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Psychology: The Evolution of a Science Chapter 1 Prepared by Melissa S. Terlecki, Cabrini College, PA Dr. Psychology • Psychology: the scientific study of mind and behavior – Mind: private inner experience – Behavior: observable actions of human beings and nonhuman animals • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): neuroimaging technique which allows one to see which parts of the brain are active during a given task The Path to Freud and Psychoanalytic Theory • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): hysteria caused from painful unconscious experiences – Unconscious: the part of the mind that operates outside of awareness but influences conscious thoughts, feelings, and actions – Psychoanalytic theory: approach to understanding human behavior that emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts, and behaviors – Psychoanalysis: a therapeutic approach that focuses on bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to better understand psychological disorders Influence of Psychoanalysis and the Humanistic Response • Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), Carl Rogers (1902-1987): pioneered a new movement in Humanistic Psychology – Humanistic psychology: an approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings The Search for Objective Measurement: Behaviorism Takes Center Stage • Behaviorism: an approach that advocates that psychologists restrict themselves to the scientific study of objectively observable behavior The Adaptive Mind: The Emergence of Evolutionary Psychology • Evolutionary psychology: a psychological approach that explains mind and behavior in terms of the adaptive value of abilities that are preserved over time by natural selection – Influenced by Darwin, James, and E.O. Wilson Beyond the Individual: Social and Cultural Perspectives • Human beings are social animals • Psychology is influenced by the presence and absence of other people The Emergence of Cultural Psychology • Cultural psychology: the study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members – Studied by psychologists and anthropologists – Absolutionism: culture makes little difference on psychology – Relativism: psychological phenomena are likely to vary considerably across cultures The Real World: Joining the Club • Social changes have led to openness and diversity in psychology. • Women and minority PhDs are growing. • Psi Chi and Psi Beta organizations are available to join. What Psychologists Do: Research Careers • Most undergraduate psychology students move on to graduate school and conduct research. – Postdoctoral fellowships – Faculty positions – Research position in industry • Variety of career paths – Clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, industrial/organizational psychology are just a few Figure 1.6 The Major Subfields in Psychology