MEANING AND DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY

SUBJECT: PSYCHOLOGY AND PERSONAL GROWTH

MODULE 1: PSYCHOLOGY

CHAPTERR 1: DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

TOPIC: MEANING AND DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY

What is psychology? (The meaning of psychology)

Modern psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental process of a living creature.

It studies about how human beings and animals sense, perceive, think, learn, know, communicate and interact.

The meaning of psychology by some authentic and famous references are given below:

According to Oxford dictionary, "psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it influences behaviour."

The Encyclopedia Britannica says "psychology as the scientific discipline that studies mental processes and behaviour in humans and other animals."

"Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour." - The World Book of Encyclopedia

The Scientific Encyclopedia: "Psychology as the science dealing with the mind and mental processes, feelings, emotions, desires and personality traits."

Some important definitions of psychology

Some important definitions of psychology by eminent psychologists and agencies are given below:

According to APA (American Psychological Association), “Psychology is the scientific study of the behaviour of individuals and their mental processes.”

The British Psychological Society has defined “Psychology as the Scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour.”

According to Crow and Crow "psychology is the study of human behaviour and human relationships."

B. F. Skinner defines "psychology as the science of behaviour and experience."

Woodworth and Marquis defines "psychology as the scientific study of the activities of the individual in relation to his environment."

According to Koffka, "Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour of living creatures in their contact with the outer world."

In nutshell, as I've mentioned in the beginning, psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental process of a living creature.

In the next session we will go back in time, through the tunnel of the history of psychology.