The Different Fields of Psychology Tala Hamadah Professor Bhadra Ohlone College 09/11/2022 There are different branches of psychology, each presenting and serving a different purpose towards our everyday life like behavior, and cognitive thinking. To start off, one of the main fields of psychology are Biopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology. Both fields represent and break down the importance of evolution and nervous system in psychology, both which play a great part in behavior. According to Kendra Cherry, one of the benefits of biological psychology is that psychologists are better able to understand how the brain might influence the way people think and behave (Cherry, 2021). Another important field of psychology is, Cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology involves the study of internal mental processes (Gans, 2022). It involves everything that goes on in the brain, that includes thinking like problem-solving, memory, and even language. Cognitive psychology serves a great purpose as it can “provide insights into cognitive conditions that may affect how people function” (Gans, 2022). This is one of the few benefits of Cognitive Psychology, especially since it goes hand in hand with developmental psychology as they both serve the same purpose. Developmental psychology also focuses on changes in cognitive skills, and social behavior, but also focuses mainly on human maturation, mentally and physically, as both aspects affect psychology greatly. Other psychological fields that go hand in hand together as well are personality and social psychology. Personality psychology focuses on individual traits and characteristics whereas social psychology is focused on situations, and the impact that group interactions have on attitudes and behaviors (Cherry, 2020). One of the most important psychological fields is Clinical Psychology. Clinical psychology focuses on diagnosis and treatments of psychological disorders. Clinical psychology is very important because it helps in treatment of people suffering from disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and many others. Clinical psychology and Health psychology in my opinion, go hand in hand as well when defining what both serve as purposes. According to an article by Tim Stobierski, Health psychology is a branch within the psychology field that focuses on how social, psychological, and biological factors combine to influence human health (Stobierski, 2021). Last but not least, Forensic psychology is a psychological field that is mostly used in the justice system. Based on American Psychological Association, forensic psychology is very important when it comes to abuse cases, or when determining if a defendant is sane or not. It also helps in cases to know if they’re telling the truth from a lot of body language. In conclusion, all psychological fields play a huge role in our every day life and surroundings, but in my opinion, Clinical Psychology serves the greatest purpose. Clinical psychology solves complex human problems with the intention of implementing change. References Cherry, K. (2021, March 15). The Role of the Biological Perspective in Psychology. Verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-biological-perspective2794878#:~:text=By%20looking%20at%20the%20biological,think%2C%20act%2C%20and%2 0feel. Gans, S. (2022, February 17). Cognitive Psychology Is the Science of How We Think. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-psychology4157181#:%7E:text=Cognitive%20psychology%20plays%20an%20important,may%20affect%2 0how%20people%20function. Gotlib, I. (2014). Clinical Psychology Solves Complex Human Problems. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/educationcareer/guide/subfields/clinical#:~:text=Psychologists%20who%20 provide%20clinical%20or,the%20intention%20of%20promoting%20change Stobierski, T. (2021, April 15). What is Health Psychology? Everything you Need to Know. Northeastern University. https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/what-is-health-psychology/
