big debate

Over the years the question has been debatable as well as opinionated by scientists and many people in the professions related to psychology, the question being; is psychology a science?

However isn’t the bigger question, revolving around this, what is science? It is only by being able to realize what science is that a person is able to see if psychology is a science or through differentiation is not a science.

Therefore in order to answer this question and to be able to understand what a science is it is important to understand the definitions of both psychology and science. The word ‘psychology’ comes from the Greek ‘psyche’ (or soul) which came to be the ‘study of the soul’. The American heritage dictionary defines psychology as:

1. The science dealing with the mind and with mental and emotional processes 2. The science of human and animal behaviour.

In its pure definition the dictionary has provided us with a clue to the answer, it describes science as:

1. systematized knowledge derived from observation, study, etc.
2. A branch of knowledge, especially on e that systematizes facts, principles, and methods 3. Skill or technique

In order to prove this claim we have to look at whether or not psychology can fill this definition above.

Scientific study is a relevant way of coming to an understanding of life, and can be very useful in every situation in life. Science develops theories based on what is observed. It examines each theory with accurate and conscientious tests to see if it describes reality. The scientific method works well in discovering and recording physical data and information and in reaching conclusions which either verify or nullify a hypothesis.

At some point in the mid-19th century, scholars/ philosophers wanted to study human nature with the intention of applying the scientific system to monitor, record, and treat human behaviour that was regarded as unnatural. They believed that if people could be studied in a scientific manner, there would be a greater accuracy in understanding present behaviour, in predicting future behaviour, and, most controversially, in changing conduct through scientific involvement.

Here are many areas of psychology, each attempting to explain behaviour from slightly different perspectives; emerging from its history:

1) Social psychology is concerned with the effects of social situations on human behaviour.
*Personality theorists study individual behaviour.
*Comparative psychologists study animal behaviours across the range of species.
*Physiological psychologists are concerned with the biological basis of behaviour.

Developmental psychologists study values and processes responsible for change throughout life.

Cognitive psychologists examine memory, thought, problem solving, and the psychological aspects of learning.

Analysis of behaviour studies the situation under which a behaviour can be learned and the situations that cause that behaviour to occur.

Learning is an area of psychology exploring how new behaviours are learned and maintained.

The psychodynamic outlook believes that behaviour is a result of unaware processes, personal motivation and early childhood experiences.

It's most famous supporter was Sigmund Freud who was also the founder of psychoanalysis. Its method of data collection rely heavily on interpreting discussion, dreams and fantasies, actions, case studies and a limited amount of experimentation.

The methods of experimentation and investigations in psychology are completed on a scientific foundation. Psychological experimental research would involve the manipulation of a situation to examine the way in which the subjects of an experiment react, in order to observe cause and effect. The experimenter manipulates independent variables and the subject’s responses would prove the dependant variables. By measuring the subject’s responses, the experimenter can tell if the manipulation has had an effect.

A scientific subject knows its own limitations. Psychology attempts to study complex phenomena in laboratory and field situations where validity is called into question. Results contrast with differing personal understandings of researchers which will always differ to some extent

Every psychological experiment and theory is evaluated with the same level of criticality just like in traditional sciences. Questions are asked over the hypothetical structure of the experiment, the results validity and its relationship with the hypothesis, the quality and range of sample and if it is representative, the conclusions that can be drawn form the data and broader conclusions that may be apparent. Finally the studies are questioned on their meanings and morals to operationalise the original hypothesis.

In my opinion psychological statements which describe human behaviour or which report results from tested research can be scientific. However, when there is a move from describing human behaviour to explaining it there is also a move from science to opinion.

In conclusion to some extent psychology is a science. Through the key words relating to science eg: theories, studies, effects, analysis, variables etc and the skills and techniques to come to a conclusion helps determine that in some way psychology is in some ways science.