Psychology

Psychology deals with the study of the human mind and human behavior at the individual level. It includes studies of behavioral elements, the mind, behavioral patterns, mental development, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology.

This organization is somewhat tentative and may be subject to some reorganization.

   

Behavioral elements

These include sensation, perception, and motor activity.

Mind

The mind is traditionally recognized as composed of emotion, cognition (thinking), and volition (the will).

A major section of psychology deals with learning, memory, and consciousness. These are principally mental activities.

Behavior Patterns

This includes studies of motivation, but also a classification of various kinds of activities that people are involved in. This is principally elements of behavior that are built up to form culturally-taught patterns.

Developmental psychology

This refers to the development during the human life cycle.

Mental Disorders

Mental disease and illness includes various kinds of mental illness. Diagnosis and treatment belong in the area of culture.

Personality

The study of personality refers to integration of various elements of psychology into patterns of behavior and interaction.

Social Psychology

Social psychology refers to the influence that other people have on a person and the influence a person may have on other people.


Natural science

Physics has various effects on psychology. Thermodynamics and parts of electromagnetism have direct connection with subjects of psychology. Relativity and quantum physics are less directly involved. Parts of the structure of matter are also connected. Mechanics including gravitation has some connection. Particle mechanics including may be somewhat applicable. Rather few things important to psychology can be described as particles. Concepts of kinematics including position, velocity, acceleration, and types of motion can be used. Concepts of kinetics including mass, force, momentum, and types of force can be connected. Concepts of energetics including work, mechanical energy, and power can be connected. Systematics including system properties, interactions, and simplified systems can be considered. Rigid body mechanics including body description and motion, rotation, static systems, and dynamics systems can also be connected. Nonrigid mechanics including deformable bodies, fluid mechanics, and wave mechanics can also be connected. Gravitation will also be useful.

Chemistry including substances, chemical change, and chemical systems may have various effects, notably through the the effects of various drugs on the human system. Most of astronomy including cosmology, galactic astronomy, stellar astronomy, and local astronomy has little connection to psychology. Psychology depends somewhat on earth science, including geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography, and geohistory.

There are strong connections of psychology to biology. Molecular biology involving inorganic molecules, small organics, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids is somewhat useful. Cell biology including cellular anatomy, behavior, and especially types is somewhat more significant. Organism biology including habitat, tissues, organ systems, form, life cycle, and behavior are of some use in studies of psychology. Systematics are also useful, not so much microbes. protists, plants, or fungi, but studies of animals are also useful. Ecology including behavioral ecology, population ecology, community ecology, systems ecology, evolution, ecosystems, and biogeography is less significant. Most of biohistory before the Cenozoic era does not apply.

This depends quite heavily on studies of the human body. Body systems including structural, vital, reproductive, and control systems, body function including mobility, vital, reproductive, and control functions, disease, the life cycle, and to some extent form and appearance are all important in psychology. Information from biography is also useful; for one because it includes psychologists, and because human lives are the subject matter of psychology. Prominent individuals include:

There are also strong connections to anthropology. Social foundations, demography, physical anthropology, human geograpny and human ecology, affect psychyoloy in various different ways. particular groups can be connected.

Culture

Material culture including industrial technology, building technology, clothing, foodstuffs, transportation technology, communication technology, and other artifacts may be useful in psychology. Conceptual culture including language, graphic arts, literature, mathematics, applied science, and philosophy will be highly useful in study of psychology. Behavioral culture including customs, occupations, recreation and entertainment, and cultural events will be useful.

Institutions

Families including marriage, parenting, kinship, and particular families are connected to psychology. Education including research, teaching, cultural institutions, educational organziation, and particular schools will be highly important. Economics including activities, industries, and economic systems are important. Government including law, government structure, government activities, and particular governments are important. Religion including religious belief, practice, and organization can be considered. Religions of the world including Abrahamic religion, Asiatic relgion, secularism, and pagan religion can be connected.

Sociology

Social structure and change including social structure and social types is useful to psychology. Social change including social change factors, social change processes, and particular changes can be connected.

Communities such as Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, and New York City are also useful to psychology.

Peoples of the world will be important. Particular nations such as Vietnam, Germany, Egypt, and Ethiopia will be useful in examining it.

Western Civilization including Mexico can be considered. Anglic peoles including the United States are important. Latin peoples including those of Brazil can be considered. Northeast European peoples including those of Russia can be considered.

Asiatic peoples including those of the Philippines will be useful. South Asian peoples such as those of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh can be considered. Oriental peoples such as those of China and Japan can be considered. Southeast Asian peoples including those of Indonesia can be considered.

African peoples including those of Nigeria can be considered. American Indian peoples such as those found Mexico, can be considered. South American Indian peoples as found in Brazil do not seem to be well connected. North American Indian peoples found in the United States are not as well connected.

The history of psychology as a science is fairly new. Although human life, the nature, and mind have been the subject of observation and commentary since prehistory and antiquity, and discussed in classical and medieval times, the use of experiment and careful observation is modern, and psychology has not developed a body of well-established knowledge as the natural sciences have. In many respects, it has remained speculative. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was not considered well, but studies seem to have begun in the 18th century.

Psychology developed in the 19th century. The early 19th century, early mid 19th century, mid 19th century, late-mid 19th century, and late 19th century can be considered.

Freud's work is listed because it has been and still is influential, not necessarily because it is reliable.

1895 - 1898 Freud publishes work on psychoanalysis and dream interpretation.

This has developed as more of a science in the 20th century. I do not yet have many details of the early 20th century.

1905 Freud published his theories of sexuality and its influence on psychological development.

I also lack detail on the early mid 20th century, or mid 20th century. The late-mid 20th century so far lacks detail. The late 20th century including the early 1980s, late 1980s, early 1990s, and late 1990s so far lacks detail. Developments of the early 21st century include developments of the early 2000s. The late 2000s including 2006 and 2007 can be connected. 2008 including the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter with July, August, and September, and the fourth quarter can be connected.

Its future including the near future, middle future, and far future has not yet been well examined.


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Created 9 Mar 2004, Updated 13 Nov 2008