Chapter Outline

Chapter 1 defines psychology as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The diversity of the field of psychology is illustrated by listing several of the subfields of psychology. This is followed by samples of questions that each psychological subfield attempts to answer.

A portrait of psychologists is presented that illustrates both the types of psychologists and the educational requirements for those who choose careers in the field of psychology. The chapter goes on to examine the different positions that are available to psychologists in today's workplace.

The historical roots of psychology are discussed with attention to the roles that women have played in the development of the discipline. The chapter then goes on to trace the events that led to the five basic perspectives in psychology today. These are the biological perspective, the psychodynamic perspective, the cognitive perspective, the behavioral perspective, and the humanistic perspective.

Next, the five key issues in psychology today are presented: nature versus nurture, conscious versus unconscious causes of behavior, observable behavior versus internal mental processes, free will versus determinism, and individual differences versus universal principles. These key issues are used to understand how culture, ethnicity, and race influence behavior.

Finally a discussion is presented to allow the reader to think critically about distinguishing legitimate psychology from pseudo-psychology.

To further investigate the topics covered in this chapter, you can visit the related websites by visiting the following link: www.mhhe.com/feldmanup6-01links.

• Looking Ahead

• The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology's Family Tree
• Working at Psychology

Psychology at Work: Carolyn Copper, Government Analyst

• The Roots of Psychology
• Today's Perspectives

Applying Psychology in the 21st Century: Psychology and the Reduction of Violence

• Psychology's Future

Exploring Diversity: Understanding How Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Relations Influence Behavior

Becoming an Informed Consumer of Psychology: Thinking Critically About Psychology: Distinguishing Legitimate Psychology from Pseudo-Psychology