Recently, psychological science has been developing at a rapid pace, due to a large number of theoretical and practical problems. The main branches of psychology are one of the most progressive scientific areas, united by a single subject of study, the psyche. Therefore, they are classified depending on whose psyche is being studied, what aspects are being considered and under what conditions this happens.
Main branches of psychology and sections
Modern psychology includes several dozen independent branches. Moreover, new ones appear quite often. This is due to the enormous demand for psychological science in all spheres of human activity.
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The basis can be called the fundamental branches of modern psychology, which are united by common theoretical principles, concepts and methods. The problems that applied psychology solves are relevant for all scientific fields. The knowledge gained through research is used in specific areas - sports, space and many others. Special branches study individual issues that are of great importance for all science. Practical psychology is aimed at solving the psychological problems of specific clients; its specialists carry out preventive and corrective work.
The differentiation of psychology determines its ramifications. However, despite the differences in its branches, they are united by a common subject of study for all - the mechanisms of the psyche and their patterns.
Scheme of branches of psychology:
Theoretical psychology includes: general psychology, genetic, comparative, differential, history of psychology, mental modeling, psychophysiology, experimental.
Gestalt psychology
The basis of Gestalt psychology in the structure of modern psychology
are the primary data of the psyche - holistic structured information (gestalts), existing as systems. Gestalt psychotherapists consider the main problem to be a consequence: a person sees what he wants to see and is completely unaware of surrounding factors. The basis of most mental problems in Gestalt psychology is the dissatisfaction of human needs, which ultimately leads to a defective lifestyle. The task of the psychotherapist is to ensure that the client recognizes his existing need and teach him to help with it.
General psychology
General psychology is considered the main branch of psychology. Its main concepts are mental states, processes and properties that characterize the characteristics of an individual personality. In addition to the psychology of emotions, thinking, women's psychology, psychophysics is also included in general psychology. In general psychology, work is carried out to systematize the data obtained as a result of experiments. They develop theoretical problems, formulate basic concepts, principles and patterns. Serves as the foundation for the development of other branches of science.
Social psychology studies various mental phenomena that appear during the interaction of people in groups.
The areas of interest in this area of psychological science include:
- issues of forming interpersonal relationships;
- psychological compatibility;
- intra-family relationships;
- spreading rumors and tastes.
Personality psychology considers a person as a whole. A certain system of mental properties, their structure, and relationships with the environment are identified.
Of interest to genetic psychology is the study of the patterns of the human psyche and the psyche of animals throughout evolution.
The history of psychology examines various approaches and patterns of formation of views on the psyche, studies the history of psychological research in different eras. She uses methods such as the historical-genetic method or genetic reconstruction for research.
For psychophysiology, the processes and mechanisms of the higher nervous system and brain activity, which are associated with the psyche, are of great importance.
System of psychological sciences
To solve its problems, modern psychology widely uses the achievements of other sciences in the same way that the knowledge of psychology is used by these sciences.
A unique two-way system of sciences using psychological knowledge is being built. Plato created one of the first classifications of sciences, which provided a diagram of all scientific knowledge of that time. It was built in the image and likeness of the structure of psychology - the structure of human cognitive abilities:
- Dialectics is the mind as the art of reasoning;
- Physics – sensory cognition, perception;
- Ethics is will and desire.
In the structure of Hegel’s classification, psychology occupies a place at the level of self-development of the spirit:
- Subjective spirit in the form of individual consciousness;
- Anthropology as a manifestation of a natural state of mind;
- Phenomenology is seen as consciousness manifested in external action;
- Psychology as a spiritual substance that thinks and embodies content.
In O. Comte's system, and this is already a classification of the 19th century, there was no place for psychology at all. At this time it occupied an intermediate position between the biological and social sciences. And only at the end of the 19th century it became part of the sciences.
Of course, the obvious truth underlay this decision - psychology was one of the aspects of any knowledge for the simple reason that:
- Firstly, due to its objective content;
- Secondly, due to its internal structure in accordance with the psychological aspects of the scientific analysis of ideas, concepts and theories of the processes of human cognitive activity.
Almost no science, be it mathematics, physics, logic, depends on psychology in its methods and theoretical structures. It is possible to master these structures through the direct influence of a person on objects and phenomena, and only psychology can study these influences and human activity in the development of knowledge.
Psychology occupies its proper place in the classification of sciences proposed by B. Kedrov. Its diagram is presented in the form of a triangle, the vertices of which are sciences:
- Natural;
- Social;
- Philosophical.
The connections between them are subject to the following principles:
- Subordination of development from the lowest level to the highest level;
- The principle of objectivity, the arrangement of sciences should follow the same as the objects of their research;
- Following the laws of development of science and knowledge developed by them.
Thus, it turns out that psychology is located inside the triangle and creates close connections with the three groups of sciences. Clarifying the position of psychology in the diagram, B. Kedrov emphasizes that psychology inside the triangle is not located symmetrically to the vertices, but closer to the philosophical sciences, because thinking, for example, is the subject of not only psychology, but also dialectics and logic.
By studying human behavior and psyche from the point of view of their biological organization and external social environment, psychology will work closely with the natural and social sciences.
The connection between psychology and medicine is inextricable, for the simple reason that many diseases have a psychological origin, and the results of psychological research can be of great help in their treatment. One should name such a scientific field as psychiatry, which relates to clinical medicine, revealing the causes and forms of mental disorders and the characteristics of the course of mental illnesses.
Social sciences provide psychology with a great opportunity; they help to correctly approach the understanding of the human psyche and consciousness from a theoretical point of view. Psychology focuses primarily on the philosophical doctrine of man.
The highest mental functions of a person in their formation were based on such historical achievements of civilization as tools and sign systems, therefore psychology is based on data from the history of society and its culture.
The very term “psychological science”, the subject of which is psychological phenomena, unites a system of knowledge. This is the theoretical aspect under which a given science considers the objects it studies.
Psychology is stimulated by practice, where it sets its own goals and objectives, formulated as problems and specified in research topics. In this regard, a number of special sciences and their branches appear. There is no justification for classifying psychology as only natural or only social sciences, so today it is already clear to everyone that psychology occupies an intermediate place between the natural and social sciences.
Scientific and applied psychology
The goal of this area of psychological science is not only to conduct research, but also to practically apply the acquired knowledge.
There are several sections focused on:
- type of human activity and behavior;
- psychological aspects of human development;
- determination of criteria for mental norms and pathologies.
This group also includes legal psychology, which studies problems related to the implementation of the legal behavior of individuals.
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)
One of the youngest practical areas of modern psychology
.
The founders of NLP are linguist D. Grinder and psychologist R. Bandler. The basis of the NLP school is a huge set of techniques for achieving specific goals, designed on the basis of the achievement of these goals by other already successful people. The problem with this technique lies in the regular inconsistencies in changes in reality with the use of techniques. Some variations of goal achievement are unattainable due to changing circumstances, but NLP
is built strictly according to plan without using modernization in its systems. Modern techniques make it possible to model a personality rather than superimpose images of successful people, which completely eliminates the problem of inconsistencies.
Practical psychology
A special place in the classification of branches of psychology is given to practical psychology - a system of services aimed at providing psychological assistance to the population. The main goal of this direction is to create psychological and social conditions suitable for a person in all spheres of life.
Its structure includes the following areas and services:
- family and social protection;
- health systems;
- education systems;
- management, political activity;
- practical legal psychology and sociology;
- socio-psychological service of the army;
- practical psychology of work and career guidance;
- practical psychology and sociology of economics and business;
- psychology and pedagogy of sports.
Since the tasks of the main branches of psychology often overlap, and the methods of providing assistance often coincide, there are quite close connections between them, which determine a more complete study of the subject of research in certain conditions.
