Psychology Simplified : What Is It?

Psychology is often quite a complex social science, as it deals with things we cannot see: feelings, emotions etc. This article explains in basic terms what it is and how it works.

What is Psychology?

Psychology is the study of cognitions, emotions, and behaviour. Psychologists are involved in a variety of tasks. Many spend their careers designing and performing research to better understand how people behave in specific situations, how and why we think the way we do, and how emotions develop and what impact they have on our interactions with others. These are the research psychologists who often work in research organizations or universities. Industrial-organizational psychologists work with businesses and organizations to help them become more productive, effective, and efficient, and to assist them in working with their employees and their customers. Practitioners, typically counselling and clinical psychologists, work with individuals, couples, families, and small groups to help them feel less depressed, less anxious, become more productive or motivated, and overcome issues which prevent them from living up to their potential.


The study of psychology has five basic goals:

1. Describe
The first goal is to observe behaviour and describe, often in minute detail, what was observed as objectively as possible.

2. Explain
While descriptions come from observable data, psychologists must go beyond what is obvious and explain their observations. In other words, why did the subject do what he or she did?

3. Predict
Once we know what happens, and why it happens, we can begin to speculate what will happen in the future. Remember: "the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour."

4. Control
Once we know what happens, why it happens and what is likely to happen in the future, we can excerpt control over it. In other words, if we know you choose abusive partners because your father was abusive, we can assume you will choose another abusive partner, and can therefore intervene to change this negative behaviour.

5. Improve
Not only do psychologists attempt to control behaviour, they want to do so in a positive manner, they want to improve a person’s life, not make it worse. This is not always the case, but it should always be the intention.

Influence of Research on Psychology

Psychology is not an absolute science and is often referred to as a 'Social Science' or a 'Soft Science.' This is because it deals with human thoughts, feelings, and behaviour, and as we are all aware, humans are not always predictable and reliable.

Instead, we interact with our environment in ways that alter how we behave, how we think, and how we feel. Change one thing and the domino effect can change everything else. Nevertheless, research plays an extremely important role in psychology. Research helps us understand what makes people think, feel, and act in certain ways; allows us to categorize psychological disorders in order to understand the symptoms and impact on the individual and society; helps us to understand how intimate relationships, development, schools, family, peers, and religion affect us as individuals and as a society; and helps us to develop effective treatments to improve the quality of life of individuals and groups.

In this sense, psychological research is typically used for the following:

• Study development and external factors and the role they play on individuals' mental health
• Study people with specific psychological disorders, symptoms, or characteristics
• Develop tests to measure specific psychological phenomenon
• Develop treatment approaches to improve individuals' mental health

This article has been put together by the distance learning organisation Start Learning who are experts in home study. If you want to find out more about Psychology or many other distance learning courses please browse their website: Start Learning

A good way to find out more about Psychology is to sign up for a distance learning course on the subject. By studying in your free time and pace, you can gain the necessary knowledge while tailoring it to suit your schedule.

Kerrana McAvoy
Academic Director – Start Learning
Start Learning