Psychology is the science of the soul. With it, we can analyze human behavior, adjust the internal state, identify areas in which the individual can be better realized, and much more.
The many areas of psychology that exist today have been formed over time and emerged as needed: when specialists faced a complex problem that they could not solve using existing methods, they were forced to use new approaches, which, being effective, then became separate industries .
In this article we will identify the main ones, as well as those that arose relatively recently.
The main directions in psychology
Initially, psychology is divided into two types: fundamental (theoretical, basic) and applied (practical). They are interconnected: practical psychology “pushes” theorists to what needs to be studied, and they, in turn, supply information to practitioners so that they can apply the developed systems. Therefore, these two sectors are equivalent and equally important.
Fundamental knowledge of psychology is grouped into the branch of general psychology. Here, the subject of research is the general mental processes , regardless of in which area of ​​life they appear.
The applied industry deals with issues that are limited by the type of activity of people or various situations, social status, age and other parameters. It aims to practically improve a certain area: for example, family psychology, rehabilitation, etc.
Subjects of study of general psychology:
- personality and its characteristics (general);
- sensation;
- perception;
- thinking;
- memory;
- imagination;
- will;
- temperament and character.
Subjects of applied psychology
- educational sphere (behavior and self-awareness of students, educators, teachers, etc.);
- labor;
- medical;
- managerial.
Here we see such areas of psychology as: educational psychology, labor, engineering, management psychology, legal, age and medical.
Pedagogical and developmental psychology are interconnected. Depending on the age of the child, assistance is provided in its adaptation to society and the adjustment of abilities for successful assimilation of knowledge is carried out. Support is also provided for adults who need training: a psychologist evaluates their characteristics and abilities, and, taking this into account, gives advice on teaching methods and increasing the efficiency of learning new knowledge.
Among the applied branches of psychology, psychodiagnostics also stands out, which deals with the study of data on the psyche of children and adults. Among the methods, the most popular is the psychological test, which consists of either questions or requires the patient to draw a picture, choose a color, and so on.
Medical psychology borders on psychiatry, since the object of its study is the borderline states of patients, where the transition from a psychological problem to a mental illness is carried out. This is a very important area of ​​psychologist’s activity, since it depends on him whether the human condition remains within normal limits or develops into a pathology that already requires medical treatment by a psychiatrist.
The main directions of modern psychology
The 20th century was a very important stage in the development of psychology, since it opened the world to brilliant people who made a great contribution to psychology as a science, revealing new methods and ways of studying the individual and working with him. Among them are a lot of unusual views on the classical understanding of personality, where the same atypical methods of adjusting psychological characteristics are used.
Such areas of psychology as psychoanalysis, coaching, speech therapy, psychodrama, cognitive psychology and NLP in the modern world are quite common, and, most importantly, recognized as effective. Each method is the key to a specific person and the way to resolve the situation, so it is very important to determine which of these methods can have the maximum effect on the patient.
Psychoanalysis was introduced by Sigmund Freud and is aimed at studying the dynamics of libido, on which, in the opinion of the founder of the trend, the structure of the psyche and the basic behavioral characteristics of a person depend. Also, this section of psychology is characterized by accentuated attention to a person’s childhood, when the basic models and stereotypes, ideas about life and the world are laid.
Then the ideas set forth by Z. Freud were continued by Carl Jung, making some adjustments. He expanded the field of psychoanalysis, adding to the individual unconscious the collective unconscious. Here he introduces the concept of archetypes - the original images that are present in the personality of everyone, but are manifested to varying degrees. To study his own psyche, K. Jung suggested paying attention to dreams in which a person’s personality and his true desires and emotions are manifested through images.
Such areas of psychology as psychodrama and speech therapy are now not as widespread as other modern branches. In psychodrama, an exchange of experience takes place between group members with the participation of physical actions that are aimed at revealing the personality and its creative potential. Logotherapy offers to find the meaning of life, after which a person will be able to solve all his psychological problems. However, the meaning of life must be achievable so that frustration does not arise. The main method of logotherapy is a Socratic dialogue, which is effective for neurosis, phobia and depression.
Thus, there are a lot of psychological methods and directions, and today it is impossible to speak in psychology as a single and holistic science, rather, it is a combination of branches and systems of psychological knowledge.