Psychology is a discipline that is much talked about, but it is not easy to understand in its entirety (Triglia, n.d.) According to Triglia (n.d.), some people assume that it is part of the health sector, others believe that its main contribution is the spoken cure or that psychologists can read other people's minds by analyzing what they say and how they move, and there are many who confuse it with philosophy.
For other people, psychology only involves the application of tests in order to diagnose behavioral disorders, evaluate skills, personality, among others (Arana et al., 2006). Although this is an important part for psychology professionals, this general vision will inevitably lead to a partial appreciation of this science (Arana et al., 2006). In this way, the misinformation that exists around the term is clear (Sanchez, 2020). In correspondence with Triglia (n.d.), all this points to one fact: although psychology is a young science, the multitude of currents and professional opportunities that it emanates, creates confusion about its purpose.
What is Psychology?
The greatest difficulty in defining what psychology is is the variety of scientific meanings of the term (Arana et al., 2006). Therefore, when trying to give a concrete definition, people find themselves between two fires, on the one hand, according to Arana et al. (2006), the definition must face the requirements, restrictions and limitations imposed by science, i.e., epistemology and methodology; on the other hand, the object of research has such unique characteristics as human thought and activity.
Etymologically, the word psychology comes from the Greek psycho, which makes correspondence to pisque, which represents mental activity, soul and spirit, and on the other hand, logia refers to logos, which represents study, reason, words and treatise (Balsells, 2017). Therefore, if the definition is based on the etymology of the word, psychology means the study of the mind. However, the word mind should be distinguished from similar but not synonymous concepts such as, for example, the brain, the soul or the spirit. Thus, it would be more accurate to define psychology as the study of the mind, behavior and mental processes in humans and other animals (Balsells, 2017). However, according to Sanchez (2020), this general definition does not reflect the breadth and depth that this discipline achieves in its practice.
At the end of the 20th century, the field of psychology expanded considerably (Sanchez, 2020). The emergence of new research technologies, the diffusion of different approaches and theories, as well as the birth of new fields of research, led to new forms of specialization and investigation of mental processes. This means that, according to Sanchez (2020), psychology is a science that, like all other sciences, is constantly redefining itself.
The work of psychology ranges from the experimental study of mental processes in the classrooms and laboratories of countless universities around the world, to the development of policies and solutions to social problems faced by communities (Sanchez, 2020). In other words, according to Adsuara (2020), psychology is considered to be a science with a wide range of fields and methods.
Likewise, psychology is a discipline of knowledge, dedicated to generating ideas, methods, instruments and intervention procedures involving behavioral phenomena and human experience (Adsuara, 2020). Therefore, it is a scientific discipline interested in solving questions related to the functioning of the human mind, from the individual and group prism (Sanchez, 2020). In correspondence with Sanchez (2020), from a theoretical or basic substantive knowledge, psychology maintains an applied vocation for educational, therapeutic, methodological and even economic purposes.
In short, in correspondence with Cherry (2020), psychology is the study of the mind and behavior and encompasses the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect the way people think, act, and feel.
Characteristics
Psychology has four main characteristics (Balsells, 2017). First, it can be stated that it is an experimental study, i.e., it is based on experience, facts or empirical issues, rather than on undemonstrable assumptions or judgments (Balsells, 2017). In short, psychology seeks to predict and explain phenomena, such as behavior and mental processes (Sanchez, 2020). According to Balsells (2017), in addition to being experimental, it is systematic, since it organizes and unifies knowledge according to a scientific method, in other words, it formulates hypotheses, demonstrates them and then organizes them in an integrated manner.
In the same vein, psychology is theoretical, due to the fact that, it is built in fields with important conceptual and semantic meanings (Balsells, 2017). Finally, according to Balsells (2017), it is multidisciplinary, since, although it focuses on behavior, it needs elements from other sciences, such as sociology, biology, environment, among others.
Two Great Conceptions of Psychology
First, there is objectivism, which defends that human knowledge is a direct expression of reality (Balsells, 2017). In other words, this position believes that all physical phenomena in the world are objectively descriptive and even mathematical. An example of objectivist psychology, according to Balsells (2017), is Watson and behaviorism.
On the other hand, there is constructivism, which can be defined as a set of theories and schools of thought that are based on the idea that knowledge is the construction of ideas founded on experience, in other words, there is no innate knowledge, but rather it depends on the previous structure of people's development (Balsells, 2017). In short, according to Caddell (2019), constructivism is a theory that postulates that humans are creators of meaning in their lives and essentially construct their own realities.
To know, one must analyze the way in which one knows, since, each new understanding forces people to revise the views they already mastered and to reinterpret and reconstruct subsequent knowledge (Balsells, 2017). For example, in several psychotherapeutic approaches that fall under the umbrella of constructivism, the client is seen as an active participant who creates and determines his or her own life path (Caddell, 2019). According to Balsells (2017), a classic author of constructivism is Piaget.
Branches of Psychology
Some fields of action of psychology are:
Organizational psychology
Juridic psychology
Sports psychology
Comparative psychology
Health Psychology
References
Adsuara, G. (2020). Definición de PSICOLOGÍA según autores - 13 persepctivas. Obtenido 5 Octubre 2020, de https://www.psicologia-online.com/definicion-de-psicologia-segun-autores-4865.html
Arana et al. (2006). El concepto de psicología. Entre la diversidad conceptual y la conveniencia de unificación. Apreciaciones desde la epistemología. Retrieved 5 October 2020, from https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/802/80280107.pdf
Balsells, R. (2017). ¿Qué es la psicología? - Psicologos Tortosa. Obtenido 5 Octubre 2020, de http://psicologostortosa.com/que-es-la-psicologia/
Bascoy, A. (2016). ¿Qué es, y qué no es, psicología?, PsicoactivaMente en La Nueva España. Obtenido 5 Octubre 2020, de https://www.lne.es/blogs/psicoactiva-mente/que-es-y-que-no-es-psicologia.html
Caddell, J. (2019). How Constructivism Helps People Make Their Own Life Path. Verywell Mind. Recuperado 15 June 2021, a partir de https://www.verywellmind.com/constructivism-and-psychotherapy-2337730
Cherry, K. (2020). What You Should Know About Psychology. Verywell Mind. Recuperado 15 June 2021, a partir de https://www.verywellmind.com/psychology-4014660
Sánchez, M. (2020). ¿Qué es la Psicología? Qué estudia, ramas y aplicaciones. Mente y Ciencia. Recuperado 15 June 2021, a partir de https://www.menteyciencia.com/que-es-la-psicologia-que-estudia-ramas-y-aplicaciones/
Triglia, A. ¿Qué es la Psicología? 5 claves para descubrir esta ciencia. Psicologiaymente.com. Recuperado 15 June 2021, a partir de https://psicologiaymente.com/psicologia/que-es-psicologia
