When Wilhelm Wundt, considered the father of psychologyfounded the first experimental psychology laboratory in Germany in 1879, psychology was a field with blurred boundaries that had been intertwined for centuries with disciplines such as philosophy.
Almost a century and a half later, psychology has become a science in its own right that brings together, within its study, multitude of branches aimed at researching very different fields. The concept of psychology is commonly related to what would actually be the Clinical psychology, the branch responsible for studying everything related to mental health of human beings. In fact, clinical psychology is closely linked to medicine, to the point that there is a medical specialty called Clinical Psychology.
However, psychology covers a much broader space, as it is divided into multitude of fields of studyof which clinical psychology is just a small part. To help you understand the different types of psychology, we bring you a brief summary of the most common ones, focused on their object of study.
Types of psychology
As we have already explained, clinical psychology is the best-known branch. You can surely remember someone in your immediate circle who has needed help to overcome an anxiety disorder, depression, a break-up or even a death. Psychologists in the clinical branch are in charge of all of this. At , we have a team of psychology professionals ready to help you if you have a problem that you would like to solve.
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Other branches of psychology, increasingly common, are:
- Organizational psychology
This branch of psychology focuses on the functioning of companies, since Its object of study is the behavior of workers.
Although the origins of organizational psychology date back many centuries, it is during World War IIwhen workers began to be considered essential for the good performance of nations in combat, when this branch experienced a boom, since those in power were already beginning to understand that Not everyone could do any job.
However, the important role played by organizational psychology during World War II did not end once the war was over: it was then that it was proven that The war had left its mark on mental health of workers and the importance of this branch of psychology was reaffirmed.
Currently, organizational psychology is responsible for studying both the behavior of workers and relationships that are established in the work environment. It analyzes workers as individuals and the company as a whole.
It is in the area of Human Resources where you can usually find professionals in this branch, who have two main tasks: firstly, to take care of the worker welfare in the work environment, and secondly, closely related to the previous point, ensuring that they are in the best possible situation in order to increase the company's productivity.
- Consumer or marketing psychology
Consumer psychology is the branch responsible for studying how consumers behave during the purchasing process.
When choosing a product or service, it is not only the consumer's needs and the price of the product that influence it, A multitude of psychosocial factors take part in the process: The consumer's personality, lifestyle, culture and other characteristics such as age or gender can tip the balance towards one choice or another.
In this context, consumer psychology tries to understand all the factors that will influence the consumer behaviorand then apply them to sales, in an attempt to maximize profits.
Clinical psychology is not the only branch related to medicine, since neuropsychology is halfway between psychology and neurology, since studies the influence of the central nervous system on human behavior.
Its origin dates back to the mid-19th century, when Paul Pierre Broca discovered that the language center was located in the left hemisphere of the brain. Thanks to this, the study of aphasia began, a disorder characterized by the inability to speak and understand speech after a brain injury.
In relation to other areas of knowledge we find forensic psychologywhich performs during judicial proceedings.
This branch emerged in the first half of the 20th century, although it was around the 1970s when demand increased and when it was given a name. The role of forensic psychologists is of vital importance for certain judicial processes, since the performance of their profession allows know the psychological traits of the accused.
Another of the best known branches of psychology, as it is the one that is commonly present in educational centers. Psychopedagogues are responsible for studying all processes related to teaching and learning.
They often act in cases where children have learning difficulties or, for example, when teenagers have to choose a career.
This branch applies the knowledge of psychology to the practice of sport and is present, especially, in the elite sport.
Traditionally, sports psychology has been considered to be responsible for analyzing the factors that intervene in sports practice in order to improve the performance of athletes.
However, in recent years and in light of the numerous cases of athletes who have spoken about their psychological disorders, special attention has begun to be paid to the mental health of athletessince this also influences the proper performance of their functions.
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