What is Psychology? Simplest definition and explanation

What is Psychology?

It’s hard to define a discipline, why?

Firstly, because it evolves continuously.

Secondly, because the range of phenomena it studies can’t be captured by just one definition.

Now when we think of defining Psychology, the above lines seem to be so true.

Psychology is a discipline that has been continuously evolving like anything, an applied discipline that has been in use everywhere, wherever humans can reside, we also include animals in the psychological studies so it’s like it applies to everything that has a mind of its own.

Oh wait, we use psychology in Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well, that’s how AI is becoming so familiar with us and a part of human civilization.

Okay so it seems like psychology does a lot of things, a very wide field, applicable everywhere, on everyone who has a mind of their own, but what does psychology deal with?

Let’s talk about the basics, so psychology deals with processes underlying human experience and behavior.

Remember these two words for now:

1. Mental-process &
2. Behavior

How is any discipline defined?

It is defined in terms of what it studies and how it studies.

So let’s first learn how psychology as a discipline studies things, psychology is a scientific subject/field/discipline so whatever it studies, it studies that systematically, in a scientific format.

So psychology mainly focuses on “Mental-processes” and “behavior.”

So let’s try to define the discipline of psychology!

Keep in mind that a discipline is defined in terms of what it studies and how it studies.

So, psychology is defined as:

Psychology is a science that studies and deals with the mental processes and behavior of an organism. 

 

Let’s talk about the definition of psychology which I just quoted above, “a science which studies and deals” as psychology is evolving continuously a lot of research work happens and research is considered as one of the most basic thing, for any field/discipline so psychology is primarily regarded as “research-oriented,” it is not only limited just to learning and understanding mental-processes and behavior it also “deals” with it and improve things so as we can reach to our full potential and live healthily, peacefully.

Last part of the definition: “with mental processes and behavior of an organism.”

So here one may ask why an organism, why not just humans?

Because we try to understand everyone who has a mind of their own, including animals, that's why the word “organism” is used.

Let’s get some myths busted with the laser of knowledge and reality:

1) Psychology people read others?

Psychology is about understanding, it doesn’t aim to read anyone. Reading others somewhat means judging others at their first impressions!

We, psychology people, are known for providing a judgment-free environment, which means we don’t ever judge people, don’t form opinions, don’t label them with anything... we try to understand!

Psychology people know that the first impression is not the last impression, every time we are forming an impression, so judging anyone based on the first impression is great stupidity, mature psychology people won’t ever do that.

2) Psychology deals only with people who have some mental disorders or are psychopaths/criminals?

Psychology does deal with them but that’s not the only thing which we do. Psychology is involved in our day-to-day life so psychology is also concerned with stress, tension, disappointment, depression, anxiety, grief... and such things which a person faces in his/her day-to-day life.

Psychology helps in enhancing the quality of life.

3) Psychology people use hypnosis and they can control anyone?

Hypnosis is a part of psychology and it is used for therapeutic purposes only, the hypnosis which you see where the Magician/mentalist hypnotizes a person and asks for things that normally one won’t do, all that is just for entertainment purposes!

We are always in control, even when we are hypnotized, we go in that state with our choice and can easily come out of it by ourselves. Also, in that trans-like state, we are conscious about what we are doing, being conscious means being in control!

4) Psychology people catch liars?

Okay so as we understand people and deal with them with the knowledge of human’s mental processes and behavior, we may come to know when a person is hiding something or being uncomfortable about something asked or simply resisting, but pointing out a lie without knowing the whole thing/context is just foolishness, hopefully, mature psychology people don’t do that.

That's it for this Digital Psychology blog post, see you in another one 😊