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What are the different branches of psychology?
What are the different types of psychology?
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What are the different fields of study in psychology?
- Biological psychology. The origin of biological psychology is greatly influenced by “Origin of Species” written by Charles Darwin, whose views on evolution greatly impacted the psychological world.
- Abnormal psychology. Abnormal psychology is also known as psychopathology. It focuses on understanding the causes, treatment, and nature of mental disorders, and helps produce effective therapy for patients who have mental disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder, Autism, Schizophrenia, and much more (Hooley et al., 2019).
- Cognitive Psychology. The study of cognitive psychology focuses on the process of thinking. It includes areas such as memory, problem-solving, learning, attention, and language.
- Developmental Psychology. Developmental psychology studies how individuals change over time, especially during the childhood period. Psychologists spend decades studying people’s childhood development of thinking processes and behavioral changes, looking at how childhood experiences may impact adult behavior.
- Overview
- Overview of the Branches of Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- Behavioral Psychology
- Biopsychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Comparative Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
Understanding what these subtopics represent can help you decide where your interests may lie. Here is more information about these 18 major types of psychology if you are interested in studying, earning your degree, or creating a career in this expansive field.
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Each of these psychological areas looks at questions and problems from a different perspective. While they all have their own focus, they still share a common goal of studying and explaining human thought and behavior.
Because human behavior is so varied, the number of subfields in psychology is constantly growing and evolving. Some of these subfields have been firmly established as areas of interest, and many colleges and universities offer courses and degree programs in these topics.
Abnormal psychology looks at psychopathology and abnormal behavior. It involves the study of people's emotional, thought, and behavior patterns to identify, understand, and potentially resolve any issues that may be negatively affecting a person's life.
Mental health professionals in this branch of psychology assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety of psychological disorders, including anxiety and depression. Counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychotherapists often work directly in this field.
Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Behavioral strategies such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning are often utilized to teach or modify behaviors.
For example, a teacher might use a rewards system to teach students to behave during class. When students are good, they receive gold stars, which can then be turned in for some sort of special privilege.
Biopsychology is a psychological area focused on how the brain, neurons, and nervous system influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This field draws upon many different disciplines, including basic psychology, cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, biology, physiology, and neuroscience.
People who work in this type of psychology often study how brain injuries and brain diseases impact human behavior.
Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric disorders. Clinicians often work in private practices, but many also work in community centers or at universities and colleges.
You can even find clinical psychology professionals in hospital settings and mental health clinics. In these organizations, they often work as part of a collaborative team that may include physicians, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals.
Cognitive psychology is a psychological area that focuses on internal mental states. This area has continued to grow since it emerged in the 1960s and is centered on the science of how people think, learn, and remember.
Professionals who work in this type of psychology typically study cognitive functions such as perception, motivation, emotion, language, learning, memory, attention, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Cognitive psychologists often use an information-processing model to describe how the mind works, suggesting that the brain stores and processes information much like a computer.
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Comparative psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. This is important because the study of how animals behave can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.
This psychology subtype has its roots in the work of researchers such as Charles Darwin and George Romanes and has grown into a highly multidisciplinary subject. In addition to psychologists contributing to this field, so do biologists, anthropologists, ecologists, geneticists, and several others.
Counseling psychology is one of the largest areas of psychology. It is centered on treating clients in mental distress who may be experiencing a wide variety of psychological symptoms.
The Society of Counseling Psychology explains that professionals working in this type of psychology can improve their clients' interpersonal functioning throughout life. They do this by improving the client's social and emotional health, as well as addressing concerns about health, work, family, marriage, and more.
Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that looks at how cultural factors influence human behavior. This may involve looking at differences between collective and individualist cultures, for instance. Cross-cultural psychologists might also look at how cultures vary in terms of emotion, personality, or child development.
The International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) was established in 1972. This type of psychology has continued to grow and develop since that time, with increasing numbers of psychologists investigating how behavior differs among cultures throughout the world.
- Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal psychology dedicated to patients who display abnormal behavior or thinking. Abnormal behavior is considered conduct that doesn’t comply with societal norms, which can include mental illnesses such as bulimia or schizophrenia.
- Behavioral Psychology. Psychologists who study the connection between the mind and subsequent behaviors are behavioral psychologists. Behavioral psychologists counsel, diagnose and treat patients with behavioral disorders.
- Clinical Psychology. Clinical psychology relates to psychologists directly providing comprehensive healthcare to patients who are suffering from mental illness.
- Cognitive Psychology. Concerned with mental processes, cognitive psychologists study the human thought process and how people obtain, process, and store information in the brain.
- Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal psychology is a branch of psychology that seeks to identify, understand, and treat behavioral, thought, and emotional patterns that are considered abnormal and maladaptive.
- Behavioral Psychology. Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is an area of psychology that is devoted to the study of observable behaviors and how learning takes place via conditioning processes.
- Biological Psychology. Biological psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on how biological influences, specifically the brain and nervous system, influence the human mind and behavior.
- Clinical Psychology. Clinical psychology is a field that is known as one of the single largest areas of employment within psychology. Clinical psychologists typically work directly in mental health treatment and work with patients who experience some form of mental illness, psychological distress, or emotional disturbances.
Comparative psychology; Clinical behavior analysis; Clinical psychology; Consumer psychology; Consulting psychology; Counseling psychology; Criminal psychology; Critical psychology; Cross-cultural psychology; Cultural neuroscience; Cultural psychology; Cyberpsychology; Developmental psychology; Differential psychology; Discursive psychology ...
Feb 26, 2021 · Home. Psychology. 10 Different Fields of Psychology Explained. In Psychology. 5 min read. 10 Different Fields of Psychology Explained. Psychology is a broad discipline offering multiple fields to pursue and specialize in. Discover 10 fields of psychology here. The Chicago School on February 26, 2021.
Psychology Subfields. The science of psychology benefits society and enhances our lives. Psychologists examine the relationships between brain function and behavior and the environment and behavior, applying what they learn to illuminate our understanding and improve the world around us.
