Text 1. WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

The word psychology comes from two Greek words: "Psyche" mean­ing "mind" or "soul" and "Logos" meaning "study of. Therefore, psy­chology means "study of the mind". There are many modern definitions of the term. One of them belongs to Atkinson, who defined psychology as "the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes". However, psychologists always disagreed not only about the definition of psychol­ogy, but also about what they should study and how they should do it.

The year 1879 is considered to be the start of psychology as a sepa­rate discipline. It was the date when Wilhelm Wundt created the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. Americans disagree and think that William James was the "founding father of psychology" be­cause in 1875 he started teaching a course on the relationship between physiology and psychology at Harvard University. In 1890 he wrote a book "Principles of psychology" which was a very important step in the history of psychology.

Structuralism was the first approach in psychology. It was described by Wundt who thought that the object of psychological investigation should be the conscious mind. According to Wundt, the mind should be studied by introspection (looking at one's own mental experience) in order to break down into its components such as images, sensations and feelings.

Functionalism was developed by William James who thought that the workings of the mind are functional. The mind works to survive and adapt. So we should investigate what behaviour and thoughts are for.

              At the turn of the 19th century two powerful approaches appeared. One of them is psychoanalysis developed by Sigmund Freud in Austria. Freud wrote that the proper object of psychological investigation should be the unconscious mind and that our behaviour is determined by processes that we are not aware of.

Behaviourism, introduced by John Watson, was the most important of all approaches that investigated "minds" and proposed that psychol­ogy should investigate only observable behaviour if it wanted to be an objective science. This approach dominated experimental psychology until 1950's when a strong interest in the 'mind' developed in the form of the cognitive and humanistic approaches. Representatives of these approaches argued that behaviourism ignored all the most important and interesting things that go on in our heads.

Cognitive psychology investigates the mind by using computer in­formation processing ideas to arrive at models of how our brain works and then apply scientific methods to confirm these models. The cogni­tive approach was successful and is a very dominant one in psychology today.

The Humanistic approach has had less of an impact on psychology because it adapted less scientific view of the human mind. Humanistic psychologists argued that psychology should focus on each individual's conscious experience and aims in life.

The biological approach has advanced evolutionary, physiological and genetic explanation for human behaviour throughout the history of psychology.

Questions to the text.

1.  Where does the word psychology come from?

2.   How did Atkinson define psychology?

3.  What year is considered to be the start of psychology?

4.  Who created the first psychology laboratory?

5.  Who is considered to be the "founding father" of psychology in the USA?

6.  What was the first approach in psychology?

7.  What is the object of investigation from the structuralist point of view?

8.  Who developed the functional approach in psychology?

9.  What are the functions of brain from the functional point of view?

10. What approaches appeared at the turn of the 19th century?

11. What is the proper object of investigation in psychoanalysis?

12. What should psychology investigate from the behaviorist point of view?

13. What   did   cognitivist  and   humanistic  psychologists   criticize  in behaviorism?

14. What does cognitive psychology aim to investigate?

15. What did the humanistic psychologists argue for?

16. What did the biological approach contribute to the study of human behaviour?

Ex.1. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

1. In 1879 Wilhelm Wundt created the first psychology laboratory.

2. In 1875 William James started teaching a course on the relationship between physiology and psychology.

3. Atkinson defined psychology as the study of behaviour and mental processes.

4. Many scientists disagree about the definition of psychology.

5. Structuralism was the first approach in psychology.

6. Functionalists investigated functions of thoughts and behaviour.

7. Psychoanalysis was developed  by Sigmund Freud in Austria. Psychoanalysis is aimed to study the unconscious mind.

8. Behaviourists investigated observable behaviour. 

9. Cognitive psychologists are interested in information processing. 

10. Humanistic psychologists focus on the conscious experience and aims in life.

11. The biological approach gives evolutionary and genetic explanation for human behaviour.

Jokes. Read and translate the following jokes. What do these jokes imply?

 Psychology is actually biology.

 Biology is actually chemistry.

 Chemistry is actually physics.

 And physics is actually math.

***

Two psychologists meet at their twentieth college reunion (встреча выпускников). One of them looks like he just graduated, while the other psychologist looks old, worried and stressed. The older looking psychologist asks the other, "What's your secret? Listening to other people's problems every day, all day long, for years has made an old man of me". The younger looking psychologist replies, " Who listens?"

Ex.2. Write a short essey on these topics (10-12 sentences).

1. "Psyche" means "mind" or "soul". Do you think psychologists should focus more on human mind or on human soul?

2. What approach seems to be most interesting to you?

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PSYCHOLOGIST AND A PSYCHIATRIST?

      The work of psychologists and psychiatrists has much in common. Both psychologists and psychiatrists can provide psychotherapy and  counseling services. Both psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to diagnose neuropsychological disorders and dysfunctions plus psychotic, neurotic and personality disorders and dysfunctions. Both professionals are granted the right to make such diagnoses by law while other doctors cannot. Both psychologists and psychiatrists help people maintain and enhance their physical, intellectual, emotional, social and interpersonal functioning.

       However, there are some important differences in training and special skills. Psychiatrists, as medical doctors, can prescribe medications for psychological distress. Psychologists do not prescribe medications, instead focusing their treatment on psychotherapy. In addition, psychologists are the only mental health professionals who are fully trained and qualified to use psychological tests.

     The education of psychologists provides knowledge of psychological and emotional problems, personality, and human development, integrated with specialized training in how to apply this knowledge to helping people with emotional distress and other problems in living. The psychologist's training in research allows them to evaluate the best ways to help people and to make decisions on what helps and what doesn't help different people with various situations.

     Psychologists also specialize in psychological testing. Psychological tests are used in situations where there are questions about what a person's particular problem is. For example, a psychologist may use psychological tests to determine whether a child has a learning disorder. Psychologists also use psychological tests in legal cases or any time there is uncertainty about what is troubling an individual. Psychological tests can include assessments of personality styles, tests of emotional well-being, intellectual (or "IQ") tests, tests of academic achievement and tests for possible brain damage. The use of psychological tests requires years of training that involves not only learning how to give the tests, but also how to integrate all the information from a variety of tests, background information, interviews, and knowledge of theories, research, psychological problems, personalities, and human development. Psychologists are the only mental health professionals who are fully trained and qualified to use psychological tests.

       It is important to be aware that there can be broad differences in training and philosophy among psychologists, psychiatrists, social Workers, and other therapists which can often lead to widely differing  treatment approaches and understandings of psychological or emotional problems.

Questions to the text. •

1.  What services can psychologists and psychiatrists provide to people?

2.  What professionals are granted the right to diagnose neuropsycho-logical disorders and dysfunctions?

3.  What professionals are granted the right to prescribe medications?  

4.  What do psychologists focus their treatment on?

5.  What does the education of psychologists include?

6.  What does psychologist's training allows them to do?

7.  What professionals specialize in psychological training?

8.  When do psychologists use psychological tests?

9.  What do psychological tests assess?

Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. The work of psychologists and psychiatrists has much in common.

      2.  Psychologists and psychiatrists can provide psychotherapy and diag­nose psychotic and neurotic disorders.

       3.  Both psychologists and psychiatrists help people maintain and en­hance their physical, intellectual, emotional and social functioning.

       4.   Psychiatrists, as medical doctors, can prescribe medications for psy­chological dysfunctions.

       5.  The education of psychologists allows them to make decisions about what helps and what doesn't help different people with various situa­tions.

       6.  Psychologists are allowed to use psychological tests. Psychological tests include assessments of personality styles, intellectual (or "IQ") tests, tests of academic achievement, tests for possible brain damage and tests for specific psychological disturbances.

 7.  There are important differences understandings of psychological or emotional problems among psychologists and psychiatrists.

Share your opinion and experience with the group.

Have you ever taken a psychological test? What was evaluated? Do you think the test was reliable? Do you think that psychologists can use tests to diagnose disorders?

INTERESTING FACTS

* * *

Scientists say that between 50 and 70 percent of all visits to doctors are

by people who have no physical illness but whose complaints are

related to psychological factors. Depression is among the six most

common conditions seen in family practice.

* * *

Forty-seven percent of Americans do not know when it would be appropriate to seek psychological services, and 68 percent do know how to go about seeking help when they do need it.

* * *

Seventy   percent  of Americans  consider  access  to   psychological

services to be very important, but only 35 percent believe they have an

access.