Psychology is a broad area of study. It includes social, biological, and environmental variables. They impact how individuals think, behave, and feel.
There are very many career paths available to any professional in this field.
But deciding on a specific field of psychology to study might be challenging. This is because there are hundreds of disciplines. You will choose a particular specialization when pursuing a degree in psychology.
Continue reading to learn about 10 major branches of psychology.
1. Forensic Psychology
This specialization focuses on meeting the demands that occur within the legal system. A forensic psychologist gathers, analyzes, and delivers psychological proof to the court.
The interests of the psychologist and evaluated individuals don’t coincide. This is particularly in the forensic psychological examination. This is unlike what occurs in psychotherapy.
A forensic psychologist should do an investigation. This is on the likelihood of the evaluated individual lying to claim a version of the facts that favor him.
Another concern of forensic psychology is developing the psychological profiles of offenders. This is to aid in search and arrest activities.
2. Social Psychology
This is one of the fascinating disciplines of psychology. It focuses on the connections between individuals in a context. Thus, this branch investigates how other individuals’ presence affects a person’s mental processes.
It is a subfield of psychology that is more related to sociology than the other divisions. Further, it may play a significant role in the different disciplines of this field.
3. Clinical and Health Psychology
This is among the famous fields of psychology. It’s studying and counseling aimed at psychological disorders affecting individuals’ quality of life.
Clinical psychologists will engage other health professionals. This is in assessing, intervening, and controlling psychological problems. But issues related to mental disorders.
People who work in this branch provide a service known as psychotherapy. This process may vary depending on one’s psychological inclination. Also, it may depend on the instruments at their disposal.
Thus, not every health psychologist operates or has the same training. This is despite their classification as mental health experts.
4. Behavioral Psychology
Behavioral psychology holds that the learning of behaviors happens through conditioning. This field of psychology declined in prominence throughout the 1950s. But it dominated the discipline in the early 20th century.
Although, behavioral methods remain a cornerstone in education, counseling, and different other fields.
Individuals use behavioral techniques like operant conditioning and classical conditioning. They use them to change conduct. A teacher, for example, may use a reward system to educate pupils on how to behave in class.
There are gold stars rewards for pupils who do well. They may redeem them for some special benefits.
5. Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology looks at internal mental conditions. Since its foundation in the 1960s, this branch has shown tremendous grown.
This branch of psychology focuses on the study of how individuals think, learn, and recall.
Psychologists study several topics in this discipline. These topics include language, learning, memory, perception, motivation, emotion, problem-solving, attention, and decision-making.
6. Industrial Organizational Psychology
This is a field that utilizes workstation problems. For example, it focuses on behavior and productivity using psychological concepts.
This branch of psychology seeks to enhance workplace productivity and efficiency. At the same time, it improves employee well-being.
Psychologists in this area specialize in ergonomics, human factors, and human-computer interface.
Human factors professionals strive to improve how humans interact with products and technologies. This is both in and out of work. They can assist in designing goods that focus on reducing harm. Also, they can create workplaces that encourage higher accuracy and safety.
7. School Psychology
School psychology is a discipline applied in schools. This is to assist students with academic, social, and emotional difficulties.
School psychologists also work with instructors, learners, and parents. This is to provide a positive learning environment.
The majority of school psychologists work in lower and secondary schools. But some also work in private clinics, hospitals, government organizations, and universities. Some work as consultants in private practice.
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8. Comparative Psychology
Comparative psychology is a field of psychology that studies animal behavior. Studying animal behaviors can result in a comprehensive knowledge of human psychology.
This field has its origins in the work of scientists like George Romanes and Charles Darwin. It has evolved into an interdisciplinary subject. Psychologists, together with biologists, geneticists among others, contribute to this subject.
9. Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology deals with the way people evolve and grow throughout their lives. It explains how and why individuals evolve throughout their lifetimes.
There are different topics that developmental psychologists examine throughout a lifetime. They include emotional changes, social growth, physical growth, perceptual changes, and intellectual development.
These psychologists often focus on a specific development area. These areas include baby, child, adolescent, or geriatric development. At the same time, others may research the impacts of developmental delays.
This area encompasses a wide variety of topics. They range from prenatal growth through Alzheimer’s illness.
10. Abnormal Psychology
Abnormal psychology is the study of psychopathology and aberrant conduct. Mental health specialists assist in assessing, diagnosing, and treating various psychological illnesses. This includes anxiety and depression.
Those involved in this area include clinical psychologists, counselors, and psychotherapists.
You Now Know the Major Branches of Psychology
Psychology keeps on changing, with new disciplines and branches emerging all the time. No single discipline of psychology is superior or more important than the other.
The different branches of psychology make us understand the many diverse psychological variables. These are the ones that impact who you are, how you conduct yourself, and how you perceive things.
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