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What is actually applied psychology?
You can think of psychology as a big tree with countless branches, all of which try to understand human behavior. In this jumble of leaves and branches there is a branch that stands out. Here we talk about applied psychology. Applied psychology strives to find concrete solutions to problems that we encounter in our daily lives.
Maybe you wonder if this is not what psychology has always done. Has not this science from the beginning been focused on seeking to find the answers to man's most common and most complex needs? It is not so.
"Intelligence is not just knowledge, but also the ability to apply this knowledge in practice."
-Aristoteles-
At first, psychology was mostly focused on collecting information and understanding psychological processes. Here it is about basic processes such as attention, memory, learning and language. We call this exciting, large and ever-growing field "basic psychology".
It was not until the end of the 19th century and in the early 1900s that psychology took another step forward. This happened thanks to a German-American psychologist named Hugo Münsterberg. Münsterberg helped to steer this broadly defined science towards the search for practical solutions.
With all the knowledge that basic psychology developed, the field was expanded to include the change of people's lives and the improvement of their health, learning and well-being. As you understand, it is almost impossible to think of the two areas as separate fields.
Basic psychology and applied psychology are two essential branches of the same tree. And this amazing tree will always grow and find new opportunities to make our lives better.
Hugo Münsterberg: Founder of Applied Psychology
Hugo Münsterberg used to read Kant. He also had a good relationship with William James, who invited him to work with him in the psychology lab at Harvard University. But it ended up being disagreeable.
It is said that William James was interested in studying paranormal phenomena. Münsterberg, who was successor to Wilhelm Wundt and a strong supporter of objectivity and practical application, could not understand or accept that side of James.
Münsterberg cataloged everything that was not logical and material as "hocus focus psychology". At this time, he was most interested in raising business productivity. Perhaps that is why he always felt a certain contradiction from his academic colleagues.
Their understanding of psychology was based entirely on what emerged from laboratory work. Their perspective was limited to observations and experiments, with the ultimate goal of publishing an article or possibly questioning a colleague's theory.
Hugo Münsterberg laid the foundation for applied psychology for a very specific reason. He wanted to improve the workers' abilities during this time when industry and scientific management, or Taylorism, demanded new skills. The system required more prepared and knowledgeable workers for a more complex work environment.
Different aspects of applied psychology
We pointed out in the beginning that many of the tools and knowledge used in applied psychology are directly derived from the basic psychology. In practice, however, the application and development of a task always leads to new knowledge, data and concepts. This also applies to applied psychology. Applied psychology exhibits some independence from the sister branch of basic psychology.
Consequently, applied psychology has an infinite number of areas of activity. These areas include many of our daily activities. Thanks to applied psychology, we can find solutions, strengthen our abilities, improve processes, innovate, etc. Let's look at some examples.
“… Theory in all honor, but how can we put it into practice? If it is completely impractical, there is no theory that has any value whatsoever other than intellectual gymnastics. "
-Swami Vivekananda-
Face representing applied psychologyGrain of applied psychology
Health Psychology. Although it is related to clinical psychology, they are both separate disciplines. Health psychology analyzes the relationship between behaviors and physical disorders. In addition, it attempts to prevent and treat various diseases.
Clinical Psychology. Focuses on preventing and treating dysfunctional behavior. The goal is to improve the quality of life and mental well-being.
Sports Psychology. Strives to raise athletes' performance, for example by reducing concerns and strengthening teamwork.
Organizational Psychology. This and the clinical psychology the two best-known branches of applied psychology. Here, the goal is to improve work environments, solve problems, educate, maximize skills and manage organizations' human capital.
Educational psychology. Here applied psychology uses basic psychology to improve learning and methodology. It aims to understand how students learn and to give them the resources they need in their daily lives.
Environmental Psychology. Trying to understand how people relate to their surroundings and how the environment in itself can affect our behavior.
Forensic psychology. Professionals in this industry are engaged not only in crime research. Their tasks also include analyzing the validity of testimonials, evaluating custody battles, providing assistance to victims, etc.
Marketing Psychology. We all know that marketing plays a significant role in the consumer economy. Understanding what motivates a buyer to choose certain products and which subconscious processes that control desires and needs are important parts of this interesting area of psychology.
In conclusion, one can say that each field is like a branch of applied psychology. There are many other fields that we could mention, such as disaster psychology, road safety psychology, aging psychology, etc. These are just a few examples of how many situations where psychology plays a crucial role.
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