A Look Into Psychology by Enzo Mauricio (Staccato)

29 Mar

Everyday we interact with other people, be it walking, talking, eating or any other activity. a huge bulk of our daily routine is shared with other people.  But have you ever thought what that person that is sitting in front of you is thinking? Does that girl/guy that keeps staring at you like you or just has a mental disorder?

So this semester I started studying psychology under Sir Hudson Go. At first I thought after learning psychology I would be able to know what people are thinking, wrong. Psychology is not about knowing what people are thinking but rather understanding the mind or psyche.

So what is Psychology exactly? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior (everything we do that can be directly observed) and mental processes (thoughts and feelings that we all experience but cannot be seen physically). Psychology was first studied during 308 B.C. During 1859 Charles Darwin started talking about the origin of our species but then has evolved into the contemporary psychology during 1879. We learned about the different scientific approaches to psychology such as the behavioral approach, psychodynamic approach, the cognitive approach, the behavioral neuroscience approach, the evolutionary approach and the sociocultural approach. After learning each approach I was able to connect the subject little by little to real life. I saw how the behavioral approach talked about how behavior is shaped by our environment.

For most of us we associate psychology with problems, how do deal with depression, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, etc. lots of psychologists think that their practice focuses more on the negative rather than the positive. Due to this negativity two movements were created that focused on the positive aspect of psychology. The first movement is called “Humanistic Movement” which appeared in the middle of the twentieth century. The next which was created at the beginning of the twenty-first century was called “The Positive Psychology Movement”. So what exactly are these movements?

First the Humanistic movement emphasizes on a person’s capacity for personal growth, freedom to choose any destiny and positive qualities. In simpler terms the humanistic movement says that each person has the ability to be who they want to be. They have the power to choose their futures, their destinies. Many aspects of this new approach appear in clinical practices today. By looking at the very definition of it we can see how this shines on the positive side and none of the negative.

At the start of the twenty-first century a man named Martin Seligman thought that psychology was focusing too much on the negative. The Positive Psychology Movement” focuses on the experiences that people value subjectively, such as hope, optimism, and happiness. It also focused on traits such as love and creativity.

Psychology has evolved throughout the years and it still continuing to evolve as a practice and a way of life. Psychology is more than understanding a person it is a way to help and improve people’s lives. There is so much left to learn but that’s what makes psychology fun, the never ending quest to find understanding.


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