Why study psychology?

Essay by cyndiaUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, July 2004

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Why Study Psychology?

Britannica Encyclopedia defines psychology as ?Scientific discipline that studies mental processes and behavior in humans and other animals.? It is one of the youngest sciences, since philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato have ?wondered about the mind and soul? for centuries (?Psychology?). They questioned the causes of mental illness, what motivates people, and what brings happiness. Part of psychology can also be traced back to physiology, the study of the human brain and nervous system. The actual establishment of psychology is traced back to 1879, when ?physiologist Wilhelm Wundt established the first laboratory dedicated to the scientific study of the mind? in Leipzig, Germany (?Psychology?). Since then, many different branches of psychology that have a significant effect on people and the actions they take.

Psychology investigates a wide spectrum of topics which include learning and memory, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, thinking and language, personality and social behavior, intelligence, infancy and child development, mental illness, and much more.

It is very important to study these fields because they are present in everything we do. The brain and mind are the reasons we are the way we are and act in a certain way: ?Psychology has a leading role to play in understanding how brain function relates to behaviour?(?Why Study Psychology??). People are, and always have been, curious about why they feel, think and behave as they do. The reasons why we act a certain way may help us be more successful in life. Making decisions, for example, is an important task that everyone must carry out on a day-to-day basis. Studying the thought process or behavior may guide a person to make better decisions, and therefore makes psychology a significant field

Psychology is important because it helps us understand why we do things the way...