Scope of Psychology

Psychology addresses a variety of issues related to mental and behavioural functioning of an individual. Such a study helps us to develop a basic understanding about human nature and facilitates us to deal with a number of personal and social problems.

The study of human beings starts with the functioning of biological systems especially the nervous system. Under central nervous system psychology studies the functions of various parts of brain which regulate our feelings, emotions and thinking. Within autonomic nervous system the role of hormones and neurotransmitters in determining our behavior is important. In addition psychology studies as to how a given sociocultural environment interacts with innate biological, intellectual and social attributes of the child and facilitates healthy development of the child.

As a living organism you encounter a lot of sensory input every moment. Your task is not only to process that information but to store and retrieve it when it is required to be used. Attention and perception help to process information. Memory helps us to register, retain and retrieve information, and thinking provides us the ability to manipulate and improve the stored information. Within psychology, all these are studied under the domain of higher mental processes or cognition.

In your life you must have come across many persons who have reached highest level of accomplishment. But such an accomplishment is not attained at once; it is the result of continuous learning in which the individual acquires the necessary skills and competencies through regular practice. Psychology helps us to understand the processes involved in reaching this high level of accomplishment.

In order to understand the purpose behind any kind of behaviour psychologists use the concept of motivation. It primarily focuses on the investment of mental energy and consistency of effort towards achieving the set goals. The various shades of feelings such as anger, fear, love, joy, and sadness which we experience during the course of our life are studied within the realm of emotion.

No two individuals are the same in terms of their physical attributes such as height, weight, skin colour or facial features as well as psychological attributes such as intelligence, personality, temperament and interest. An understanding of these and other aspects of individual differences facilitates the psychologist to select right person for the right job and to provide guidance and counseling for various matters of personal as well as professional concern. The understanding of individual differences also helps the psychologist to differentiate between normative (customary, accepted) and abnormal (deviant, unusual) behaviors.

Thus, psychology as a discipline has a vast scope. It not only studies human beings across the life span but also tries to explore mental processes and potentials in order to facilitate achieving a better quality of life.