Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain and behaviour. It may be explained by the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect how people think, act, and feel.
Therefore, psychology has existed since the dawn of humanity. The ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece began addressing it as a part of philosophy—including truth, memory, and morality—in which were a favoured topic of disagreements between scholars. It was separated into its own branch of science around 150 years ago.
Why has psychology recently gained attention ?
Was it not important in the past ?
Psychology became a discipline during the 19th century. After World War I (1914-1918), there was a study on soldiers who went through the war. These soldiers reportedly experienced severe anxiety, fear, and depression. Doctors during the time speculated that it may have been caused by severe brain damage from explosions and the sound of machine guns, causing symptoms of 'Shell Shock', which is a type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that is now officially recognized.
A fifth of the soldiers experienced said symptoms from the war. In the same time, those people were seen as cowardice and weak.
The statement above shows that we can study and explain the origins of human thought, feeling, and mental state. We can also predict and change our behaviour—including our thinking process. Thus, making psychology a necessary and important science to study for human beings.
However, people still don't fully understand the importance of psychology.
Statistics from the American Psychological Association show that 44 percent of Americans have little to no knowledge of psychology, while 1 in 5 Americans suffer from mental conditions and/or disorders every year.
In Thailand—during fiscal year 2018—it was found that in Bangkok, 1 in 8 people experience some kind of mental disorder and/or condition. And only a few received treatment.
This data further emphasizes how important it is to educate people on psychology and mental health, because awareness may prevent losses from a later mental condition.
Therefore, psychology is not only intended to study or explain the origin of the mind, behaviour, and thought process. Psychology can also help us improve our lives and well-being.
Generally speaking, psychology prevents physical and mental damage by providing a basic conceptual approach to dealing with everyday problems—like fostering relationships with people, family problems, work stress, money problems, etc. If these problems become accumulated stress or symptoms of mental disorders, we may receive a diagnosis and treatment from a psychiatrist or specialist.
Individually speaking, psychology helps us to better understand our action, thought and behaviour. As a result, we can better make decisions, avoid stress, and manage time. It may also help us find our life's goal and how to achieve them—which will lead to a happier and more fulfilling life
In addition, being knowledgeable in psychology also allows us to better manage problems, learn new things, cope, or rectify problems in life by understanding yourself and the environment around you—including self-discovery and developing one's potential to the fullest.
There are a variety of subfields and speciality areas in psychology. The more well-known ones being Counselling Psychology and Clinical Psychology. All of the following areas are important to human society, for example;
Educational Psychology specialises in the development of effective pedagogy, by applying psychology to educational issues, school, and student concerns. It also covers the mental well-being of the learners.
Forensic Psychology applies psychological principles to legal issues, criminal behaviour and treatment, the court system, assessing children in suspected child abuse cases, and evaluating the mental competence of criminal suspects.
Industrial Psychology seeks to improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace while maximizing the well-being of employees. This includes human resources, management, and marketing.
Development Psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughout life— including physical growth, intellectual development, emotional changes, social growth, and perceptual changes. It is divided into different ages. For example; infant, child, adolescent, or geriatric development.
Social Psychology is the study of society and social behaviour. It looks at human relationships, interactions, and influences to better understand and explain human behaviour.
All of the aforementioned are just a few of the existing branches of psychology. We can confidently say that psychology exists wherever humans do.
Psychology is important to our daily lives.
Written by Aim Attariya
Designed by Sirikorn Boonsamrej
Translated into English by Palida Chiewsanguan
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