Practical psychology is an applied discipline. This is a section of psychology in the framework of which there is a study of the practical application of this science. Thus, scientific practical psychology is not a synonym for the popular, everyday, everyday, and even less so for the VKontakte public. It finds application in practice - in working with patients and providing social services.
Terminology
Practical psychology is a science that is concentrated only in the field of psychology itself and its application in practice. Until the 19th century, this section was called experimental, and the synonym "applied" is now common. However, applied psychology, although it also deals with the issues of applying the discipline in practice, is focused on areas of activity adjacent to it and studies it in the framework of specific areas: advertising, education, sports, etc.
It is incorrect to use the epithets “applied” and “practical” in this case in the same sense. Practical psychology is a branch of science that deals with the practice of psychology itself, and as regards applied psychology, practice is aimed at related fields. In addition, the practitioner speaks with society in a simple language of ordinary people, in contrast to a dry, abundant in terms of exposition of applied discipline.
Issue
Theory is often ahead of practice, which is why weakly based assumptions and hypotheses appear in the sciences. These gaps need to be filled in. In psychology, for practical purposes and filling in the gaps, the so-called metaphors are used - not reinforced, but working techniques that are a specific part of the discipline under consideration.
The problem that is acutely posed before practical psychology is that the demands of the real world do not correspond to the theoretical basis. From this come the main tasks of this science.
The main tasks of practical psychology
The main tasks faced by practical psychology are dictated by the theoretical basis and conditions of the real world:
- individual psychological counseling for patients whose disorders are partially or completely not treatable;
- conducting group trainings (including in the corporate and business environment);
- psychological support of social spheres.
Application
The knowledge of practical psychology is transmitted in a peculiar chain: from psychology is addressed to the psychotherapist, and from the psychotherapist (or psychoanalyst) is transmitted to his patient. Psychotherapeutic work is an essential part of practical psychology. So, individual counseling of a client is always associated with unique personal problems that do not have a specific solution based on theoretical knowledge. That is why doctors check various methods and their combinations, trying to understand what exactly suits one or another patient.
Other questions can be very narrow - such as questions of personal success, time distribution, business psychology. Others, on the contrary, affect the wide strata of education or personal development.
Practical Psychology and Other Sciences
What does practical social psychology do? It will become clear now. The fact is that in order to solve the problems of practical psychology, one has to cooperate with other fields of science. Thus, new applied industries appear, which receive their names depending on the sphere in which it is applied. This may be the practical psychology of education, social, legal, medical, sports or pedagogical. All of them are united by a feature in focusing on the academic research field of knowledge.
Practical Psychology Methods
Objective scientific methods, that is, conducting experiments, observations, and tests, occupy a special place in applied industries. Methods of academic psychology in this case are considered unsuitable. Research on psychic reality is inferior to real practice. This is largely due to human subjectivity.
Methods of practical psychology are usually classified into two types:
- Individual - are used when the psychologist works with the patient one on one. This section includes psychoanalysis.
- Group - psychological consultations in the form of trainings, the formation of gestalt groups and other types of correction in groups.
In addition, scientific methods are often borrowed from those industries with which this science collaborates and which form it. For example, reinforcement and suggestion methods were borrowed from pedagogy.
The methodology of psychological consultation, due to the complexity and certain specifics, should be considered separately. In general, it includes counseling and psychotherapeutic work.
Schools
The following schools are of great importance for practical psychology:
- Psychoanalysis - first proposed and introduced by Sigmund Freud and is still in use. It is based on the identification and study of unconscious internal and irrational drives.
- Behavioralism is a direction in which the main subject of study is not consciousness, but the patient's behavior. Currently, most of it is being replaced by cognitive psychology.
- Cognitive psychology - focused on the cognitive processes of human consciousness: memory, attention, imagination. Research is also related to the study of logical thinking, decision making and the problem of choice.
- Humanistic psychology - as the name implies, humanism is taken as a basis, that is, love for a person as a person, recognition of this unique and holistic system. Based on this, the manifestations of self-actualization and development of the personality, its adaptation in society, creative expression, etc. are studied.
Training
Those interested in practical psychology can be educated in this specialization. Bachelors and masters in the relevant direction are trained by both state and private, higher education institutions. In addition, this direction can be additional to the main profile of training. It is on this principle that prepares graduates, for example, the Kirov Institute of Practical Psychology.
Professions
Practical psychology is a section of knowledge that is used by representatives of the following professions:
- psychotherapist;
- coach coach;
- psychologist trainer.
And if for the former the presence of a basic psychological education is a prerequisite, then, for example, a coach can have only an additional reprofiling. This is a vivid example of how the discipline in question is in contact with the real world and its requirements - the coach is tasked with motivating and helping the client achieve the goal. A practical and firmly standing task. Either it is done or not.
As part of psychological counseling, the task of dealing directly with the patient’s problems is also posed accurately and clearly.
Practical Psychology: Books
Books in this area belong to the scientific and popular science genre. Often they answer specific questions: how to understand what other people feel and think; how to treat yourself and people? In addition, there are only educational publications (T. V. Gudkevich, “Practical Psychology: Introduction to the Specialty”; M. Gulina, “Advisory Psychology: A Textbook”) and practical manuals (D. Raigorodsky, “Psychological Consulting”; N. V Tarabrina, "A Practical Guide to the Psychology of Post-Traumatic Stress").