Recently, the study of human psychology has become very popular. In the West, consulting practice by specialists in this field has been around for quite some time. In Russia, this is a relatively new direction. What is psychology? What are its main functions? What methods and programs do psychologists use to help people in difficult situations?
Concept of psychology
Psychology is a science whose goal is to study the mechanisms of functioning of the human psyche. She examines the patterns of human behavior in various situations, the thoughts, feelings and experiences that arise in this case.
Psychology is what helps us to better understand ourselves, to understand our problems and their causes, to realize our weaknesses and strengths. Its study contributes to the development in a person of moral qualities and morality. Psychology is an important step towards self-improvement.
Object and subject of psychology
The object of psychology should be some carriers of the phenomena and processes studied by this science. Such a person could be considered, but by all standards he is a subject of knowledge. That is why the object of psychology is considered to be the activities of people, their interaction with each other, behavior in various situations.
The subject of psychology has constantly changed over time in the process of development and improvement of its methods. Initially, the human soul was considered as it. Then the subject of psychology was the consciousness and behavior of people, as well as their unconscious beginning. Currently, there are two views on what is the subject of this science. From the point of view of the first, these are mental processes, states and personality traits. According to the second, its subject is the mechanisms of mental activity, psychological facts and laws.
The main functions of psychology
One of the most important tasks of psychology is to study the characteristics of people's consciousness, the formation of general principles and patterns by which an individual acts. This science reveals the hidden possibilities of the human psyche, the causes and factors that influence people's behavior. All of the above are the theoretical functions of psychology.
However, like any science, psychology has practical applications. Its value is to help a person, develop recommendations and action strategies in various situations. In all areas where people have to interact with each other, the role of psychology is invaluable. It allows a person to properly build relationships with others, avoid conflicts, learn to respect the interests of other people and reckon with them.
Processes in Psychology
The human psyche is a single whole. All processes occurring in it are closely interconnected and cannot exist without one another. That is why their division into groups is very arbitrary.
It is customary to single out the following processes in human psychology: cognitive, emotional and volitional. The first ones include memory, thinking, perception, attention and sensations. Their main feature is that it is thanks to them that the human brain reacts and responds to influences from the outside world.
Emotional mental processes form a person’s attitude to certain events, allow you to evaluate yourself and others. These include feelings, emotions, people's mood.
Volitional mental processes are represented directly by will and motivation, as well as proactivity. They allow a person to control their actions and actions, control behavior and emotions. In addition, the volitional processes of the psyche are responsible for the ability to achieve goals, to achieve the desired heights in certain areas.
Types of Psychology
In modern practice, there are several classifications of types of psychology. The most common is its division into worldly and scientific. The first type is based primarily on the personal experience of people. Everyday psychology is intuitive. Most often, it is very specific and subjective. Scientific psychology is a science based on rational data obtained through experiments or professional observations. All its provisions are thought out and accurate.
Depending on the scope of application, theoretical and practical types of psychology are distinguished. The first of them is studying the laws and characteristics of the human psyche. Practical psychology sets as its main task the rendering of help and support to people, improvement of their condition and increase of productivity of activity.
Psychology Methods
To achieve the goals of science in psychology, various methods of studying consciousness and characteristics of human behavior are used. First of all, the experiment refers to such. It is a simulation of a particular situation that provokes a certain behavior of a person. At the same time, scientists record the data and identify the dynamics and dependence of the results on various factors.
Very often in psychology, the observation method is used. Using it, various phenomena and processes occurring in the human psyche can be explained.
Recently, questioning and testing methods have been widely used. At the same time, people are invited to answer certain questions in a limited amount of time. Based on the analysis of the data obtained, conclusions are drawn about the results of the study and certain psychology programs are drawn up.
To identify problems and their sources in a particular person, a biographical method is used. It is based on a comparison and analysis of various events of an individual’s life, key moments of his development, identification of crisis stages and determining stages of development.