Question

Describe the goals of Psychology.

Answer 1

Four Goals of Psychology

1. Describe: What is happening?
   The primary goal of Psychology is to identify and classify behaviours and mental processes as accurately as possible. How do individuals think? What factors are responsible to stimulate their behaviour? How do individuals react to a specific situation? To know these answers, researchers need to record a particular behaviour in the socio-economic, cultural, geographical space. For example People behave differently in formal and informal situations and their reactions are studied in psychology. For this purpose researchers use various psychological tools. For example Standardized psychology tests, psychoanalytical techniques, survey method, laboratory experiments and observations.
2. Explanation : Why it is happening?
   Second major goal of Psychology is to understand the causes of the observed responses by explaining the facts in a meaningful way. Psychologists are interested in knowing the reasons behind their reactions. They use standardized psychological tests to understand the causes of their behaviour. If a particular behaviour is observed only in one individual, it can not be generalized to the entire population. Whereas if it is observed in most of the people, then we can generalize it to the entire population. For example, accidents of bike riders are more fatal due to head injury therefore wearing helmet should be made compulsory for bike riders.
3. Prediction : What will happen next?
   Third major goal of Psychology is to predict how a given condition or set of conditions will affect or lead to particular behaviour and mental processes of an individual. Prediction involves knowledge about the possible outcomes of behaviour.
   Example : If someone drinks alcohol, it will slow down his reactions and that will increase the possibility of an accident. So driving after consuming alcohol should be strictly avoided.
4. Control : How can it be changed?
   Control or modification of behaviour is the fourth goal of Psychology. Controlling behaviour means shaping or moulding behaviour in a particular direction. It is accomplished when the researcher uses various principles of psychology to bring successful and smooth changes in behaviour so that unwanted behaviour patterns can be avoided. Psychologist use various psychotherapeutic techniques to shape and modify human behaviour.