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Psychology is the branch of natural science that studies the mind and its behaviour. Since time immemorial, humans have been inquisitive to learn how the mind works and its implications if it starts acting weirdly. This unit explores the key concepts of psychology, including the nature and role of this subject, different fields and their relationship with other disciplines and professions, and the value of psychology that helps you understand yourself and others better.
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 What is Psychology?
- 3 Psychology as a Discipline
- 4 Understanding Mind and Behaviour
- 5 Popular Notions About Psychology
- 6 Evolution of Psychology
- 7 Development of Psychology in India
- 8 Branches of Psychology
- 8.1 Cognitive Psychology
- 8.2 Biological Psychology
- 8.3 Developmental Psychology
- 8.4 Social Psychology
- 8.5 Cross-Cultural and Cultural Psychology
- 8.6 Environmental Psychology
- 8.7 Health Psychology
- 8.8 Clinical and Counselling Psychology
- 8.9 Industrial/Organisational Psychology
- 8.10 Educational Psychology
- 8.11 Sports Psychology
- 8.12 Other Emerging Fields
- 9 Psychology and Other Disciplines
- 9.1 Psychology and Philosophy
- 9.2 Psychology and Medicine
- 9.3 Psychology and Economics, Political Science, and Sociology
- 9.4 Psychology and Computer Science
- 9.5 Psychology and Law, and Criminology
- 9.6 Psychology and Mass Communication
- 9.7 Psychology and Music, and Fine Arts
- 9.8 Psychology and Architecture, and Engineering
- 10 Psychology and Everyday Life
- 11 Important Definition in NCERT Class 11 Psychology Chapter 1: What is Psychology Notes
- 12 FAQs
Explore Notes of Class 11 Psychology
Introduction
The introduction of psychology is provided below as brief pointers.
- Psychology was traditionally understood as a discipline that studied the soul or the mind.
- The word ‘psychology’ is derived from two Greek words: psyche, which means soul, and logos, which means science or the study of a subject.
- Earlier definitions were influenced by philosophical and theological perspectives.
- Modern psychology is considered a scientific study of mental processes, experiences, and behaviour in different contexts.
- The subject matter includes both individual and group behaviours, as well as internal and external influences.
- Psychologists attempt to understand how the mind works and how behaviour is influenced by biological and social factors.
- Real-life scenarios help illustrate psychology’s scope:
- A soldier overcoming disability and climbing Mount Everest.
- A young boy resorted to violence due to personal and political trauma.
- Crowd behaviour after sporting events or disasters shows varied human responses.
- Psychology seeks to understand such behaviours scientifically, rationally, and empathetically.
What is Psychology?
Let us now understand what psychology is and its key elements.
- Psychology is defined as the scientific study of mental processes, experiences, and behaviour in different contexts.
- Key elements include:
- Mental Processes: Thinking, remembering, problem-solving. Brain activity is related but not identical.
- Experience: Subjective and internal, such as joy, sorrow, meditation, and pain.
- Behaviour: Observable or internal responses triggered by stimuli.
Psychology as a Discipline
Below, we have simplified Psychology as a discipline.
- Seeks to understand behaviour, experience, and mental processes systematically.
- Two major approaches:
- Objective: Uses scientific methods to reduce bias.
- Subjective: Emphasises self-reflection and consciousness, also valued in Indian tradition.
- Two streams:
- Natural Science: Focuses on biological causes and controlled studies.
- Social Science: Studies interaction with socio-cultural context.
Psychology as a Natural Science
Let us now understand the relationship between psychology and natural science
- Psychology, when viewed as a natural science, follows methodologies and paradigms from biology and physics.
- It adopts the hypothetico-deductive model, which involves:
- Proposing a theoretical framework.
- Deriving testable hypotheses.
- Collecting empirical data through observation and experimentation.
- Evaluating and revising theories based on results.
- The natural science perspective emphasises the objective and systematic study of behaviour and mental processes.
- It relies on data that is observable, measurable, and replicable for validating psychological explanations.
- Topics commonly investigated under this approach include:
- Learning, memory, attention, perception, motivation, and emotion.
- These phenomena are typically studied using controlled laboratory experiments to:
- Identify cause-and-effect relationships.
- Enable predictive analysis of behaviour.
- Psychology also incorporates the evolutionary perspective from biological sciences to explain:
- Behaviours like attachment, aggression, and mating.
- These are seen as adaptive behaviours contributing to human survival and reproduction.
- The development of psychology as a natural science has been historically shaped by:
- Cartesian dualism – the distinction between mind and body.
- Newtonian physics – which promotes a mechanistic and deterministic understanding of natural phenomena.
Psychology as a Social Science
Let us now understand the relationship between psychology and social science
- Psychology, as a social science, focuses on understanding human behaviour within its social and cultural context.
- It views the individual as a social being whose behaviour is influenced by continuous interaction with other individuals, groups, and environmental factors.
- Emphasis is placed on the interplay between individual behaviour and socio-cultural environment.
- Unlike natural science approaches, the social science perspective acknowledges variability and complexity in human behaviour.
- Human responses to the same situation may differ based on cultural background, upbringing, and social influences.
- Not all responses are positive; some communities in crisis may respond with suspicion, fear, or even antisocial acts like looting.
- These contrasting reactions reflect how individual and group behaviour is shaped by unique social experiences and cultural values.
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Understanding Mind and Behaviour
Below, we have discussed the mind and its behaviour briefly
- The concept of ‘mind’ was historically excluded from psychological study due to its abstract and non-observable nature.
- Renewed interest in the mind emerged through developments in neuroscience and philosophy, highlighting its significance in psychology.
- Studies have shown that mental processes and brain functions, though closely linked, are not identical.
Case examples illustrating this distinction:
- Phantom limb: Individuals experience sensations in amputated limbs, showing the role of mental representation.
- Blind visual response: Individuals with damage to visual brain areas still respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness.
- Capgras syndrome: Patients believe loved ones are imposters due to a disconnection between visual recognition and emotional memory.
Mental imagery and guided visualisation techniques have been shown to:
- Improve health outcomes (e.g., reduce arterial blockages).
- Assist in the treatment of phobias, stress, and performance issues.
This led to the development of Psychoneuroimmunology, a field exploring how mental states affect the immune system.
Popular Notions About Psychology
The popular notions about psychology are as follows
- Many people often act as informal psychologists, forming personal theories about human behaviour based on daily experiences.
- These informal beliefs are rooted in common sense, subjective judgments, and hindsight explanations, which often lack consistency.
- Psychology, unlike these intuitive notions, relies on systematic, scientific methods and seeks to discover predictable behavioural patterns.
Dweck’s 1975 study
It challenges the belief that only repeated success builds confidence:
- Children who were exposed to both easy and difficult problems and taught to keep trying despite failure performed better than those who always succeeded.
- This finding suggests that coping with failure and learning from it enhances resilience and achievement.
Psychology is distinct from practices like astrology, palmistry, tarot reading, and other superstition-based approaches. The discipline is grounded in empirical evidence, systematic observation, and verifiable conclusions, ensuring scientific reliability.
Evolution of Psychology
Below, we have discussed the year-wise evolution history of psychology as a discipline.
- 1879 – Wundt founded the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, introducing introspection and the scientific study of mental processes.
- 1890 – William James published Principles of Psychology, establishing functionalism focused on the purpose of behaviour.
- Early 1900s – Gestalt psychologists emphasised that experience is perceived as structured wholes, not just parts.
- 1913 – Watson introduced behaviourism, restricting psychology to the study of observable behaviour.
- 1920s–1950s – Skinner developed operant conditioning, expanding behaviourism through reinforcement principles.
- Early 1900s – Freud formulated psychoanalysis, highlighting the unconscious and childhood in personality development.
- 1950s – Rogers and Maslow launched humanistic psychology, emphasising free will and personal growth.
- 1960s – Cognitive psychology emerged, focusing on internal mental processes like thinking and memory.
- 1970s onwards – Constructivism, influenced by Piaget and Vygotsky, viewed learning as active knowledge construction.
Also Read: Best Books for UPSC Optional Psychology
Development of Psychology in India
In this section, we have provided a summary of the development of psychology in India.
- Ancient Indian texts such as the Upanishads and Buddhist literature contained early psychological ideas on consciousness, perception, and self.
- The first psychology laboratory in India was established at Calcutta University in 1915.
- In 1916, a formal Department of Psychology was created at Calcutta University under Dr. N.N. Sengupta.
- In 1922, Girindrasekhar Bose founded the Indian Psychoanalytical Association, influenced by Freud.
- Early Indian psychology mainly followed Western models of experimental and psychoanalytic approaches.
- According to Durganand Sinha, Indian psychology developed through four phases:
- Colonial phase – Replication of Western methods and teaching.
- Expansion phase (1950s–60s) – Increased university departments and academic growth.
- Problem-oriented phase (post-1960s) – Focus shifted to Indian socio-cultural and developmental problems.
- Indigenisation phase (post-1970s) – Integration of Indian philosophical and cultural traditions into psychology.
- Research began addressing issues like poverty, caste, social tension, family conflict, and deprivation.
- Psychology also began engaging with education, health, environment, and organisational behaviour.
- Indigenisation aimed to make Indian psychology more contextually relevant, drawing from local traditions and social realities.
- Presently, psychology in India contributes to areas such as counselling, mental health, education, rural development, industry, and technology.
Branches of Psychology
This section explains the different branches of psychology, including their definition, what they deal with, and miscellaneous information.
Cognitive Psychology
Studies mental processes such as perceiving, remembering, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Biological Psychology
Explores the relationship between behaviour and biological processes such as the nervous system, endocrine and immune systems, and genetics.
Developmental Psychology
Studies human development across the lifespan from conception to old age. Cognitive, emotional, moral, and social changes across different life stages.
Social Psychology
Examines how individuals are influenced by and interact with their social environments. Ex. are attitudes, persuasion, conformity, interpersonal attraction, aggression, and prejudice.
Cross-Cultural and Cultural Psychology
Studies how culture influences cognition, emotions, and behaviour. Also studies psychological similarities and differences between cultures.
Environmental Psychology
Studies interactions between people and their physical environments. It deals with the effects of crowding, noise, pollution, natural disasters, and rural/urban life.
Health Psychology
It investigates how psychological factors impact health and illness.
Clinical and Counselling Psychology
It is concerned with diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioural issues.
Industrial/Organisational Psychology
It studies human behaviour in workplace settings.
Educational Psychology
Focuses on how individuals learn and how to improve instructional practices.
Sports Psychology
Applies psychology to improve athletic performance and motivation.
Other Emerging Fields
Includes interdisciplinary branches that apply psychology in specific contexts such as military, forensic, aviation, rural, political, community, and engineering psychology.
Psychology and Other Disciplines
This section highlights the relationship between psychology and other disciplines in a summarised way.
Psychology and Philosophy
Psychology originated as a branch of philosophy. Philosophers explored concepts such as mind, consciousness, soul, and will. Modern psychology drew on these philosophical questions and attempted to study them empirically. While philosophy relies on logic and speculation, psychology uses scientific methods to study ideas like self, knowledge, and the mind-body relationship.
Psychology and Medicine
Psychology contributes significantly to understanding the mind-body relationship. It plays a role in diagnosing and managing mental illnesses, designing treatment programs, and promoting mental health. Branches like clinical, health, and neuropsychology have strong links with medicine. It also helps improve doctor-patient relationships and health-related behaviour.
Psychology and Economics, Political Science, and Sociology
In economics, psychology explains how people make decisions, respond to incentives, and handle scarcity. In political science, it studies the formation and change of political attitudes, leadership styles, and voting behaviour. In sociology, psychology shares an interest in group behaviour, social norms, prejudices, and collective actions. Social psychology serves as a bridge between psychology and sociology, studying how social context influences individual behaviour.
Psychology and Computer Science
The relationship between psychology and computer science is strong in areas like cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. Computer simulations help understand mental processes such as learning, memory, and problem-solving. Concepts such as human-computer interaction and neural networks have evolved through this collaboration.
Psychology and Law, and Criminology
Psychology is applied in legal settings to understand criminal behaviour, witness memory, and decision-making in juries. Forensic psychology studies testimony reliability, interrogation practices, and the psychological aspects of legal procedures. It helps in rehabilitation, crime prevention, and understanding victims and offenders.
Psychology and Mass Communication
Psychology helps in analysing how media influences thought and behaviour. It studies how media messages form or change attitudes. Psychological principles are applied in advertising, audience research, campaign design, and communication effectiveness.
Psychology and Music, and Fine Arts
Psychology examines how music and the arts affect emotions, perception, and mental processes. It helps in understanding creativity, aesthetic experience, and performance. It also contributes to therapeutic practices like music therapy and studies the psychological impact of visual and performing arts.
Psychology and Architecture, and Engineering
Psychology contributes to designing workspaces, tools, and environments that align with human abilities and needs. Areas such as ergonomics and human factors use psychological insights to improve user experience, efficiency, and safety.
Psychology and Everyday Life
Psychology is not limited to laboratories or clinical settings; it is highly relevant to everyday functioning and real-life situations.
Understanding Self and Others
Psychology helps individuals understand their own emotions, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. It also enhances understanding of others’ behaviours and reactions, which improves interpersonal relationships and communication.
Enhancing Communication Skills
Knowledge of psychological principles helps people become better listeners and communicators. It allows individuals to interpret verbal and non-verbal cues accurately, enabling effective interaction in personal and professional settings.
Improving Learning and Performance
Psychological strategies like setting goals, using feedback, and managing time help improve academic and workplace performance. It also contributes to effective teaching and learning by understanding how people learn and retain information.
Coping with Stress
- Psychology offers insights into the causes of stress and methods to cope with it effectively.
- Techniques such as relaxation, time management, and cognitive restructuring can help reduce stress and promote mental health.
Promoting Health and Well-being
Psychological knowledge is used in promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging exercise, managing chronic illness, and preventing risky behaviours. It supports mental and physical health through evidence-based practices.
Facilitating Social Change
Psychology helps in understanding and addressing social issues such as discrimination, violence, gender inequality, and environmental degradation. It supports community development and advocacy by promoting constructive attitudes and behaviours.
Application in Various Professions
Psychology is applied in fields like education, health, law, military, sports, organisational behaviour, and media. Professionals in these fields use psychological knowledge to enhance efficiency, satisfaction, and well-being.
Important Definition in NCERT Class 11 Psychology Chapter 1: What is Psychology Notes
In this section, you will find the important definitions covered in this chapter.
- Psychology: Psychology is defined as the science which studies mental processes, experiences, and behaviour in different contexts.
- Mind: Mind emerges and evolves as our interactions and experiences in the world get dynamically organised in the form of a system responsible for mental processes.
- Behaviour: Behaviour refers to any action or reaction of a living organism that can be observed or measured in a given environment.
- Brain: Brain activity reflects mental processes and forms the biological basis for psychological functioning.
- Introspection: Introspection is a method of self-observation in which a person looks inward and reports their thoughts and feelings.
- Structuralism: Structuralism is the approach in psychology that studies the structure of consciousness using introspection. It was introduced by Wilhelm Wundt.
- Functionalism: Functionalism focuses on the function of the mind and behaviour in adapting an individual to the environment. It was influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution.
- Behaviourism: Behaviourism is the psychological approach that studies only observable behaviour, ignoring mental processes. It was founded by John B. Watson.
- Gestalt Psychology: Gestalt psychology emphasises that the whole experience is different from the sum of its parts and focuses on perception and problem-solving.
- Psychoanalysis: Psychoanalysis is an approach developed by Sigmund Freud that emphasises unconscious motives and conflicts as drivers of behaviour.
- Humanistic Perspective: The humanistic perspective focuses on free will, self-actualisation, and personal growth. It sees individuals as capable of making rational choices.
- Cognitive Perspective: The cognitive perspective in psychology focuses on internal mental processes like memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Natural Science Orientation in Psychology: This orientation treats psychology as a science using objective methods like observation and experimentation to study behaviour and mental processes.
- Social Science Orientation in Psychology: This orientation emphasises the importance of socio-cultural contexts and subjective experience in understanding behaviour.
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FAQs
Psychology primarily focuses on the scientific study of mental processes, experiences, and behaviour in different contexts, using both objective methods and understanding of subjective experience.
While both study the mind and behaviour, philosophy relies on speculation and logical reasoning, whereas psychology uses scientific methods such as observation, experimentation, and testing to study these phenomena.
People often believe that psychology is only about reading minds or giving advice, but in reality, it is a scientific discipline that systematically studies mental processes and behaviour through research and experimentation.
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