Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. Why Study Psychology?

Distinguishing Between Terms Beginning with the Letters, P S Y C H Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. “Scientific” means. . . beliefs are based on empirical evidence—careful, systematic observations. Psychiatry: the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders. Most similar to clinical psychology. Psychotherapy: the treatment of psychological disorders using psychological rather than biological methods. Psychoanalysis: a field introduced by Sigmund Freud consisting of a theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy; emphasizes the unconscious mind.

Some Specialty Areas Within Psychology • Clinical Psychology: concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of relatively severe mental and behavioral disorders. • Counseling Psychology: deals with problems of adjustment in everyday life (marital, social, occupational). • Developmental Psychology: focuses on how people change and grow over the lifespan—infancy, childhood (child psychology), adolescence, adulthood, and old age. • Social Psychology: studies how an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are affected by other people.