Essay on Psychology as a Science
1771 Words
Nov 6th, 2012
8 Pages
1. Define Psychology. Is psychology a science? Elucidate your answer with relevant arguments.
DEFINITIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology has been defined in different ways.Some people have defined psychology as an art.Other people have defined psychology as a science.Many text books define psychology as the science of mind and behavior.Psychology involves the study of human nature and/or behavior.Different opinions come from different perspectives.
Eric Pettifor at GIGANTOPITHECUS defines psychology as "an art which presents itself as science".
H.D.Hamm Ph.D.,who authored and maintains a site for Northern Michigan University,defines psychology as the "scientific study of the behavior of humans and animals".
Tom Bolling at the University of …show more content…
DEFINITIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology has been defined in different ways.Some people have defined psychology as an art.Other people have defined psychology as a science.Many text books define psychology as the science of mind and behavior.Psychology involves the study of human nature and/or behavior.Different opinions come from different perspectives.
Eric Pettifor at GIGANTOPITHECUS defines psychology as "an art which presents itself as science".
H.D.Hamm Ph.D.,who authored and maintains a site for Northern Michigan University,defines psychology as the "scientific study of the behavior of humans and animals".
Tom Bolling at the University of …show more content…
Blurring of research,diagnosis and therapy
This blurring is a problem in mainstream medicine as well as psychology,but it has a more severe form in psychology and psychiatry.It is more severe mostly because of the above ethical limitations,which preclude formal,strict scientific study on human subjects.
As a result,ordinary clinical therapeutic treatments are actually a mixture of the three items listed above–research,diagnosis and therapy.If the treatment is routine and uneventful,it is clinical therapy,which most people realize is entirely ineffectual in any case.
Present-day Human Psychology
One might think the dismal history of psychology and the recent revolution in psychoactive drugs might cause more than a few psychologists to wonder whether their field means anything at all.But the absence of a scientific foundation for psychology means that,like religion,it can prevail in the face of overwhelming evidence that it has no fixed,testable content.
The Architecture of Science
Many psychologists
This blurring is a problem in mainstream medicine as well as psychology,but it has a more severe form in psychology and psychiatry.It is more severe mostly because of the above ethical limitations,which preclude formal,strict scientific study on human subjects.
As a result,ordinary clinical therapeutic treatments are actually a mixture of the three items listed above–research,diagnosis and therapy.If the treatment is routine and uneventful,it is clinical therapy,which most people realize is entirely ineffectual in any case.
Present-day Human Psychology
One might think the dismal history of psychology and the recent revolution in psychoactive drugs might cause more than a few psychologists to wonder whether their field means anything at all.But the absence of a scientific foundation for psychology means that,like religion,it can prevail in the face of overwhelming evidence that it has no fixed,testable content.
The Architecture of Science
Many psychologists