialized society keep requires
them now, more than ever before, to have a working knowledge of
people—their thought processes and behavior patterns. From all of this, experts
are able to arrive at reasonable predictions and logical conclusions
about humankind’s future behavior. 668