Introduction to psychology [autosaved]

Introduction to Applied PsychologyC SETTLEY 2016

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and experience, carried out in a manner which will enable us both to draw out general principles, and to achieve an understanding of the unique nature and quality of an individual’s personal experience as a human being.

Psychology Holistic approach to healthcare

Holistic approach: meeting physical, psychological and social needs of the individual and

helping to promote health in all aspects.Based on meeting the needs of the individual as a

whole: Physically, Psychologically & Socially.Promotes health in all aspects where there is a

balance in physical psychological and social environment so that health is maintained.

Psychology Holistic approach to healthcare

• Health defined:• Most theories describe health as a state of

physical and mental functioning as defined by subjective social environment.

• Absence of disease as a result of environmental, physical and psychological factors.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

The relevance of Psychology to nursing

• Nurses perform many important tasks in the care of patients.

• Interacting with patients from a diverse range of backgrounds allows nurses to provide better care.

• An educational background that includes psychology training can give you the tools that you need as a healthcare professional to provide the best care and accurately identify any mental health issues that a patient may have.

The relevance of Psychology to nursing

• When assessing a patient’s condition, nurses also consider how patient’s respond  to their illness.

• Some patients are optimistic and easily cope with their illness, while others have a negative reaction where they become angry and stubborn.

• Nurses may find it very difficult to handle such patients and need to include them as part of their evaluation of the patient.

• With the help of psychology, nurses will know how to interact with their patients based on different factors such as gender and age. For instance, young patients may be more afraid than adults. They may have difficulties in understanding their illness.

The relevance of Psychology to nursing

• A nurse can apply his knowledge of child development and psychology and relate to the young patients in a way their apprehensions are alleviated.

• Thus, psychology can help improve the nurse and patient relationship. As a result, patients can openly interact and communicate with them and inform them about their specific needs.

• With psychological knowledge also, nurses are able to get the trust of their patients. This makes the patients more responsive with the instructions they are given. Sometimes, they even take a positive role in their own wellness.

Psychological Homeostasis:

• The tendency of the body to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes.

• A simple example of homeostasis is the body's ability to maintain an internal temperature around 37 degrees Celsius, whatever the temperature outside.

• Other examples: Glucose levels & pH levels.

Fields of Psychology

• Clinical psychology• Counselling psychology• Educational psychology• Industrial psychology• Research psychology

Clinical Psychology

• Diagnose and treat many problems e.g. low self- esteem or adjusting to new life circumstances and more severe disturbances e.g. schizophrenia, depression etc.

• Part of team.• Work in in- and out patients.

Counselling Psychology

• Offer therapeutic help and practical guidance to people who have problems but are relatively free of serious mental disturbances.

• Educational and preventive work e.g. career, study choices and marriage problems.

• Promote peoples growth towards optimal/best psychological functioning.

Educational Psychology• Apply psychological knowledge to educational setting. • Identifying and correcting learning disabilities and

educational underachievement.• Specifically trained in types of counselling and

psychotherapy needed to work with children and families.

• Concerned with the scientific study of human learning.

Industrial/ occupational Psychology

• Trained to work in organisations.• Work includes selection, placement and training of

personnel.• Able to analyse and evaluate jobs.• Trained to assess performance, study morale, fatigue or

tiredness, organisational development and industrial safety.

Research Psychology• Specialised training in the planning and conducting of

research projects, analyses and interpretation of research results

• Work at universities, Human Science research Council (HSRC) and research units of large industries.

• Refers to research that psychologists conduct to research and analyse the experiences' and behaviours of individuals or groups. Their research can have educational, occupational, and clinical applications.

Psychiatric technician • A psychiatric technician is a mental health professional,

normally working under the direction of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses. They provide hands-on direct care to developmentally or emotionally disabled people, as well as those suffering from mental illnesses such as psychosis and dementia.

• They carry out doctors’ orders, serving as the eyes, ears and hands of the diagnosing professional. They report back on how the treatment is working or any unusual symptoms that need professional attention.

• Help patients with personal grooming and other activities of daily living. They also help conduct educational, recreational and therapeutic activities.

Psychometrist

• A Psychometrist is responsible for the administration and scoring psychological and neuropsychological tests under the supervision of a clinical psychologist or clinical neuropsychologist.

Schools of thought/ Viewpoints on Human Behaviour

• Structuralism• The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated

by the founder of the first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories began to emerge for dominance in psychology.

• Structuralism was the first school of psychology, and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components.

Schools of thought/ Viewpoints on Human Behaviour

• Functionalism• Focus on “how”& “why” of consciousness.• Studied interaction between mind & body.• Studied the correlation of physiology process to

conscious processes and their value for adjustment defined.

• VIDEO- Structuralism and functionalism

Schools of thought/ Viewpoints on Human Behaviour

• Behaviorism• John Watson (1878-1958) intrigued by the studies of Pavlov.• He regarded psychology as an objective science which

probed observable behaviour under controlled experimental conditions.

• Watson’s behaviour was criticized , but also made a number of important contributions to psychology.

• Positive contribution in Learning Theory. Learning theories are conceptual frameworks describing how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed and knowledge and skills retained.

Schools of thought/ Viewpoints on Human Behaviour

•Behaviorist theorists: •Pavlov- Experiment with the dog•Watson- The Little Albert Experiment- Generalisation. Conditioning of fear in the baby. •Skinner- Experiment using animals- Conditioning•VIDEO albert- pavlov, skinner, watson- difference between operant and classical conditioning.

References• https://undertheinfluenc3.wordpress.com/author/thof123727/. Accessed 15 February,

2016. • Middleton, L. Nicholson, G. & O’Neill, V. (2012). Juta’s Nursing Psychology.

Applying Psychological concepts to Nursing Practice. Juta. • Louw, D.A, Van Ede, D.M.& Louw, A.E (1998). Human development. 2nd edition.

Cape Town. Kagiso.• Louw, D & Edwards, D.J.A (1997) Psychology: An introduction for students in South

Africa. 2nd edition. Cape Town: Heinemann Higher and Further education.• Marijose- PPP Template