INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY and its branches

PSYCHOLOGY FOR NURSES

1. INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGY
PREPARED BY
VARSHAPATEL
NURSING OFFICER

2. CONTENTS
❑INTRODUCTION
❑DEFINITIONOFPSYCHOLOGY
❑SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
❑BRANCHESOF PURE AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
❑RELEVANCE OF PSYCHOLOGY TO NURSING
❑METHODSOF PSYCHOLOGY

3. DEFINITION
1. Psychology is the science of human and animal behavior; it includes
the application of behavioral science to human problems. Psychology is
the science of human behavior.
(Walter Bowers Pillsbury—1911)
2. Psychology is a science, which aims to give us better understanding
and control of the behavior of the organism as a whole.
(William McDoughall—1949)

4. SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
The scope of a subject can usually be discussed under the following
two headings:
-The limits of its operations and applications.
-The branches, topics and subject matter with which it deals.

5. SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
1.It studies, describes and explains the behavior of living organisms.
2.It describes all types of life activities and experiences—whether
conative, cognitive or affective, implicit or explicit, conscious,
unconscious and subconscious of a living organism.
3.It studies not only human behavior, but also human experience,
language and otherforms of communication.
4.It also studies the behavior of the animals, insects, birds and plant
lifeormsof communication.

6. BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

7. PURE PSYCHOLOGY
It is the branch of psychology that deals
with the study of human behavioursnon-
experimentaly, it is based on theory.

8. APPLIEDPSYCHOLOGY
The branch of psychology that deals with
the study of human behaviourson the
basis of experiments.

9. Branches of pure psychology
1.General Psychology -General psychology deals with the fundamental rules,
principles and theories of psychology in relation to the study of behavior of a
normal adult.
2.Abnormal Psychology -Abnormal psychology deals with the behavior of
individuals who are unusual. It studies mental disorders, their causes and
treatment.
3.Social Psychology -Social psychology deals with the group behavior and
interrelationships of people with other people.
4.Physiological Psychology -This branch of psychology describes and explains
the biological and physiological basis of behavior. It concerns the structure and
functions of sense organs, nervous system, muscles and glands underlying all
behavior.

10. BRANCHES OF PURE PSYCHOLOGY
5. Parapsychology -Parapsychology deals with extra-sensory perceptions,
causes of rebirth, telepathy and allied problems.
6. Geopsychology-This branch of psychology describes and explains the
relation of physical environment particularly weather, climate and soil with
behavior.
7. Developmental Psychology -This branch of psychology describes the
processes and factors that influence the growth and development in relation to the
behavior of an individual from birth to old age.
8. Experimental Psychology -This branch of psychology studies the ways and
means of carrying out psychological experiments by using scientific methods.

11. Branches of Applied Psychology
1. Educational Psychology -Educational psychology is a branch of applied psychology,
which tries to apply the psychological principles, theories and techniques to human
behavior in educational situations.
2. Clinical Psychology -This branch of applied psychology describes the causes of
mental illness, abnormal behavior of a patient and suggests treatment and effective
adjustment of the affected person in society.
3. Industrial Psychology -This branch of applied psychology tries to seek application
of the psychological principles, theories and techniques for the study of human behavior in
relation to industrial environment.
4. Legal Psychology -Legal psychology is a branch of applied psychology, which
tries to study the behavior of persons like clients, criminals, witnesses, etc. with the
help of applications of psychological principles and techniques.

12. BRANCHES OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
5.Military Psychology -This branch of psychology is concerned with the use of
psychological principles and techniques in military science. How to keep the morale
of the soldiers and citizens high during war time, how to secure better recruitment
of the personnel for the fighting capacities and organizational climate and
leadership, etc. are the various topics that are dealt with in this branch of
psychology.
6. Political Psychology -This branch of psychology relates itself with the use of
psychological principles and techniques in studying politics and deriving political
gains.

13. RELEVANCE TO NURSING
•To Understand Her Own Self
•To Understand Patients
•To Recognize Abnormal Behavior
•To Understand Other People
•To Provide Quality Care to Patients
•Help Patients Adjust to the Situation
•Help the Student Nurse to Appreciate the Necessity for Changing the
Environment or Surroundings
•Help for Effective Studying

14. METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY
•Psychology is termed as the scientific study of human
behavior. Special tools and procedures help us in
gathering and organizing its subject matter or the
essential facts about behavior.
•These procedures are termed as methods, which are
used to study human behavior.

15. METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY
•Introspection or Self-observation Method -Introspectionmeans ‘to
look within’. This is also known as self-observation method. Here the
subject is asked to systematically observe his own behavior and
report the same; this is later analyzed to understand behavior.
•Observational Method-Observation is the objective method of
studying the behavior of individuals. In this method the observer
observes and collects the data. Example, in the hospital the nurse
makes an observation of patient’s temperature, pulse, blood
pressure, facial expressions, restlessness, etc. to understand clinical
condition of the patient.

16. METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY
•Experimental Method -In experimentation we try or put to test the material
or phenomenon, the characteristics of consequences of which we wish to
ascertain.
•Clinical or Case History Method -This method is used by clinical
psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric social workers in child guidance clinics or
mental hygiene clinics and the allied institutions. It aims at studying the cause
and basis of people’s anxieties, fears and personal maladjustments.
•Survey Method -The survey method involves collection or gathering of
information from a large number of people by using questionnaires, inventories,
checklists, rating scales and interviews.

17. METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY
•Genetic or Developmental Method -Psychologists study not only the
behavior of an individual at a particular time, but also his development from birth
to death, the influence of heredity and environment in the development of the
person and conditions favorable and unfavorable for normal and abnormal
behavior.

18. METHODSOFPSYCHOLOGY

19. BIBLIOGRAPHY
•RSreevani,Psychology for nurses, 2
nd
edition, published by JAYPEE
brothers in 2013.