Psychology

Kaitlyn Bost

English III Honors

Mr. Alburger

February 23, 2017

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Kaitlyn Bost

English 3 Honors

Mr. Alburger

23 February 2017

Psychology

Wundt (1912) said that the goal of psychology was to discover the facts of

consciousness, its combinations and relations, so that it may ultimately discover the laws which

govern these relations and combinations. (Pickren). This quote bundles psychology into one

statement beautifully. The first use of the term psychology occurred in 1506 by Marko Marulic

(Pickren). Modern psychology remains known as scientific psychology. Modern psychology

began when Wilhelm Wundt established a research laboratory in Germany in 1879. Mental

philosophy and experimental psychology make up the science of psychology, defined as modern

psychology. Nineteenth century physiology and psychophysics helped to develop experimental

psychology. (Benjamin). Psychology bundles a very long history into how it became a science,

resulted in life-changing discoveries, and remains a degree that opens up many career

opportunities.

In the beginning, psychology struggled as a science (Pickren). People believed that the

study of the mind could never fall under the definition of science. Kant argued that psychology

cannot remain known as a science because psychology cannot be shown mathematically. This,

however, changed because of a major practical application of psychology known as

psychological testing. Because psychological tests create a measurement of the psyche

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numerically, this proved Kants idea of psychology wrong and helped people accept psychology

as a science (Pickren). Recently, exact mathematical models have been used in psychological

studies of social psychology (Social). Psychology, at first related to religion and philosophy,

reformed into a science because of adding the study of the brain at the end of the nineteenth

century (Pickren). After this, psychologists made an enormous amount of discoveries.

Ernst Weber, a physiology professor, contributed greatly to psychophysics. Ernst Weber,

considered a key person in the discoveries made in psychology, discovered just noticeable

difference, also known as difference threshold. Difference threshold allows a person to

distinguish one weight from the other (Benjamin). This would be the amount of weight two

objects must differ for someone to notice which one is heavier than the other. This would allow a

person to distinguish between the mass of two different objects. Fechner contributed to this

discovery by discovering that the perception of a stimulus does not depend on the actual

difference in weight. A just noticeable difference of one ounce with a thirty ounce weight would

be perceived the same as a just noticeable difference of two ounces with a sixty ounce weight

(Benjamin). Basically, the ratio of the weight difference matters more than the actual weight

difference. Another psychologist named Wundt, also considered a key discoverer in psychology,

founded two other psychologies: Voluntarism, defined as an experimental psychology, and

Volkerpsychologie, translated into social, cultural, folk, or ethnic psychology. The complete

meaning becomes lost in translation. Volkerpsychologie has been known as a second psychology

(Benjamin). William McDougall founded a controversial theory that stated that instincts emerged

from the process of evolution. Edward Alsworth Ross focused more on how social behavior

affects each person, the influence of a persons emotion on crowds, and fashion (Social). This
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would bring up the argue of nature versus nurture. Some psychologists believe nature, defined as

genes, influences behavior and psychological disorders more than nurture, defined as the

environment a person is in or how a person grows up. In reality, both play a key role in almost all

aspects of psychology.

Social and Clinical Psychologists began to wonder about the role psychology played in

healthcare. Psychologists wondered if the mind had an influence on physical health and if

physical health could be healed with the help of psychology. At first there was no correlation, but

in 1974, Ivan Illich wrote that medicine harms health significantly and that health can be

influenced by someones perception of their health. Basically, a person will become healthier

much faster when psychologically believing they will rather than with the help of medicine.

Tomas Szasz in 1961 said that medical professionals started a social construct that defined

mental illness (Murray). For example, people who acted with no feeling or thought towards other

individuals were described as morally insane by Philippe Pinel, which later became known as

psychopathy by Hervey Cleckley. Psychopathy became known as antisocial personality disorder.

People wanted a more community-like way to take care of people diagnosed with mental

illnesses. Moral Treatment began in 1788, which treated patients who were mad in a way to help

restore reason (Pickren). Mental healing, later developing into psychotherapy, began in New

England in the 1850s. Founded by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, mental healing began as a

technique to change ones thought process in order to heal health issues (Benjamin). The basics

of health psychology still studies the relationship between behavior and cognitions.

Another form of psychology remains known as social psychology. Social psychology can

be defined as a branch of psychology concerning how social stimuli influences individuals

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behavior (Social). This would be the nurture side of the nature versus nurture argument. The

publication of two textbooks on social psychology began the more recent history. These

textbooks examine societys impact on the behavior and development of individuals. Social

Psychologists study emotions, thoughts, desires, and judgements. Social psychologists in the

1930s researched animal behavior related to group problem solving, stereotypes, the spreading of

rumors, leadership, attitudes, and persuasion. Another area that interests social psychologists

includes what factors cause people to affiliate themselves with another person and how they will

influence or be influenced by others. In other words, how do people choose friends? If people do

not know what socially acceptable response to a situation they should show, they will turn to

others who may act in the unknown socially acceptable way. Research shows that even when

people are not in the presence of others, everything they do is still affected by social stimuli

(Social). People learn how to act and behave through social learning. This could be why the

way someone parents influences how the children learn to act or how a persons friend reacts to

situations influence how that person reacts. Social psychology relates to sociology and cultural

anthropology, however the three sciences are separated by the fact that social psychologists study

social groups, institutions, and cultures and how they affect behavior while anthropologists study

strictly human culture (Social). Social psychologists determine reasons for most observable

human behavior.

Other types of psychology include clinical neuropsychology, clinical psychology,

community psychology, counseling psychology, educational and developmental psychology, and

forensic psychology. Clinical neuropsychologists focus on problems with memory, learning,

language, attention, problem solving, decision making, and reading. Neuropsychological

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treatments are carried out differently depending on the individual being treated. Clinical

psychology focuses on mental health conditions. Clinical psychologists focus on research,

supervision of others, program evaluation and development, and promote psychological health in

people. Community psychology focuses on societies at risk, social capital, problem solving

based on social justice, community capacity, and the social impact of environmental issues such

as climate change. Counseling psychology focuses on treating individuals who need therapeutic

treatment. Counseling psychologists diagnose clients with mental health disorders including

depression, personality disorders, anxiety, and other disorders. Educational and developmental

psychology deals with children and their development growing up. Forensic psychologists

typically work in the criminal justice system by applying their knowledge of mental health to

real life court cases (Types). As anyone can see, psychology and studying the brain influences

almost every aspect of anyones life.

There are many types of mental illnesses discovered through the use of psychology.

Examples include anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders,

and personality disorders. Examples of anxiety disorders include obsessive-compulsive disorder,

post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and panic disorder (What). Obsessive-compulsive

disorder interferes with daily life when a person continually repeats something just to avoid the

unpleasant obsessive thoughts this person is experiencing about this task. Post-traumatic stress

disorder interferes with daily life when a person experiences extreme anxiety and focuses on a

traumatic past event. Phobias, considered extreme fears of a particular object or situation,

interfere with daily life by making it difficult for someone to face normal day-to-day events.

Panic disorders happen when a person feels extreme panic and typically ends in a panic attack
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where the person feels symptoms such as shortness of breath, shaking, and aching in the chest.

Behavioral disorders include oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder. These disorders involve lack of ability to pay attention, hyperactivity,

impulsivity, defiant behavior, drug use, and criminal activity. Mood disorders involve feelings of

sadness or happiness that continues for a long period of time. Types of mood disorders include

depression, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder (What). Pierre Janet discovered

multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative disorder. People with dissociative

disorder have multiple selves (Pickren). Another category of disorders named psychotic

disorders involve symptoms including hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations can be

described as hearing sounds and seeing objects and/or people who cannot be seen by others. A

delusion happens when a person believes something that is not true (What). For example,

paranoia with no realistic cause can be a delusion. An example of a psychotic disorder would be

schizophrenia, though there are many others and people with these disorders can still lead normal

lives. Personality disorders, characterized as an extreme and inflexible personality trait that

distresses the person, can cause problems in school, work, and/or normal social situations. Types

of personality disorders include antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality

disorder (What). Antisocial personality disorder, already described in this paper, can include

manipulating, exploiting, and violating the rights of people. Borderline personality disorder

symptoms includes long patterns or spells of emotions that are unstable (What). While all of

these disorders make life a little difficult for the individual going through them, with the right

medication and therapy a person can live a happy and healthy life.
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Another discovery, a learned part of the human personality, can be labeled attitudes.

Attitudes seem consistent throughout someones life and research concluded that an attitude will

be a product of socialization and can be modified (Social). Another discovery in psychology,

motivation, remains very important to human drives of survival and success. Most theories of

motivation describe that people only engage in behaviors that help themselves in some way.

However, the altruism paradox describes that motivation is caused by someone wanting to

benefit another person (Piotrowski). Basically, some say motivation happens for personal gain,

while others say motivation happens by the want to help others.

Three main degrees exist in psychology. A Masters in Arts in Psychology, Masters in

Sciences in Psychology, and a Masters in Education Psychology. A Bachelors degree is needed

before entering the Masters program, however the Bachelors degree does not have to be in

psychology as long as some psychology classes have been taken. A Masters in Arts in

Psychology, Masters in Science in Psychology, and a Masters in Education Psychology all will

transpire as a professional level degrees. These degrees usually take two school years to

complete on top of the four years taken to complete a Bachelors degree. A Masters in Arts in

Psychology can be classified as a Masters in the Arts with a major in Psychology. A Masters In

Science in Psychology can be classified as a Masters in Science with a major in Psychology as

well. A Masters in Education in Psychology actually refers to a Masters in Education (MEd)

with a focus on educational psychology. A Masters in Education in Psychology actually does

not exist as a degree. It is known as a MEd. The MEd in Psychology, similar to a Masters in

Psychology, will focus more on psychology being applied to education. People with a MEd in

Psychology will focus mainly on special education, higher education, K-12 education, or
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education administration. A Masters in Psychology might not be needed in order to acquire

acceptance into a doctoral program depending on the program. Some coursework may repeat and

therefore would not be needed. If working in some type of psychology field before getting a

doctorate seems like something a person would want to do, earning a Masters in Psychology

will help in a job. A Masters in Psychology will also allow a person to be qualified and earn a

more respectable position within a psychology career (Wells-Moran). The top four colleges for

psychology include Stanford, University of California- Berkeley, University of California- Los

Angeles, and Harvard University (Psychology). Classes taken will all have an ethics

component and teach skills to diagnose and treat behavioral health disorders (Bodick). All

classes will help someone face their day to day assignments and issues within their job.

Jobs within psychology include counseling and therapy or psychologists. Most positions

in counseling and therapy require a Masters Degree in Social Work or Psychology. No

specification in whether a person receives a Master in Arts or a Masters in Science will be

shown when finding a job. Private practitioners in psychology will be licensed with a Doctorate

from a psychology program. To obtain this license, a person must pass a test, pay a fee to receive

the license, and document proof that this person achieved a Doctorate degree (Wells-Moran). A

person will need a 70 or above on this test (Bodick). If a person received a Doctorate degree,

this person will be employed in government programs, hospitals, schools, in settings for

disability, and other forms of health care. This person may work as a counselor, psychotherapist,

researcher, and as a college instructor. This person will serve in committees, watch other

employees, direct psychology programs, serve as a psychology expert in court, write academic

articles, and administer psychological assessments. A social work degree can allow a person to
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enter careers such as school and college counseling and college teaching. Some states allow a

person with a Masters in Social Work to be a therapist or counselor (Wells-Moran). All of the

above degrees will help someone find their dream job in psychology.

Psychology discoveries will arrive in a variety of ways. Some psychology tests are

administered as an interview or questionnaire. Another type of experiment, observation, observes

behavior in natural settings and programs on computers can simulate the behavior. This would

include watching a persons behavior through day to day life and recording their actions. Kurt

Lewin highlights the importance of doing a theoretical analysis before research is conducted on a

certain problem. The researchs purpose is to explain the hypothesized behaviors studied. The

theory provided should explain the certain behavior being studied and allow to experimenter to

predict what conditions will trigger the behavior. This helps the experimenter design his/her

experiment. An experimenter also must measure psychophysiological measurements, which

show how physiological and psychological characteristics are connected.These discoveries show

in everyday life in many ways. Research helps solve problems in ethnic, international, industrial

relations as well as economic and political behavior, advertising, education, all around mental

stability. Organizations use discoveries to improve interpersonal relations with one another and

to help fix problems (Social). All work done by people in psychology professions make a

difference in individual lives.

Wendyleigh Bodick, a licensed counselor in the state of North Carolina, stated that a

typical day in this career field includes many activities. People in this career field see many

clients and families while also involving themselves in administrative work. At home, people in

this career field read journals, books, and articles and prepare for any group or individual client
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sessions. Staying in contact with clients by phone or email is also a way someone would have to

continue work at home. Within this job, psychologists have many decisions they have to make.

In jobs involving therapy, a person will have to know how to structure sessions and whether or

not a person needs to be referred to a hospital because they are suicidal or homicidal while

simultaneously encouraging the client to become healthier and happier. Challenges within this

profession include balancing the needs of clients and the needs of the professional and pushing

clients to take necessary steps to work through their most difficult moments. Before entering this

career field, a person must have any issues they have under control. This career primarily focuses

on clients and helping or studying them. In this career field, hours are very flexible and can be

made according to the professional (Bodick). Counselors change the lives of many individuals

daily and make an enormous, positive impact on anyone who needs it.

In conclusion, a degree in psychology can provide a successful career that helps a diverse

and large group of people in numerous ways. Psychology changes lives with its important

discoveries everyday and helps everyone see a little deeper into what makes a person and person.

The way they act and behave can all show through the knowledge psychology brought the world.

Beginning in 1506 to today, psychology filled itself with plenty of history and showed that even

studying the mind, an object that cannot be physically held, can be mathematically calculated

and therefore a science worth studying and exploring (Pickren). Without psychology, many of

the numerous facts people know about development, interactions, and personality would be a

mystery. The benefits of psychology are numerous, but many discoveries still need to be made.

Psychology came a long way from its roots and there is still much left undiscovered. Over time,

whatever makes a human tick might eventually uncover itself and there is no doubt psychology
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will play a huge role in that fascinating revelation. From discovery to discovery, the mind will

always be a mystery and psychology will always be there trying to solve it. A career in

psychology definitely elicits a very rewarding feeling and as said by Wendyleigh Bodick herself,

I love the people I work with - my clients, my staff, my colleagues. I get to do something I love

every day - I am challenged by it, push myself beyond my own limits, see growth and luckily,

help people. At the heart of it all, I am honored to sit with people at their darkest moments and

hold the hope for them as they seek the light. It is a blessing (Bodick).
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Works Cited

Benjamin, Ludy T., Jr. A Brief History of Modern Psychology. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing.

Bodick, Wendyleigh. Personal Interview. 18 February 2017.

Murray, Michael. "Social History Of Health Psychology: Context And Textbooks." Health

Psychology Review 8.2 (2014): 215-237. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Jan. 2017.

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Pickren, Wade E. The Psychology Book. New York: Sterling Publishing, Print.

Piotrowski, Nancy A. Psychology & Mental Health. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press, 2010. eBook

High School Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Jan. 2017.

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Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 2 Jan. 2017.

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<https://www.psychology.org.au/public/psychology-types/>.

Wells-Moran, Jolyn. "Graduate Degrees In Psychology." 101 Psychology Degree Tips. 33:
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LifeTips.com, Inc., 2006. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.

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"What to Look For." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 13 Feb.

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