Overview ofPsychology

Wilhelm Wundt gets it started

Wilhelm Wundt(1832-1920)

First Experimental Psych Lab (1879)

Focuses on the scientific study of the mind.WW insists that Psych methods be as rigorous

as the methods of chemistry & physics.

University of LeipzigHarvard UniversityYale UniversityColumbia UniversityCatholic UniversityUniv of PennsylvaniaCornell UniversityStanford University

Wundt’s students start labsacross USA (1880-1900)

Unconscious expressed indreams & “slips of the tongue”

Then Freud & Psychoanalysis enter the scene

Sigmund Freud(1856-1939)

Proposes the idea of the UNCONSCIOUS

Thoughts, memories & desiresexist below conscious awareness

and exert an influence on ourbehavior

Psychoanalytic Theory attempts to explainpersonality, mental disorders & motivation in

terms of unconscious determinants of behavior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCXynjpFaKU (1:34)‘Freuds Id, Ego and Superego’

The I.B Curriculum breaks Psychology into 3 core fields:

• Biological Level of Analysis• Cognitive Level of Analysis• Sociocultural Level of Analysis

I.B then examines in brief, other branches of Psychology

• Abnormal Psyc• Developmental Psyc• Health Psyc• Psyc of Human Relationships• Sport Psyc

Lets examine some of these briefly

Abnormal Psychology

Brainstorm 1:

10 traits of a “normal” person

Abnormal Psychology

Brainstorm 2:

10 traits of a “abnormal” person

Diagnosing Abnormalities:the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

of Mental Disorders (DSM)

• Published by the American Psychological Association

Szasz (1962) argued that the role of Psychiatry is to “exclude from society those seen as exhibiting socially unacceptable behaviors or beliefs”

DSM IVAxis I: Clinical syndromesAxis II: Personality disorders; mental retardationAxis III: General medical conditionsAxis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental problems

Problems with primary support groupEducational problemsOccupational problemsHousing/economic problemsProblems with access to health care servicesProblems with legal system/crimeOther psychosocial problems & environmental

problemsAxis V: Global Assessment of Functioning

Ranges from – (inadequate information) – 100 (superior functioning)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oif3xDjlV5I (1:47)

DSM IV TR Explained- Vita Creativity Company

Developmental Psychology

• Changes in behaviour from womb to tomb

• Investigates human growth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O6z5-WTHt0 (3:54) ‘What is Developmental Psychology’

Health Psychology• Explores relationship

between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease

• “An ounce of prevention to avoid years of cure”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyP8L3qTW9Q (3:45) ‘The Science of Stress Physiology Emotions Fight Flight’

Psychology of Human Relationships

• Social responsibility• Interpersonal

relationships• Violence

Sport Psychology• Emotion &

Motivation• Skill development &

performance• Problems in sports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx3KJn8r8y0 (2:13) ‘The Armstrong Lie Official Trailer 1 2013’

1. The Biological Level of Analysis

• Specializes in the biological bases of behaviour

Behaviour is dictated by:

-Genetics-Hormones-Neurotransmitters in the brain-Changes in brain activity

2. The Cognitive Level of Analysis• Emphasis on higher

mental processes • The stuff that you

can’t see- how you process inputs

In opposition to Behaviourism- the study of observable behaviour

2. The Cognitive Level of Analysis

1. Humans have mental representations of their world and these representations differ from person to person

2. These mental representations can be scientifically investigated

3. “Cognition” is the hidden world of mental processing

Principals that define the Cognitive LOA:

3. The Sociocultural Level of Analysis

Principals that define the Sociocultural LOA:

1. The social and cultural environment influences human behaviour

2. We want connectedness with, and a sense of belonging to others

3. We construct our conceptions of the individual & social self (who am I?)

Brainstorm- Have you viewed yourself differently in certain phases of your life? Think then share with someone

Clinical Psychology

• Diagnosis of mental disorders

• Treatment of mental disorders

• The application of all the areas we talked about… to help people