Definition of psychology (II)

Abnormal psychology, also known as psychopathology, is a branch that attempts to describe and classify abnormal behaviors. Applications include the development of diagnostic tools like tests, and the proposal and evaluation of therapies. The corresponding applied specialty is known as clinical psychology or psychotherapy.

Social psychology studies problems that arise from the interaction of men, because a person will behave differently when isolated than when in the company of other humans. Developmental psychology is interested in the ways in which the behavior of people changes as persons pass from childhood to old age. Educationists are just one kind of specialists concerned with its results.

The challenges that applied psychologists must confront range from helping a child to learn to train executives in decision making, from helping a person troubled by anxiety to smoothing the relationship between spouses. In these tasks the psychologist must make use of scientific knowledge combined with his own personal experience to address problems that most of the time cannot be postponed. Hence, it will be no surprise that, when science is not enough, practitioners use their intuition to help people. In the same way as physicians existed long before the principles of blood circulation were understood and frequently based their interventions in theories without confirmation, psychologists sometimes convert their intuitions in theories that later give origin to 'schools.' There are many of these schools that attempt to furnish some principles to the clinical psychologist's labor. Older ones have themselves originated branches that contribute to the variety of approaches that can be observed in the treatment of psychologically disturbed people.

Besides clinical psychology, the largest field of applied psychology, two other areas are important in terms of the number of people involved: the educational and the industrial areas. Educational psychologists help pupils with learning problems and give counsel on curriculum and career choice. Industrial psychologists help people to work together, and deal with aspects such as motivation and job satisfaction.

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