Major branches of psychology

Psychology is a vast field with many different branches. Some of the major branches of psychology that one can specialize in include clinical psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, forensic psychology, and neuropsychology. Each of these branches focuses on a different aspect of human behaviour and mental processes.

·        Clinical psychology

·        Abnormal psychology

·        Biopsychology

·        Neuropsychology

·        Cognitive psychology

·        Developmental psychology

·        Forensic psychology 

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Clinical psychology:

Clinical psychology is a field that integrates human science, behavioural science, theory, and clinical knowledge to understand, prevent, and relieve psychological distress or dysfunction and promote well-being and personal development. Clinical psychologists use psychological assessment, clinical formulation, and psychotherapy to help people overcome mental health issues. They also engage in research, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration.

The field of clinical psychology began in 1896 with the opening of the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania by Lightner Wither. Since then, different educational models have developed in the US, the UK, and Europe to train clinical psychologists.

 

Abnormal psychology:

Abnormal psychology is a vital part of psychology that helps professionals identify, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders. It's an important part of psychology degree programs and is necessary for those interested in working in the field. Understanding abnormal psychology can help professionals and individuals better understand mental health issues and find ways to cope with them.

Abnormal psychology deals with major mental and behavioural disorders that limit people's lives. These disorders can affect the individual's social environment and society.

Biopsychology:

Biopsychology is a branch of psychology that examines how our biology, such as the brain and neurotransmitters, affects our behaviour, thoughts, and feelings. It's also known as biological psychology, behavioural neuroscience, and psychobiology.

Biological psychology has its roots in early structuralism and functionalist psychological studies, which are still relevant today. These early psychologists believed that studying conscious thoughts would help understand the mind and laid the foundation for modern psychological experimentation.

Neuropsychology:

Neuropsychology combines neurology and psychology to study how the brain and nervous system affect the mind and behaviour. Neuropsychologists focus on how brain injuries or illnesses can impact daily life.

Neuropsychology studies how a person's cognition and behaviour are related to the brain and nervous system. It's concerned with diagnosing and treating neurological disorders' behavioural and cognitive effects and shares concepts with neuropsychiatry and behavioural neurology. Neuropsychologists work in research, clinical, forensic, and industry settings.

Developmental psychology:

Developmental psychology examines the influences of nature and nurture on human development, including the social and built environment. It involves fields such as educational psychology, child development, and cultural psychology.

Developmental psychology studies how nature and nurture influence human development, including the social and built environment. It includes fields like educational psychology, child development, and cultural psychology.

Forensic psychology:

Forensic psychology is using clinical psychology in legal settings. Forensic psychology is using research from other areas of psychology, like cognitive and social psychology, in legal settings.

Forensic psychologists assess people involved in the legal system. They need clinical skills like assessment and interviewing. They also need good communication skills and report-writing skills. They help with things like threat assessment, child custody evaluations, and counselling services for victims of crime.

Cognitive psychology:

Cognitive psychology is the study of how the mind processes information. It focuses on how people perceive, think, remember, learn, solve problems, and make decisions. Cognitive psychologists try to create models of how people's minds work, including perception, attention, language, memory, thinking, and consciousness. It became important in the 1950s.

Cognitive psychology includes both traditional cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience uses neuroimaging methods to study cognitive processes, similar to cognitive psychology. It also overlaps with cognitive neuropsychology, which focuses on how brain damage affects cognition, and computational neuroscience, which creates computational models of brain function.