In future I would like to peruse a career in the field of Psychology. Though psychology is applied in nearly all the sphere of every day life many people do not understand what psychology is, what does it involve and what is the importance of studying it. This paper will attempt to explain what entails the field of psychology.
Psychology is a branch of science that involves studying human mental operations and behaviors. A professional in this field is referred to as a Psychologist. Psychology can be traced back from the earliest history of man where people attempted to understand the reasons behind certain human behaviors.
However psychology as a field of study dates back to the ancient Greece where great physicians of that time such as Hippocrates and Gale tried to explain human characteristics using various theories. The two developed a theory that conveyed the notion that human characteristics and physical conditions are influenced by various body fluids. Since then the field of psychology has evolved with different scholar introducing their concepts and school of thought into the field.
The first psychology laboratory was opened in 1879 by a German scientist known as Wundt. Today psychology has grown into a vast field with various centers for the study of psychology opening through out the world. Psychology research has also advanced and many discoveries made.
Psychologists attempt to understand the mental functions that influence individual and social behaviors as well as exploring the processes that are behind certain human functions and behaviors. Psychology explores aspects of human life such as emotions, personality, perception, behavior and interpersonal relationships. The study of psychology has been and still is useful in human life in a number of ways.
One of its usefulness is that its knowledge is used in the assessment and treatment of certain mental illness. Through psychology the functioning of the human brain has been understood as well as some of the causes to some mental illnesses. This has made it possible to treat a number of mental illnesses since their causes have been discovered. Secondly, through psychology it is now possible to understand causes and implication of certain human behaviors.
This has particularly been useful in schools, industrial and business environment, social institutions such marriage and family and the media where psychology knowledge is used to identify problem associated with certain behaviors and solve them in time. Thirdly, psychology has improved our understanding on how the human body and mind works and hence we can now take care of our bodies well. Psychology studies have been able to reveal actions and things that can cause harm to the mind or body and thanks to this we can now take care of ourselves.
Finally through psychology knowledge it is now possible to build meaningful relationships among people, improve daily communication, build self confidence among people and enrich people’s careers. This is achieved through equipping one with knowledge and skills on how to handle different situations and different people they encounter in daily life.
In conclusion, psychology generally involves the study of behavior and mental processes and applies to almost all aspects of life. Everything we do in our daily lives is in one way or another related to psychology. The study of psychology is therefore aimed at benefiting the society in the most significant manner.
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