PSYCHOLOGY:

Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental

processes. Also we can say it is the science that deals with mental processes and behavior.
The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group, or activity
Key terms of definition:
1) Scientific: The subject must be explained based on scientific theory.
2) Behavioral: Means outward observable behavior. Such as writing, running etc.
3) Mental processes: Thoughts, aspiration, goals, dreams, frustration, motivation
and conflicts.

Scientific: The subject must be explained based on scientific theory.

Behavioral: Means outward observable behavior. Such as writing, running etc.

Mental processes: Thoughts, aspiration, goals, dreams, frustration, motivation

and conflicts.

Consequently, the phrase behavior and mental process in the definition of psychology
must be understood to mean many things: It encompasses not just what people do but
also their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, reasoning process, memories, and even
biological activities that maintain bodily functioning.

BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY:

There are so many branches of psychology. Some of the important

perspectives of psychology are pointed out as follows;
Biological psychology.
Psychodynamic Psychology.
Cognitive Psychology.
Cross-cultural Psychology.
Behavioral Psychology.
Educational Psychology.
Environmental Psychology.
Industrial /Organizational Psychology.
Health Psychology.
Social Psychology.
Developmental Psychology.
Personality Psychology.

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY:
It may be looked at as a hybrid of neuroscience and psychology. Practitioners of
biological psychology may use their knowledge of the brain, from neurotransmitters to
the cerebral cortex to treat their patients. Others may use this knowledge to search for
biological causes for common mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia.
Many psychologists focus largely on the mental processes of their patients. Biological
psychologists work on the basis that there is an organic basis to mental processes, and
that this requires them to understand the way that mental processes are instantiated in the

brain. They recognize that treating the organic problem may be accomplished by talking
as well as drugs.
PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOLOGY:
Psychodynamic theories are in basic agreement that the study of human behaviour should
include factors such as internal processes, personality, motivation and drives, and the
importance of childhood experiences. Classic theories about the role of the unconscious
sexual and aggressive drives have been re-evaluated to focus on conscious experience,
resulting in, for example, the birth of ego psychology.
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:
Cognitive psychology deals with higher mental processes including thinking, memory,
reasoning, problem solving, judging, decision making and language. For example, those
people need this branch of psychology that think negatively and also show negative
behavior.
CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY:
It is a field of psychology which assumes the idea that culture and mind are inseparable,
thus there are no universal laws for how the mind works and that psychological theories
grounded in one culture are likely to be limited in applicability when applied to a
different culture. For example, homosexuality, long considered pathological behavior in
the United States, is approved of in other cultures and is even encouraged in some as a
normal sexual outlet before marriage.
BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY:
This field of psychology is based on the proposition that all things which organisms do
including acting, thinking and feelingcan and should be regarded as behaviors.
According to division of the of the American Psychological Association (APA) devoted
to this area of psychology, behavior analysis "...promotes basic research, both animal and

human, in the experimental analysis of behavior; it encourages the application of the

results of such research to human affairs, and cooperates with other disciplines."
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY:
Educational psychology is concenred with teaching and learning processes, such as the
relationship between intelligenve and school performance and the development if better
teaching techniques.
ENVIROMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY:
Environmental psychology considers the relationship between people and their physical
environment, including how our physical environment affects our emotions and the
amount of stress we experience in a particular time.
INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY:
The branch of applied psychology that is concerned with efficient management of an
industrial labor force and especially with problems encountered by workers in a
mechanized environment. It includes recruitment, selection, motivation etc.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY:
Health psychology is devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people
stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they do get ill. Health
psychologists both study such issues and promote interventions to help people stay well
or get over illness, for example, a health psychology researcher might be interested in
why people continue to smoke even though they know that smoking increases their risk
of cancer and heart disease. Information about why people smoke helps the researcher
both understand this poor health habit and design intervention to help people stop
smoking.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY:
Social psychology is the study of how peoples thought, feelings and actions effected by
others. For example, how people's perceptions, belief systems, and behaviors are
determined by their positions in social space
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY:
The branch of psychology concerned with the study of progressive behavioral changes in
an individual from birth until death.
PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY:
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual
differences. One emphasis in this area is to construct a coherent picture of a person and
his or her major psychological processes. Another emphasis views personality as the
study of individual differences, in other words, how people differ from each other. A third
area of emphasis examines human nature and how all people are similar to one another.

FUTURE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN BANGLADESH

Psychology, as an academic discipline and as a profession, has been making its
contributions to the solution of diverse human problems in the industrially and
economically developed Western countries. Bangladesh is a developing country. As a
nation the people of Bangladesh are passing through a transitional period. The transition
from a predominantly agricultural economy to industrial one, a conflict between
traditional and modern values, an increasing trend towards urbanization and overpopulation, high rate of illiteracy and unemployment have resulted in immense hum
problems. Solutions of many of these problems require the application of psychological
principles. Not all branches of psychology have great future in our country.

But some of them really have a great future in our country. Now I am going to discuss
those branches of psychology below.

Educational psychology focuses on the study of learning outcomes, student attributes,

and instructional processes directly related to the classroom and the school, such as
amount of instructional time or individual differences in school learning. An educational
psychologist helps gather information for teachers and parents when students have
academic or behavioral problems. They assist by evaluating students' thinking abilities
and assessing individual strengths and weaknesses. Together, the parents, teachers, and
educational psychologist formulate plans to help students learn more effectively.
Educational psychologists work mostly in elementary and secondary school classrooms.
They also may work in other settings such as colleges, consulting organizations,
corporations, industry, and the military and religious institutions. So for creating a well
civilized nation educational psychology has a great opportunity in Bangladesh.

For recruiting eligible and talented workers or employee industrial psychology is very
essential. To get the right person for the right job its very difficult to justify now a days.
Such psychological tests measure the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other
characteristics of people for a variety of employment-related purposes, such as selection
for hiring or promotion, training and development, or measuring employee satisfaction.
In case of organizational development industrial psychology has a bright future in this
country.

Clinical and counseling psychologists deal with the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and
treatment of individuals with psychological problems. These problems vary considerably
as to their degree of severity. Although very similar, clinical and counseling psychologists
differ with respect to the disorders of the patients they treat. Typically, clinical
psychologists treat more severe disorders, such as phobias, bipolar disorder, and
schizophrenia. On the other hand, counseling psychologists work with patients suffering
from everyday stresses, including career planning, academic performance, and marriage
and family difficulties. There is no that clinical psychology is very much important in
future of our country.
Finally, the future of psychology in Bangladesh will depend on how psychology can help
facing the challenges of multifarious problems of individual, family, social and national
lives of the people of this country. The academic growth of psychology in the form of
theoretical teaching in growing number of colleges and universities will not be fruitful
unless the psychological knowledge is molded in such a way that it becomes an useful
tool to apply for enhancing the national development and improving the quality of life of
the people of Bangladesh.

However, in spite of many difficulties and limitations, psychology in Bangladesh is

making slow but steady progress as a science and profession.