Psychology helps people in all walks of life because it can explain why people behave the way they do. With this kind of professional insight, a psychologist can help people improve their decision making, stress management and behavior based on understanding past behavior to better predict future behavior. The true purpose of psychology as studying the function of behavior in the world, emphasizing adaptive processes in individuals. Psychology is a branch of philosophy. I am giving writeup about few branches of psychology.
Forensic Psychology
When psychologists apply forensic theory to a criminal investigation to understand psychological problems associated with criminal behaviour the term used is forensic psychology. The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years as more and more psychology students are interested in this applied branch of psychology. Popular movies, television programs, and books have helped popularize the field, often depicting brilliant heroes who solve vicious crimes or track down killers using psychology.
In forensic psychology, punishment is the penalty imposed on a person who has committed a crime. The severity of the punishment is usually in line with the seriousness of the crime. The main goal of punishment is to deter the offender and others from committing similar crimes.
Example of forensic psychology is Tandoor Murder Case (Naina Sahani) in 1995. The tandoor murder case shocked the nation. This case, where a woman was murdered and her body disposed of in a tandoor oven, is considered one of the first high-profile cases in India where forensic evidence played a crucial role in conviction. Naina Sahni’s murder remains one of the most sensational cases for the criminal and justice system. Discovering a burnt body of a woman chopped into pieces in a tandoor of a restaurant in Delhi indeed shook the country’s conscience to a completely new level. While no specific forensic psychologist is directly named as having solved the Tandoor murder case, T.D. Dogra, a forensic medicine expert, played a crucial role in the investigation by leading the second autopsy which revealed the true cause of death, a pistol injury.
Forensic psychology encompasses evaluating competency to stand trial, making sentencing recommendations, offering expert testimony, performing child custody evaluations, participating in jury selection, and providing psychotherapy to criminal offenders.
Sports Psychology
Studies the psychological factors that influence athletic performance, including motivation, anxiety, and stress management. Sports psychology is a branch of applied psychology, it uses psychological principles to study and improve athletic performance and well-being, encompassing areas like motivation, anxiety management, and goal setting. Coleman Roberts Griffith is known as “Father” of sports psychology.
Depending on a sports psychologist’s unique specialization, their key aim is generally twofold: They help athletes achieve greater sports performance and recover from injuries with evidence-based psychological techniques. They help their clients reduce mental or emotional suffering through physical therapies. Tennis player Leander Paes has been working with a US-based sports psychologist, Dr. Jim Loehr, since the 1990s, Paes highlights the long-term benefits of sports psychology. Shooter, Abhinav Bindra has been counselled by sports psychologist Amit Bhattacharjee, with whom he trained for five years. Virat Kohli has spoken about the positive impact of working with Paddy Upton, a former mental conditioning coach for the Indian national team, who helped him regain his perspective during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Educational Psychology
Explores the psychological principles of learning and teaching, with applications to curriculum development, classroom management, and student support. Educational psychology, a field that studies human behaviour within educational contexts, encompasses understanding learning processes, classroom environments, student development, and effective teaching methods, ultimately aiming to improve educational outcomes. Narendra Nath Sen Gupta is widely recognized as the founder of modern education psychology in India, having established the first independent Department of Psychology at the University of Calcutta. Dipti Yadav is an honourable psychologist and career counsellor who promotes holistic well-being. She can diligently lead groups and individuals in educational arena.
Howard Gardner is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University. He is a developmental psychologist who has penned numerous research papers and books, many of which involve his Multiple Intelligences Theory. This theory states that information process occurs in a variety of different ways. According to Gardner, there are eight primary intelligences: linguistic, logic/mathematical, musical, bodily/kinaesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. There are also two additional intelligences that may be added to that list, which are pedagogical and existential.
Cultural Psychology
Examine how culture influences thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, contributing to a globalized understanding of human behavior. Cultural psychology is the study of how people are shaped by their cultures, focusing on the interplay between the mind and culture. They draw from various social science disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, and psychology. This field is more than simply examining traditions or language; it is also the exploration of what drives human behavior, the attitudes, ideas, and actions of different cultures. Culture plays a major role in our lives and in global economy. I am referring to corporate culture in below given passages.
Cultural psychologists investigate how cultural norms, values, beliefs, and practices influence various aspects of human psychology, including cognition, emotions, social interactions, and development. They examine similarities and differences in psychological phenomena across different cultures, seeking to understand how cultural contexts shape human behavior. Cultural psychologists contribute to the development of psychological theories and practices that are culturally sensitive and relevant to diverse populations. By studying cultural differences, they aim to foster greater understanding and tolerance among people for cross cultural understanding and removing biases.
An example, in organizations we see a common bias during hiring. It is that the hiring panel favors male candidates over female candidates even though they have similar skills and job experience. Another well-known example is the gender pay gap. As of 2021, the average median salary for men is about 18% higher than women’s. Ageism refers to stereotyping or discriminating against others based on their age, often happening to older team members.
Organizations refuse to hire people over or under a certain age. asking for someone’s age at a job interview when it is not relevant to the work and enacting policies that unfairly privilege one age group over another. viewing older people as out of touch, less productive, or stuck in their ways.
Virtual Reality and Psychology
This area studies how virtual reality can be used for therapy, training, or research, including exploring VR applications in the treatment of phobias, stress, and other mental health conditions. Virtual reality (VR) offers psychologists a powerful tool for studying human cognition and behavior in highly controlled, immersive environments, with applications ranging from social and cognitive research to clinical interventions, like exposure therapy for phobias.
For example. patients suffering from the agony of burn injuries find relief in immersing themselves in SnowWorld, a simple virtual reality game where they throw snowballs at penguins and snowmen. It distracts them so much from their real life that they sometimes even forget about their pain. Psychologists started using VR decades ago to treat phobias, such as the fear of riding trains and planes, and it is now being used for a range of mental health issues. “The potential is that VR treatment can be faster, more powerful, and have a greater appeal for patients than traditional mental health approaches,” says Daniel Freeman, founder and director of the University of Oxford VR lab for mental health disorders. However, the benefits often remain to be proven in clinical trials. Psychologists started using VR decades ago to treat phobias, such as the fear of riding trains and planes, and it is now being used for a range of mental health issues.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Psychology
As AI has been more integrated into our lives, psychologists are researching how AI can be used in therapy, diagnosis, and research, and the ethical implications of AI in mental healthcare. Recently development in AI presents countless opportunities and challenges to psychology in world. AI provides psychologists the opportunity to analyse vast amounts of data efficiently. In the context of education, AI can be a helpful support for code and essay writing, assignments, tests, and background summaries in mere seconds. It also allows for harnessing massive search power. AI is relevant to the practice of psychology insofar as it will become increasingly implicated in the daily lives of professional psychologists and in the health/functioning of the clients and patients whom they serve.
AI is transforming psychology, offering tools for accessible therapy, research, and training, including AI chatbots for initial support, AI-powered interventions, and machine learning for data analysis. Few examples follow elaborate AI’s contribution to psychology.
Wysa: An AI-powered chatbot that provides mental health support and guidance.
Talkspace: A platform that uses AI to match users with therapists and provide virtual therapy sessions.
7Cups: A platform that uses AI to provide support and guidance to users who are struggling with mental health issues.
