Why I Chose Psychology: Understanding Mental Health Goals

Why I Chose Psychology
College is important to me because I feel like it is step one of many to achieving my goal of
becoming a psychologist that helps people with their mental disorders. I chose Thomas College
to be my college because I visited it during my senior year of high school and it seemed like a nice
establishment. When I would think about attending Thomas I would mainly think about the strip of
road between the hall of flags and the athletic center. I would often fantasize about myself walking
that strip of road on my way to the gym because I really wanted to utilize the gym if I went here. I
chose Psychology as my major because I have seen, heard and encountered mental disorders
throughout my life and it's just something I think I would really love to...show more content...
Some of my hobbies include collecting rocks and minerals, snowboarding, obsessing over Harry
Potter, playing video games and reading. If I could do anything with my life I would most
definitely be a famous singer in a band or just a solo artist. I think my style would be something
like Ed Sheeran because I personally am a very romantic person. I really enjoy his love songs and
just everything that entails being in love. I think love is one of the purest things in life and I
intend to experience it for as long, and as much as I can throughout my lifetime. But I don't think
I am a talented enough singer, although I try, to be like Ed Sheeran or to be famous. A more
realistic goal for myself is sort of a picture of how I want to look and what I want to do by my late
twenties to early thirties. I want to be a therapist that specializes in mental disorders and body
signals. I want to wear nice clothes all of the time (ties, bow ties, button ups, khakis, dress pants,
etc.), have a bunch of cool and personality describing tattoos, and I want to have a nice, and by
nice I mean a socially acceptable, body. Those are just the goals and expectations I have for myself.
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The Science of Psychology Essay
The Science of Psychology
"Psychology is the scientific study of mind, brain and behaviour. Some of what you do learn may
seem like 'common sense', or at least familiar to you because you are learning about topics in which
you can relate to. However some things you may believe is true, but is incorrect. The way we know
this is through the application of scientific methods."
Mark Leary suggests that the subject matter of psychology is much more familiar to most people
than is the subject matter of physics or biology; we see behaviour all around us. Psychology would
be an odd science of thought and behaviour if it only considered thoughts and behaviours completely
foreign to people's...show more content...
An example of this is; one of the simplest rules of behaviour is that if you reward someone for
doing something, they are more likely to do it again (the principle of reinforcement. How many
people out there actually verbalise this rule and use it consistently? Certainly not the mother who
rewards her child's tired tantrum in the street by buying them a toy or a magazine, nor the person
who showers their partner with attention and affection when they are having a jealous sulk at a party.
If you take Milgram's study of obedience, you can see that, the teacher obeyed the person with
authority. If you met a policeman in the street and he asks you where you were the following
night, because an incident happened and you may have been around the area or the time it
happened, you would do as the policeman asks as he has more authority, so it may seem like
common sense, as it is something you would see happening in everyday life. But Milgram's study
was a scientific experiment to see whether people would go as far as killing a person by authority.
Also if you look at the surroundings and at how the experiment was set up it was all very scientific,
based in a make–believe laboratory. With scientific equipment, so a lot of it actually was more
scientific than common sense, which is explained above that scientific methods usually way up more
than common sense.
Zimbardo's study

Introduction to Psychology Essay examples
Introduction to Psychology The concern about life is a main human characteristic. No matter if his
concern is concentrated in himself or in persons or things that surround him and constitute his
environment, everybody wants to know why people, himself included, behave the way they
behave. Everybody, also, wants to improve his behavior, so as to live in harmony with himself and
the society. The Greek word Psychology, is a word consisted of the words
ψυχή–soul and λόγος–utterance, talk. So,
generally, psychology is the science that examines the soul. But , since the psychologists work on
the problems of the personal, family, school, professional and social life, we could say, more...show
more content...
The heartbeats, the movements of our head are behavior. The way we eat, the way we drink, the
way we walk, we talk, are behavior. The construction of a bridge, the composition of a song are
behavior. The fantasies of a child, the dreams of a adolescent, the illusions of an alcoholic are
behavior. Although we are all familiar with human behavior, a little do we understand or we can
explain about it. Since our infancy we learn about behavior through the experiences and the
knowledge that we get by observing other people or having relations with them. Living in society
leads us to watch and try to explain the way people behave. But that is not always easy. Sometimes
we cannot understand even ourselves. Psychology comes to give answers to all this uncertainty.
Therefore, according to modern psychology, the term behavior means all the conscious,
unconscious, verbal, mental and kinetic expressions of ourselves. Psychology uses statistic
researches so as to distinguish the normal behavior from the abnormal one. Such a thing is very
difficult because every society has its own behavior standards, and, consequently, an act that is
normal according to one society, may be abnormal according to another. For example, polygamy is
not permitted in Europe, but it is permitted in certain societies in Africa. So, the judgement of a
behavior must bear in mind the social environment in which it takes place .

Psychology : Psychology And Psychology
Psychology has been defined by many as the study of mental disorder or behavioral problems but
discoveries and developments, points to psychology as the study of human mind and its
functionality which includes the way we think, act, perceive things and be able to make decisions;
all these makes man a complex being.
Psychology isn't just a phenomenon; it is a scientific study. Psychology as a science answers the
question "why", proposes a theory and sets experiment to test the hypothesis. The research is geared
towards evidence–based strategies to solve problems and improve lives. As a science, it is
subdivided into various groups such as clinical psychology, counselling psychology, developmental
psychology, climate and environmental...show more content...
This has to do with Nature and Nurture. Nature refers to our DNA inheritance and how it contributes
to our existence while Nurture is the influence of the environment on human. We learn through
experience and exposure.
One of the prominent theorist of development psychology is Jean Piaget. His theory is called Piaget
theory of cognitive development. He proposed that children have cognitive ability which enables
them to learn from their environment. He believes that a child develops and acquire knowledge and
experience through different stages as he grows; which are sensorimotor, pre–operational, concrete
operational and formal operation.
Cognitive development is the study of the mind and brain functions, which makes up our ability to
think, perceive, and make decisions. It is also related to other fields like neuroscience, philosophy
and linguistic. There is a thin line between cognitive psychology and cognitive science. As earlier
defined, cognitive psychology is the study of the mind and its functions. Cognitive science is
gathering of information through research. It is the foundation on which all other works are built
on. Its involves a non–human experiment, unlike cognitive psychology which involves human
participants.
Behavioral psychology also known as Behaviorism, studies our outward behavior. It is based on the
fact that behaviors are taught, which can also be measured and changed. Behavioral psychologist
believe that behavior is acquired through

Prejudice In Psychology
In psychology, prejudice is different from discrimination. Prejudice is an unjustifiable and often
negative stereotyped attitude that a person holds against the members of a particular social group.
Whereas, discrimination is when prejudicial attitudes cause members of a particular group to be
treated differently than others in situations that call for equal treatment. Thus, prejudice leads to
discrimination. There are several factors that contribute to prejudice and discrimination, and there are
many techniques for reducing the development of prejudice and discrimination.
To begin, socialization or having one's upbringing (family, media, etc.) teach and perpetuate
prejudice. According to social cognitive theory, through direct instruction, modeling, and other social
influences on learning, prejudice is viewed as an attitude that is formed as other attitudes are formed.
For instance, the media,...show more content...
Prejudice can be overcome through education, equal status intergroup contact, and working together
to achieve a specific goal. For instance, education and learning about people who are different (the
out–group) and noticing similarities instead of differences can combat prejudice. Also, equal status
contact has been shown to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Equal status contact requires the
different groups to all be in the same situation with neither group holding power over the other. In
equal status contact, personal involvement with people from another group must be cooperative
and occur when all groups are equal in terms of power or status to have a positive effect on
reducing prejudice. Also, having people work together to solve a problem because each person has
an important key to solving the problem, creating a mutual interdependence, helps reduce prejudice.
This technique is called the jigsaw

Essay on Psychology: Personality Theories
Introduction: What is Personality? Allport defines personality as 'the dynamic organisation within
the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his
environment' (Allport, 1937). An individual's unique personality traits and attributes are a powerful
indicator of how he/she will interact with the work environment. The difference between average
and outstanding employees can often be solely personality related. As the employee is the most
valuable asset to the company, 'selecting the right employee during the process is critical' (Carbery
and Cross, 2013, pp. 41–53) Traditional Theory Vs Cognitive Theory When we speak about
personality, we must consider the two prominent schools of thought:...show more content...
Differences in Personality Both nature and nurture interplay to determine personality
characteristics. Nature is heredity and passed on at conception. Nurture is that which is
environmentally developed. It is innate that a baby will crawl, but he needs the support of his
environment (diet, etc.) if he is to ultimately survive. Our behaviour is the result of a combination
of inborn traits and the situations in which we find ourselves. There are five categorise which
help influence personality differences. Genetically, offspring tend to take on some of the
characteristics of their parents. However, this could be due to long term exposure to the
personalities of their parents rather than their genetic coding. Whether a person is male or female
determines what gender role they take on. 'Women are expected to be nurturing, attractive,
emotional, weak, and subordinate to men; whereas, men are the strong, rational, objective, and
financial providers' (Loue and Sajatovic, 2007). Ones family experiences can also influence a
person's behaviour. Family experiences like: 'family size, birth order, differential parental
orientations towards children' etc. will impact on the emergence of personality as well as a person's
suitability to leadership roles (Morley and Moore et al., 2004, pp. 28–52). Culture plays a very
strong role in determining what is believed to be acceptable and unacceptable

Ethics in Psychology Essay
Ethics in Psychology Our country was founded on certain moral principles. The moral principles
which guide our lives are referred to as ethics. These ethics have an impact on how we interact
with the world around us and shape our personalities; this happens even if we do not realize their
immediate impact. It is for this very reason that ethics in psychological research became necessary.
"One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for
analyzing complex problems and issues" (Resnik, 2011). We are expected to behave or be treated a
particular way in society, therefore we should be granted certain ethical treatments in regards to
research. Human Participants According to the American...show more content...
Animal Subjects This is a sensitive issue area in regards to research. There are many types of
research that just are not feasible to do with human subjects; therefore the justification for
non–human animals come into the experiment. Even though there are many benefits to using
animals, many animal rights groups maintain strong opposition to using animals for research. This
is why the APA has developed the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE). It is the
responsibility of CARE to audit that all ethics regarding animal usage is followed ("Committee on
animal," 2014). Due to the sensitivity of testing on animals the APA has developed very strict
standards regarding usage of animals as subjects. They range from justification, housing of said
animal, acquisition, and procedures. These requirements outline absolute necessity in order to
reduce the unnecessary usage of animals in testing. Therapy relationships with clients. The
psychologist to patient relationship during therapy is a crucial aspect. It is within ethical guidelines
that the psychologist clearly establish his role whether it be with an individual, group, or family
therapist. These roles need to be understood for the variety of issues that may arise; one of which is
the disclosure of information. Psychologists, for obvious reasons, are not to have sexual
relationships with patients or former patients within a

What Psychology is to Me Essay
What Psychology is to Me
After taking Psychology 1000, psychology means much more to me than it did prior to taking the
class. At the beginning of the semester, I was asked to define the word psychology, and the best
definition I could muster was simply the study of the mind and how it works. After examining the
large realm of the science of psychology I now realize that this definition was quite incomplete.
My initial definition simply covered the branch of psychology known as cognitive psychology, and
this is only one of many areas that are actually included under the title psychology. Many
psychologists focus on more quantitative aspects than the function of the human mind. There are
several different areas...show more content...
This is just one of the many examples that illustrate this point, and that makes developing a working
definition of the term psychology extremely difficult to attain.
The range of topics that are considered psychology is very surprising to a newcomer in the field.
Everything from determining which parts of the brain are responsible for controlling certain senses
to analyzing the influence of society on behavior and development is considered ?psychology?. So it
is obvious that my original definition was extremely limited, but it has now been vastly broadened.
In addition to recognizing the broad range of topics that psychology covers, I also realized that
there is large number of different occupations a person trained in psychology can hold. My original
idea was that a psychologist was a person who dealt only with psychoanalysis, and I would imagine
that this is a common misconception. The possible career fields for a psychologist is much greater
than I had imagined it to be, it includes everything from school counselors to psychiatrists to
sensation and perception researchers.
Each different area of psychology has many differences from all of the other areas, but the origins
of these areas enables them all to fall under the incredibly large topic of psychology. Although
psychology is a very large topic this immense field is still

Psychological Stress Essay
Psychological stress is a result of many factors and should be dealt with very carefully. Stress can
be defined as "An excess of demand made upon the adaptive capabilities of the mind and
body".(Joseph 1). Another way of putting it, is that there are some things that put certain demands
on us. The effects of stress should not be limited to unpleasant emotional states. Many studies have
concluded that the effects on our physical health from stress can be extremely detrimental. These
adverse physical effects include heart disease and formations of cancer. There are also some societal
issues that psychological stress can hamper.
There are numerous elements that trigger the effects of psychological stress. Frustration is one of
these...show more content...
Pressures that are brought about in our society are imposed by ourselves and by others. If one has
too high of expectations for oneself it is inevitable that they will burn themselves out. These
expectations are derived out of our gender roles as men. Men are thought of in our society to be
the provider of money and security to their families. It is one way we measure or "manlyhood".
Unrealistic pressures such as this, and pressures from school, work and social life will lead to high
levels of stress.
Conflict happens when two or more incompatible motivations or behavioral impulses compete for
expression. There are three classifications of conflict; approach/approach, avoidance/avoidance,
approach/avoidance. Approach/approach conflicts occur when we have two attractive options
from which we have to chose. This can happen when we have two group of friends going out for
New Year's Eve, both with exciting plans. It is tough to decide which group of friends you want to
hang out with. Avoidance/avoidance is the opposite of approach/approach. When you have to
decide between two unattractive choices or goals, stress sets in. This has occurred to me this past
month or so in deciding what I am going to take for my accounting elective. All of my options are
very unappealing. Decisions may arise where both objects that you are to chose from have both
attractive and unattractive components. This type of conflict can be categorized as approach
/avoidance conflict. An example

Essay on Motivation in Psychology
The human mind is designed with the innate ability to achieve anything. The interesting part of this
paper is how we all use different triggers and motivations to goad us into gear. Motivation is an area
of psychology that has gotten a great deal of attention, especially in the recent years. There are
several distinct theories of motivation we will discuss in this section. Some include basic biological
forces, while others seem to transcend concrete explanation. All creatures are born with specific
innate knowledge about how to survive. Animals are born with the capacity and often times
knowledge of how to survive by spinning webs, building nests, avoiding danger, and reproducing.
These innate tendencies are preprogrammed at birth,...show more content...
This theory focused on how children socialize and how they develop their sense of self. This
happens in eight distinct stages. I will only be discussing the ones that occur from birth to puberty.
Each developmental stage has two possible outcomes. According to the theory, successful
completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and successful interactions with others.
Failure to successfully complete a stage can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages
and therefore a more unhealthy personality and sense of self. These stages, however, can be
resolved successfully at a later time.
The first stage is trust or mistrust. This stage begins from birth to one year, children begin to learn
the ability to trust others based upon the consistency of their caregiver. If trust develops successfully,
the child gains confidence and security in the world around him and is able to feel secure even when
threatened. Unsuccessful completion of this stage can result in an inability to trust, and therefore a
sense of fear about the inconsistent world. It may result in anxiety, heightened insecurities, and an
over feeling of mistrust in the world around them.
The next definable stage is autonomy or shame which begins between the ages of one and three,
children begin to assert their independence, by walking away from their mother, picking which toy
to play with, and making choices about what they like to wear, to eat,

Essay about Definition of Psychology
Definition of Psychology
The term psychology comes from two Greek words: psyche, which means
1. The spirit or soul. 2. The human mind. 3. In psychoanalysis, the mind functioning as the center of
thought, emotion, and behavior.
And logos, "the study of." or according to modern researches "science"
These root words were first combined in the 16th century, at a time when the human soul, spirit, or
mind was seen as distinct from the body.
Definition of Psychology:
Psychology is one of the youngest sciences. It is still going through the process of its development.
There has been much fierce controversy about its definition. It has been variously defined as the
science of soul,...show more content...
Great psychologist like Sigmand Freud support this fact.
The science of Behavior:
J.B. Watson described Psychology as the science of Behavior.. He said that external action or
behavior is the only concern of Psychology. He totally ignored mental processes. He said that what
goes on in our mind eventually comes out as our behavior. But this is not true for all times so this
was considered incomplete.
Now a days the most comprehensive definition of Psychology is:
"Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior, and its application to solve human
problems"
OR
"Psychology is the schematic study of behavior and mental processes"
This definition contains three elements. The first is that psychology is a scientific enterprise that
obtains knowledge through systematic and objective methods of observation and experimentation.
Second is that psychologists study behavior, which refers to any action or reaction that can be
measured or observed–such as the blink of an eye, an increase in heart rate, or the unruly violence
that often erupts in a mob. Third is that psychologists study the mind, which refers to both conscious

and unconscious mental states. These states cannot actually be seen, only inferred from

Essay on my interest in psychology
my interest in psychology
I have always been intrigued by the mental processes of humans and animals. As a young child and
into adolescence, as a student and teacher and as a caregiver, I have always been interested in
psychology in one form or another. This essay will reflect not only the development of my interest
in psychology, but the development of myself as a person.
I was born into a family with Native American heritage that practiced a strict protestant religion. As
a child, I would often wonder why people's attitudes, behaviors and beliefs could be so different
from one another. I wondered why some people believed in things with great zeal, yet other people
believed the contrary just as vehemently....show more content...
I then went back to school with more determination and plunged myself into more psychology
classes.
In these classes, I found myself naturally drawn to the topics of research methods and statistics.
These two academic areas in particular provided an environment in which I was able to develop and
excercise my naturally analytical way of thinking. I then geared my undergraduate education towards
learning to perform research in psychology by taking more research and science based psychology
classes. Additionally, I sought out and obtained research assistantships with professors of cognition,
physiological and clinical psychology. Specifically, I have been a primary research assistant for an
investigation of the effect of irony on recall and recognition, an investigation of the performance of
children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on a computer
anticipation task, and an investigation of the effect of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on ADHD–like
behavior in laboratory rats. I have also assisted in literature reviews in the area of receptive
language and Autism, as well as a review on sleep and genetics. In addition, I have been a
participant recruiter for a research project on familial inheritance of depression and REM sleep
abnormalities. For complete information, please see my attached curriculum vitae.
While taking research–based courses, I found that I had another natural inclination:

Essay on Educational Psychology
One of the more popular areas of psychology is Educational Psychology. Educational Psychology
can be explained several ways. The idea is to study theories and concepts from different parts of
psychology and apply them in educational settings. These educational settings may occur in different
school settings such as preschool. The goal of educational psychology is to create a positive
student–teacher relationship. Educational psychology uses five different types of psychology,
behavioral, cognitive, developmental, and social cognitive, and constructivist in this research paper
I will be briefly discussing each type of psychology listed above. Behaviorism is the point of view
where learning and behavior are described and explained in terms...show more content...
Some examples are belief, desire, ideas and motivation. Next, cognitive psychologists think memory
structures determine how information is perceived, processed, stored, retrieved and forgotten.
Cognitive psychology include perception, categorization, memory, knowledge representation,
language and thinking processes. "The relationship of cognitive psychology to classroom is like the
relationship of physics to engineering. Knowledge of the mind gleaned from cognitive psychology
experiments will not tell teachers how to teach children, any more than knowledge of physics can
prescribe what a bridge should look like" (Willingham, 2009) Developmental psychology is the point
of view that occurs in learners over the course of a period of time. The developmental perspective
includes theories that are continuous and discontinuous. Discontinuous theories are stage–like. The
processes of learning and development involve distinct stages, which are characterized by qualitative
differences in behavior. Theorists who use discontinuous theories use a specific beginning and end
period for each stage. Continuous theories explain that learning and development generally happen
in incremental processes. Learning involves changes throughout the lifespan. "Contemporary views
on the nature of cognitive development have been vastly influenced by the work of one man. This
was Jean Piaget (1896–1980), once a biologist, who turned his

Psychology : Psychology And Psychology
In the future, I ultimately intend to be a psychologist. With being a psychologist, I am taking on the
responsibility on how to lead people into having an overall better life and promote positive change
for them. Psychologists often specialize in studying and examining the brain and human behavior.
That being said, psychology is a very important branch of science that attempts to help us stay sane!
Already getting started next year, I enrolled into a psychology class to get a jumpstart for when I
go into college. I chose to enroll into the psychology class because the human mind is something
that is very complex and diverse. By me taking this class, I am partially more ahead and more
taught than that of a student who doesn't take the class. And that way, when I get into the
psychology major, I have a small intake of what it is all about.
Once I'm done with taking the high school courses of psychology, I plan on going to the University
of California, Los Angeles to further continue my soon–to–be career. Researching the top ranked
colleges of the psychology major, UCLA is ranked number 2! Me being in the psychology classes
might possibly give me a better look into wanting to study at the number 2 ranked college for
psychology, so it should be a win–win situation.
In order to become a psychologist, there are certain classes that you have to enroll in. The required
classes that you have to take into having the psychology major are statistics, experimental methods
/research

A Career as a Psychologist Essay
Psychologists are very important people; they help millions of people with their everyday
struggles and problems that they have to deal with. Not only do psychologists help people with
problems that they cannot handle on their own, they also are scientists who study human minds
and behaviors. With being a psychologist, there are many different careers to choose from within
this profession (Explore Health Careers). The first type of psychologists to choose from is a
clinical psychologist. Clinical psychologists help people with counseling and psychotherapy. They
work with people who have all around life problems, such as new adjustments in life. Clinical
psychologists also help people who have emotional disorders or...show more content...
They also provide consolation to courts and attorneys in different types of legal proceedings (Psyris).
Next is an organization psychologist, which helps in the productivity of groups and individuals in a
workplace. These types of psychologists focus on improving the function of organizations, and to
keep individuals healthy within the organization (Psyris). Another type of psychology to choose from
is a counseling psychologist. These are important psychologists because they teach people how to
deal with their everyday problems. They help their patients determine their problems and help them
understand the problems they are facing. Not only do counseling psychologists help their patients
with the issues they are experiencing at home but also in their workplace or their community in
general. By helping their patients identify their strengths and resources, is how counseling
psychologists help them with their problems (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The next type of
psychology is the developmental psychologist. Developmental psychologists work with
psychological processes and development that takes place throughout life. They study aging and
problems the elderly may face, but this type of psychologist mainly focuses on children and
adolescents (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The last type of psychologist to choose from is the social

Psychology and Human Behavior Essay
Psychology and Human Behavior What makes people behave the way they do? Can anyone analyse
12 billion brain cells to determine how and why the mind functions the way it does?How is it that
people being similar in physiological terms, are yet so different in psychological terms?
Man has a multiple nature,there is a constant conflict...between good & evil, between the urges &
restricting forces, between thoughts & feelings, head & heart, soul & body,lower nature & upper
nature,...show more content...
The book says Yes! The answer is Transactional Analysis..TA, which is a tool to map the blue print
of the mind. Dr.Thomas Harris, a disciple of Dr.Sullivan, working with Dr, Eric Berne, came out
with the theory in early 70's and wrote this book, which was a bestseller.
Dr. Penfield, a neuro–surgeon, conducted a variety of experiments in 1950's using electrodes to
stimulate various parts and spots of the brain. The experiments revealed that;
a) Not only the past events are recorded in detail by human brain, but also the feelings associated
with the events. Both are inexorably locked together, one cannot be evoked without the other.
b) Brain is a high fidelity recorder that puts on tape every experience right from birth, even before
birth. It is a unique recorder that can not only record images and sounds, but also
sights,smells,feelings and emotions too.
c) Experiences can not only be recalled, but also be re–lived.
d) Persons can live in two states at a time. Being in the present,one can re–visit and re–live the past
as an observer,guest.
Dr Harris and Berne take over from here. The theory of TA, as I have understood is as follows;
The unit of social intercourse is a transaction which comprises of a stimulus, and a response. Both
these can be verbal or non verbal communications which indicate a transaction. If the transactions are
analysed, one can analyse the human nature.
Parent(P), Adult (A), and Child(C), are three parts of any person's

Essay about Behavior Psychology
Behavior Psychology Psychology is defined as a science that focuses on the study of and to explain
the way human's think, behave, and feel. The behaviourist school of psychology is concerned with
the explanation of behaviour through observable outcomes without making reference to mental
events. Behaviourism is very narrow and can be strongly objected in its approach to psychology as it
does not consider the mental thought process involvement in behaviour. This school of psychology
is very much about nurture rather than...show more content...
The belief is that human behaviour can be trained because human emotions are so malleable
therefore personality is forever changeable (Cohen, 1979). Behaviour is simply a reaction to a
stimulus which once learned becomes part of learned habit. It was also believed learning occurs
through the reinforcement of certain aspects of the situation. Reinforcement is when something is
added to the situation which makes the same reaction in that situation more likely in future
(McInerney, 1998). The belief was that most of behaviour is a result of what has been learnt, which
is to say that it is the result of the environment rather than biological influences. Therefore the study
of learning and the conditions under which it occurs is the core project of behaviourism (Tennant,
1997) Behaviouristic therapy is aimed at the modification of behaviour especially undesirable ones
by mainly reinforcing the desirable behaviour and suppressing or punishing the undesirable and
unwanted behaviour. Once the therapist has identified the behaviour and triggering factors they may
employ several techniques to condition or recondition the person's behaviour. These methods of
therapy have been derived and adapted by experiments done by earlier behaviourists such as Pavlov,
Watson and Skinner. Methods used today

Essay about Psychology Theories
I chose Gestalt Psychology for my first perspective, it is how people experience objects and
perceive things as a whole. Gestalt allows us to look at everyday objects and distinguish them
from their surroundings. Without the Gestalt Theory people would see every atom that made up
a whole object. As I look at my computer screen, I do not see every little atom, I see the screen as
a whole. From this perspective, learning objects as a whole instead of each individual part is
beneficial because it allows us to open our minds for new learning experiences. However, there may
be things in life that do not provide enough visual clues to determine what it is supposed to be. The
Functionalist Theory is based on behavior and mental life. It...show more content...
This allows us to be able to avoid waling into a hole or hitting our head on a door. Humanistic
Personality Theory is more of a behavioral theory. I can say they both deal with the "here and
now" issues though. The Functionalist Theory however is associated with the Humanistic
Personality Theory because they are both behavioral and mental theories. Functionalism is based
on experiences and how it affects our current behavior. With the Humanistic Theory and its
beliefs of dealing with the present functionalism allows you to retrieve memories to help you
make your decision. I believe that functionalism also contributes to self worth. My whole life I
have been achieving accomplishments, whether big or small, and it gives me a self worth to look
back at all of them. "Cognitive theory is focused on the individual's thoughts as the determinate of
his or her emotions and behaviors and therefore personality. Many cognitive theorists believe that
without these thought processes, we could have no emotions and no behavior and would therefore
not function. In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action."
("Cognitive theory in," 2004) Cognitive theory could have an effect on Gestalt Psychology
because if a person has a learning disorder is can change how they perceive things. They may not
be able to distinguish every day objects for what they truly are. My six year old cousin has down
syndrome.

Psychology Concepts: Psychology is a term derived from two Greek words that translate to life
explanation, which makes it an important element of daily life. The field of psychology can be
described as a discipline that focuses on the study of mind and behavior. This discipline is
characterized by several concepts and approaches that are used by psychologists in understanding
human behavior. Since psychology is a broad field, psychologists not only use these concepts and
approaches but also conduct scientific research that enables them to understand human behavior.
Some of the most common psychological concepts that are used to modify or change an individual's
behavior include operant conditioning, positive and negative punishment,...show more content...
An example of the use of this method is when my friend was recently grounded by his parents for
misbehaving in school. While positive punishment helps in modifying behavior, it may cause an
individual to be embarrassed and contribute to other negative behavior, which is a major ethical
concern. On the contrary, negative punishment is a method that also contributes to weakening a
behavior though it lessens or eliminates something pleasant. It involves taking away something
desirable or good from an individual in order to discourage him/her from engaging in a particular
behavior. For instance, one of my classmate's phone rang in class despite being told by teachers not
to bring our phones to class. Consequently, the teacher took away the phone from my classmate in
order to discourage that behavior. The ethical concern that may emerge from using negative
punishment is that it does not teach the victim of undesired behavior how to change his/her
behavior. Positive reinforcement involves strengthening or fostering desired behavior through the
addition or increase of a pleasant incentive. Positive reinforcement tends to be a more effective
means of behavior modification that the two types of punishment. The addition or increase of
incentive when using positive reinforcement is geared towards encouraging the occurrence of the
behavior in the future. For instance, positive reinforcement is used by an

Essay on The History of Psychology
The History of Psychology In order to discuss Psychology's history, it is important to understand
that psychology still does not have one unifying approach unlike the natural sciences; even the
definition of Psychology and what it truly means is still undecided. However I shall attempt to
review chronologically its philosophical origins, include how the science of Physics and Biology
were placed in history and how they influenced research and determined the development of
Psychology as its recognised today. Beginning with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle (between
428– 347) in ancient Greece, they began to ask...show more content...
For example, the taste of lemonade (perception) to be a molecule of conscious experience could be
analyzed in terms of elements (sensations) i.e. sweet, sour, cold, warm, bitter, and how it was
identified by introspection (observation). Wundt's structuralism was quickly abandoned because it
could not be empirically or scientifically tested, it was also criticised for favouring deterministic
structural forces over the ability of individual people to act refusing the suggestion of freewill. But at
the end of the 19th century and lasting only 25 years Structuralism was still seen as a historically
important school of thought and it was the movements that it developed, rather than structuralism
itself that pushed forward the progress of psychology Functionalism as a psychology developed from
the philosophy of Pragmatism (practical, matter–of–fact way of approaching or assessing situations
or of solving problems). William James (1842–1910) laid the foundations with the publication of
"Principles of Psychology" a book that gave Psychology its distinction and it's well used definition
"the science of mental life" for its study. He introduced a methodology for the inclusion of conscious
mental processes and believed consciousness to be the primary object of psychology

Why I Chose Psychology: Understanding Mental Health Goals

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Why I Chose Psychology: Understanding Mental Health Goals