What is Psychology: Definition, Importance

PSYCHOLOGY-WHAT DOES IT MEAN REALLY!

Before I start with the definition and the technical aspects of the term “PSYCHOLOGY”, let me tell you what the “common man” thinks of this concept. As it is said, experience is the best teacher, let me share with u my first experience when I first encountered this concept.

When I first started studying psychology in my F.Y.J.C, even I was new to the concept. Actually, people around me found it more exciting than me back then! I always thought, psychology is about studying the mind. Well, I was partially right….! Whenever I used to meet people, the first question they would ask me was, “so, tell me what am I thinking about?” or “oh! That means you can read my mind?”! I mean really! I felt like telling them “we are psychologists and not SUOER-HUMANS with some supernatural powers!

Over the years, as I started getting deeper and deeper in this concept, I realised that psychology is indeed a vast concept. I, as a student, started applying the concepts in my day-to-day life. It has taught me one thing than every act has a reason. This was my first understanding of the subject…..and from then on, there was no turning back. Studying this subject, it has broadened my horizons. Well it is rightly said. SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT.

Coming back to the technical term, psychology can be defined as “scientific study of behaviour and mental processes”. Psychology is considered as scientific because we as psychologists try to understand people through careful controlled observations. The word psychology can be split into two parts:

1) PSYCHE: which comes from the Latin word meaning behaviour
2) LOGOS: which means study.

The phrase behaviour and mental processes encompasses not just people’s actions but also their feeling, thought, perception etc.

Today, psychology is such a widely spared field that there are psychologists available in all the areas of the society. For example, we have Counselling psychologists; Clinical psychologists; Child psychologists; Criminal psychologists; Rehabilitation psychologists; Marriage and family psychologists; Forensic psychologists; Educational psychologists to name a few. The list is indeed endless and never-ending!!

To conclude, I can say that psychology is a term widely used by almost everyone. One hears about suicide, depression, violence almost every day in the newspapers. Public awareness is created by psychologists and counsellors. As psychologists we have to find answer to the (WHY) questions i.e. “why are people behaving in this manner?’ or “why is suicide on a rise?” etc. We are sitting on a time-bomb where mental problems like anxiety and depression will take a heavy toll on human beings. This is the time for mental professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors to wake-up to the above facts and create awareness in people’s mind!!

Today the need for mental health professionals is on such a high that it won’t be wrong to say that ‘A SOCIETY WITHOUT PSYCHOLOGISTS IS LIKE A SHIP WITHOUT THE LIFE-BOATS!!!!’

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