Are you psychologist?

CHAPTER
1

Building Knowledge

1. Are you majoring in psychology?

2. Why do choose psychology as your major?
3. What are psychology fields?
4. What jobs can you get after graduated from
Bachelor’s degree of psychology?

Chapter: 1

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 [ARE YOU PSYCHOLOGIST?] English for Psychology

READING

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Find 12 words related to psychology in the puzzle below then look for the meaning!
A K U C I N T A P A C O U N S E L I N G

K A B N O R M A L A M B A T L A U N S E

S E D R A G A R A M E C A R A U S E M E

A M I N M E N T A L P R O C E S S C O R

T O P A N B A I T U L A L I T D O N A Y

U T B U I N E N T H I N K I N G H E I G

B I R O K R A S N I K A H Y U K E I S F

R O J N B I P O L U V H E B G O Y R N I

J N E B E L I B S P R E D S U R T E W U

A R T A H T A J N E T A L K O N I P I G

W A L I A N O N G K R L O N G C R X U L

S F G C V D V U F K G T G J Y H I E K M

W O U L I N E R A C A H E B A T D A H J

A D A V O L U K U P G N A L U P T A L I

E N V I R O N M E N T E N A G A S U K A

1. Counseling : Konseling
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3. ____________ : ______________
4. ____________ : ______________
5. ____________ : ______________
6. ____________ : ______________
7. ____________ : ______________
8. ____________ : ______________
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10. ____________ : ______________
11. ____________ : ______________
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12. ____________ : ______________

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Read the text carefully!

NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY AND ITS

DEFINITION

In simple words psychology is a

systematic and scientific study of mental
processes, experiences and behaviors - both
overt and covert. The word ‘psychology’ has its
origin in two Greek words ‘psyche’ and ‘logos’.
The word ‘psyche’ in Greek language refers to ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ and the word ‘logos’ refers to
‘discourse’ or ‘study’. During earlier times it was considered as a discipline which deals with
the study of soul. In India the study of such questions was the main concern during Vedic
and Upanishadic period. Various aspects of mental processes were analyzed. Subsequently
the schools of Yoga, Samkhya, Vedant, Nyaya, Buddhism, and Jainism provided detailed
accounts of mind, mental processes and methods to control mind. In modern period it
started at Calcutta University in 1916 with establishment of the Department of Psychology.
In the western world, the formal beginning of psychology as an independent
discipline goes back to 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental
laboratory at the University of Leipzig, in Germany. Since then the growth of psychology has
covered a long journey. Today it is one of the very popular subjects among social sciences.
It studies all the shades of experiences, mental processes and behaviors. A comprehensive
analysis of all these aspects provides a scientific understanding of human nature. In the
following sections we will try to understand all the components which collectively define
psychology.
(A) Study of experience
Psychologists study a variety of human experiences which are mainly personal or private in
nature. They may range from experiences of dream, conscious experiences at different
stages of life and experiences when the consciousness is altered through meditation or use
of psychedelic drugs. The study of such experiences helps the psychologist to understand
the personal world of the individual.
(B) Study of mental processes
Psychology as the study of mental processes tries to investigate the activities happening in
the brain which are primarily non physiological in nature. These mental processes include
perception, learning, remembering and thinking. These are internal mental activities which
are not directly observed but inferred from the behavioral activities of the person. For
example, we can say that somebody is thinking if he or she displays certain activities related
to finding solution to a mathematical problem assigned to him or her.
(C) Study of behavior
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The range of behaviors studied in psychology is very broad. It includes simple reflexes (e.g.
eye blinking), common response patterns such as talking to friends, verbal reports about
feelings and internal states and complex behaviors such as handling computers, playing
piano and addressing a crowd. These behaviors are either observed directly through naked
eyes or are measured through instruments. They are generally exhibited verbally or
nonverbally (e.g. facial expression) when an individual reacts to a stimulus in a given
situation. Thus in psychology the main unit of investigation is the individual human being and
his or her experiences, mental processes and behaviors.
Exercise 1
Understand the text above, then complete the sentences below!
1. The word ‘psychology’ has its origin in two Greek words __________and _________.
2. The main unit of investigation is psychology is the individual __________________ .
3. Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental ________________ at the University
of Leipzig, in Germany.
4. Psychology is the study of _________________, ______________ , and ___________
____________.

VOCABULARY BUILDING

FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY
During its journey of more than a hundred years, psychology as a field of enquiry has
grown in many directions. In contemporary times a number of specialized fields with focused
area of application have developed. The emergence of different fields in psychology
indicates the importance and relevance of these areas in our daily life. In this section we will
briefly learn about some of these fields.
Abnormal Psychology: This branch of psychology tries to describe, assess, predict
and control those categories of behaviours which are considered as unusual and non-
normative. It also deals with various categories of psychological disorders which affect the
mental health of the individual. It assesses abnormality in the individual through
standardized psycho-diagnostic tools and suggests problem specific treatment.
Cognitive Psychology: It deals with acquisition, storage, transformation and
application of information the individual uses to understand and interpret events happening
around him/her.

Glossary
Overt : clear
Covert : hidden
Discourse : formal discussion of a subject in speech or writing, as a
dissertation treatise, sermon, etc.
Established : to make secure or permanent in a certain place, condition, job
Nature : the material world, especially as surrounding humankind and
existing dependently of human activities.
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Consciousness : full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life

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Clinical and Counseling Psychology: Clinical psychology is primarily concerned with

diagnosis and treatment of various psychological disorders. A clinical psychologist is trained
in psychotherapeutic techniques which are used to treat people suffering from psychological
disorders. They are employed in hospitals and clinics dealing with mental health problems.
The counseling psychologist deals with mild problems pertaining to adjustment in social and
emotional life, and provides specialized services to deal with marital problems, stress
oriented problems and career choice.
Educational Psychology: This field of psychology is mainly concerned with academic
performance. It studies the role of various factors which influence learning processes in
classroom setting. It focuses on assessing the aptitude, skills and intellectual potential of the
students and evaluating their performance. An educational psychologist also helps students
to overcome learning difficulties.
Environmental Psychology: This field is concerned with the study of interaction
between physical environment and human behavior. It studies the impact of noise, heat,
humidity, pollution and crowding on human performance. It also focuses on the impact of
physical environment on psychological health of individuals.
Health Psychology: This field focuses on the impact of various psychological factors (e.g.
stress) on the onset progress and treatment of illness. It also deals with various life style
diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Organizational Psychology: This field is concerned with application of
psychological principles and models to study the selection and performance of employees in
organizational settings. It also studies the concepts of leadership, motivation, job satisfaction
and performance appraisal.
Developmental Psychology: This field is concerned with the study of various physical
and psychological factors which influence the systematic changes which the individual
experiences across the different stages of life.
Emerging Fields: In addition to the fields mentioned above a number of new areas
have emerged. Some of these fields are sports psychology, military psychology, aviation
psychology, forensic psychology, peace psychology, neuropsychology, political psychology,
feminist psychology and positive psychology.

State whether the following statements are True or False!

True (T) OR
NO STATEMENT
False (F)
The emergence of fields in psychology indicates the importance
1.
and irrelevance of the areas in daily life
psychologists who study abnormal psychology usually work to
2.
treat people who have some type of mental illness
The focus of cognitive psychology is on how people acquire,
3.
process and store information.
A counseling psychologist is trained in psychotherapeutic
4. techniques which are used to treat people suffering from
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psychological disorders
5. Environmental psychology studies the impact of environment

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condition on human performance.

Educational psychology is suitable to be learnt by
6.
psychotherapist and counselor.
the concepts of leadership, motivation, job satisfaction and
7. performance appraisal will be studied in developmental
psychology
You can study about various life style diseases such as
8. hypertension, coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes in
health psychology

Answer the questions below!

1. Describe four different fields of psychology.
2. Which field of psychology interests you the most? Give reasons.

Chapter: 1