Psychology studies the patterns of development and functioning mental processes states of the properties of a person engaged in one activity or another; patterns of development and functioning of the psyche as a special form of life activity. Features of psychology: psychology is the science of the most complex concept that is still known to mankind. It deals with the property of a highly organized...

If this work does not suit you, at the bottom of the page there is a list of similar works. You can also use the search button

Has undergone many metamorphoses and changes. Every era, every new Age, each decade brought something of their own to psychology, thanks to which today there is not just psychology as an independent and self-sufficient discipline, but psychology that has all sorts of branches and directions. In this article we will talk about the ten most popular psychological trends in our time. These include:

Below is a brief description of each of these areas.

NLP

Is one of the directions in practical psychology and psychotherapy, based on special techniques for modeling the verbal and nonverbal behavior of a person who is successful in any area, as well as a set of special connections between memory, eye movements and speech patterns.

NLP appeared in the 60s and 70s of the last century thanks to the work of a group of scientists: Richard Bandler, John Grinder and Frank Pucelik, who worked under the patronage of the famous anthropologist Gregory Bateson. NLP is not recognized academically scientific community, and many methods, according to the conclusions of opponents of this method, cannot be scientifically substantiated. However, nowadays NLP is very popular, has a huge number of supporters and is practiced by many organizations during psychological trainings, as well as various training and consulting companies.

Psychoanalysis

Represents psychological theory, which was developed by the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. Psychoanalysis is also considered the most effective method treatment of mental disorders based on this theory. Thanks to the activities of such scientists as K.G. Jung, A. Adler, G.S. Sullivan, K. Horney, J. Lacan and E. Fromm, this direction received strong development. Among the main provisions of psychoanalysis, one can highlight the fact that human behavior, experience and cognition are determined mainly by internal irrational unconscious drives; the structure of personality and its development are determined by the events that occurred in early childhood; the confrontation between the conscious and unconscious can lead to mental disorders, etc.

In modern interpretation, psychoanalysis consists of more than twenty different concepts of human development, and approaches to treating mental illnesses through psychoanalysis are as varied as the theories themselves.

Gestalt psychology

The school was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by the Czech psychologist and philosopher Max Wertheimer. The harbingers of its appearance were studies of perception, and the focus is on the desire of the psyche to organize the experience a person receives into an understandable unit. According to the ideas of Gestalt psychology, the basic psychological data are gestalts - integral structures that are not isolated from total number components that form them. They have their own laws and characteristics.

IN Lately Gestalt psychology has changed its position in relation to human consciousness and claims that the analysis of this consciousness should primarily be aimed not at individual elements, but at holistic mental images. Together with psychoanalysis and phenomenology, Gestalt psychology became the basis of Gestalt therapy, where the main ideas were transferred from perception processes to a general understanding of the world.

Hellinger arrangement

Systemic-family constellations are a phenomenological method of systemic family therapy, the main important discoveries in which were made German philosopher, psychotherapist and theologian Bert Hellinger. The method itself is intended to correct systemic family traumas, called system dynamics, and eliminate their consequences.

Therapists working with this technique have determined that many people's problems are related to past family traumas, such as murder, suicide, early deaths, rape, moving, breakups family relations and so on. Hellinger constellations differ from other similar methods in that they are short-term and are used only once. In his books, Hellinger classifies this technique not so much as a psychotherapeutic area, but rather as a spiritual practice.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness that is characterized by both signs of wakefulness and sleep, during which dreams can occur. Thanks to hypnosis, two states of consciousness can coexist at the same time, which in ordinary life are mutually exclusive. The first information about hypnosis dates back to the third millennium BC - hypnosis was practiced in Ancient India, Egypt, Tibet, Rome, Greece and other countries.

The idea of ​​hypnosis is based on the dual nature of the psyche, in which there is conscious and unconscious. And it happens that the unconscious has more influence on the psyche than the mind. Therefore, nowadays, with the help of hypnosis, experienced specialists resolve all sorts of problems of people that cannot be eliminated by more traditional methods.

Positive psychotherapy

The method of positive psychotherapy is one of the main ones in its field. It was founded by the German neurologist and psychiatrist Nossrat Pezeshkian in 1968, but was recognized by the European Association of Psychotherapy in 1996, and by the World Council of Psychotherapy only in 2008.

This psychotherapeutic technique belongs to the category of transcultural, psychodynamic psychotherapeutic techniques with a humanistic position. According to it, the most important given of human nature is abilities (both innate and acquired). And the methodology itself is structured in such a way that it includes a rational and purely scientific Western approach, as well as Eastern wisdom and philosophy. In 2009, the founder of positive psychotherapy was nominated for Nobel Prize for services to physiology and medicine.

Client-centered therapy

Client-centered therapy as a psychotherapeutic method was proposed by American psychologist Carl Rogers as an alternative to behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Initially, the author presented a hypothesis according to which a person is able to change himself independently, and the psychotherapist only plays the role of an observer controlling the process. However, later there was an emphasis on improving methods that would help the specialist better understand the client’s condition and changes in it during therapy. It is thanks to the main idea of ​​the method (to come to an understanding of a person’s self-perception) that the method got its name. There is one more important point: in client-centered therapy major role is devoted to building a relationship between the patient and the therapist as the key to achieving success in treatment.

Art therapy

Art therapy is a special type psychological correction and psychotherapy, which is based on creativity and art. In a narrower sense, art therapy can be called treatment through fine arts, the purpose of which is to influence the psycho-emotional state of a person.

The term “art therapy” was coined in 1938 by British artist and therapist Adrian Hill while describing his work in medical settings with tuberculosis patients. Then the method was applied in the USA in working with children who were taken from Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. Over time, art therapy gained more and more adherents, and in 1960 the American Art Therapy Association was founded in the United States.

Body-oriented therapy

Body-oriented psychotherapy is a therapeutic practice that allows you to work with neuroses and problems of people through bodily contact. The founder of this direction is considered to be the student of Sigmund Freud, the American and Austrian psychologist Wilhelm Reich, who at one time moved away from psychoanalysis and focused on the body.

This therapy is based on the concept of “muscular (characterological) armor”, according to which muscle clamps are formed as a defense against anxieties that arise in children based on sexual desires and are accompanied by the fear of being punished. Over time, the suppression of this fear becomes chronic, resulting in the formation of specific features character, which form this shell.

Reich's ideas were later continued by Ida Rolff, Gerda Boyesen, Marion Rosen and Alexander Lowen. In Russia, this area of ​​psychotherapy often includes the Feldenkrais method.

Coaching

Coaching is a relatively recently developed method of training and consulting, which differs from traditional ones in that it lacks strict recommendations and advice, but involves a joint search for solutions to problems with the client. Coaching is also distinguished by a pronounced motivation to achieve certain goals and results in activities and everyday life.

The founders of coaching are considered to be the American coach and creator of the concept of the inner game Timothy Gallwey, the British racing driver and business coach John Whitmore and the founder of the University of Coaches and other coaching organizations Thomas J. Leonard.

The main idea of ​​coaching is to move a person from the problem area to the problem area. effective solution, allow him to see new ways and means of maximizing his potential, and also help him improve things in various areas of his life.

Of course, the descriptions presented cannot contain the fullness of these psychological trends, just as they cannot reveal all their features. But our task was only to introduce you to them, presenting a very brief description. And in which direction you should develop is a matter of your personal choice.

We will be glad if you take part in our small poll. Please answer the question: which of the described areas seemed most interesting to you?

Main neoplasms The infancy period is grasping and walking, creating the prerequisites for the formation of object-manipulative activity in the subsequent period of development.

At approximately 5 months, a turning point occurs in the child’s development; it is associated with the emergence of the act of grasping - the first organized, directed action. This is a real revolution in the development of a child in the first year of life. The act of grasping is prepared by the entire life that precedes it. It is organized by an adult and is born as Team work a child with an adult, but this is usually not noticed.

The act of grasping is a behavioral act, and behavior requires the mandatory participation of orientation. Therefore, in order for grasping to occur, it is necessary for the hand to become

into the organ of touch so that it “opens up”. Initially, the child’s hand is clenched into a fist. Until the hand has become an organ of perception, it cannot become an organ of grasping. Grasping is carried out under the control of vision: the child examines his hands, watches how the hand approaches the object.

The act of grasping is of extreme importance for the mental development of a child. The emergence of objective perception is associated with it. When the stimulus falls on the eye, there is no image yet. An image arises when there is practical, effective contact between the image and the object. Through grasping, space arises. This is the space of an outstretched arm, its extent is small, but the object breaks out of the previous scheme. Before this, the perception of an object was carried out through the mouth; now, when the child reaches for an object, the mouth closes. Thanks to the act of grasping, the hand develops: opposition arises thumb, which serves as one of the generic differences between man and his closest ape ancestors.

Based on the act of grasping, the possibilities of manipulating an object expand, and at the age of 4 to 7 months, effective actions arise: simple movement of an object, moving it, extracting sounds from it. At the age of 7-10 months, related actions: a child can manipulate two objects at the same time, moving them away from himself and correlating them with each other: the child moves an object away from himself, bringing it closer to another object in order to put it, stand it, or string it on it. By the end infancy(10-11 to 14 months) the stage appears functional actions: these are more advanced actions of stringing, opening, inserting, but if earlier child performed the action in one way shown to him and on the same objects, now he tries to reproduce the action on all possible objects.

At first glance, it seems that the development of actions is a spontaneous process. Indeed, it would seem that almost nothing can be taught to a child in his first year of life, but the man turned out to be more cunning. D. B. Elkonin said that man a long time ago came up with programmed education for children in the first year of life. These are toys in which the actions that the child must perform with their help are programmed. Manipulating a child with toys is a hidden joint activity. Here the adult is not present directly, but indirectly, being, as it were, programmed into the toy.

Grasping and direction towards an object stimulate the appearance of sitting - when the child sits down, other objects open in front of him. Objects appear that are touched

You can't go wrong. The law of the child’s advanced acquaintance with the world and advanced orientation appears again. The child is drawn to the object, it is attractive, but it can only be obtained with the help of an adult. Thanks to this, communication takes on a different character; it becomes communication about objects. M.I. Lisina named him situational business.

Changing the subject of communication requires new means and ways of influencing an adult. A pointing gesture appears from a hand extended to an unattainable object. It is already objectively related and contains the germ of a word. L. S. Vygotsky wrote excellently about the emergence of the pointing gesture: “At first, the pointing gesture is simply an unsuccessful grasping movement directed at an object and denoting an upcoming action. The child tries to grab an object that is too far away, his hands, extended to the object, remain hanging in the air, his fingers make pointing movements. This situation is the starting point for further development... There is a movement here that objectively points to an object, and that’s all. When the mother comes to the child's aid and interprets his movement as an instruction, the situation changes significantly. A pointing gesture becomes a gesture for others... However, a movement becomes a gesture for itself in no other way than by first being an indication in itself, i.e., having objectively all necessary functions to indicate and gesture for others, that is, it is comprehended and understood by the people around them as an indication.”

By 9 months (the beginning of the 1st year crisis), the child stands on his feet and begins to walk. As D. B. Elkonin emphasized, the main thing in the act of walking is not only that the child’s space expands, but also that the child separates himself from the adult. For the first time, the unified social situation “We” is fragmented; now it is not the mother who leads the child, but the child who leads the mother wherever he wants. Walking is the first of the main new formations of infancy, marking a break in the old developmental situation.

Another major neoplasm of this age is appearance of the first word. The peculiarity of the first words is that they are in the nature of pointing gestures. Walking and enriching object actions require speech that would satisfy communication about objects. Speech, like all new developments of age, is transitional in nature. This is an autonomous, situational, emotionally charged speech, understandable only to those close to you. This speech is specific in its structure, consisting of fragments of words. Researchers call it "nanny language." But whatever this speech may be, it represents a new quality that can serve as a criterion that the old social situation has developed.

The child’s life fell apart. Where there was unity, there became two: an adult and a child. Between them a new content grew - objective activity.

Summarizing the first stage of child development, we can say that from the very beginning there are two interconnected lines of human development: the line of development of orientation in the meanings of human activity (in situational-personal communication) and the line of development of orientation in the methods of human activity (in situational-business communication) .

Last update: 29/10/2017

There are a number of independent branches (sections) of psychology that consider the issues and problems of psychology from their own unique point of view. Find out more about the most basic and relevant ones.

Despite the fact that each branch of psychology has its own view of psychological problems, yet they all pursue one common goal, namely: the study and explanation of human thinking and behavior.

Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies psychopathology and abnormal behavior. This area is focused on studying a wide range of mental disorders, including depression, obsession, sexual deviance and more. Clinical psychologists and psychotherapists often work directly in this area.

Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a learning theory based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through what is called conditioning. Although this branch of psychology dominated the first half of the 20th century, it became less prominent in the 1950s. However, the methods of behavioral psychology today remain main support in therapy, education and many other fields.

The branch of psychology focused on studying how the brain influences behavior is often called. However, it also has other names: “physiological psychology,” “behavioral neuroscience,” and “psychobiology.”

is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study internal states, such as motivation, problem solving, attention, decision making and thinking. This area of ​​psychology has continued to develop continuously since its inception (1960).

is a branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior. The idea is that studying animal behavior can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.

Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that studies how cultural factors influence human behavior. The International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) was founded in 1972, and the field of psychology has continued to grow and develop since then. An increasing number of psychologists today are interested in studying how the behavior of people around the world differs depending on their belonging to a particular culture.

Developmental psychology, as a branch of psychology, is designed to study the characteristics of human development throughout his entire life cycle, from the stage of childhood to the stage of maturity. The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people's behavior changes across the lifespan. This applies to all aspects of human development, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual and personality. This area of ​​psychology studies a huge range of topics, ranging from fetal development to Alzheimer's disease.

Educational psychology is a branch of psychology dealing with schools, the psychology of teaching, educational issues, and student issues. Psychologists in this field often study how students interact directly with students, parents, teachers, and officials and what can help improve their academic performance.

Experimental psychology is a branch of psychology that uses scientific methods to study the brain and behavior. Many of these methods are also used in other areas of psychology to study a wide range of issues, ranging from child development to so-called social issues.

Forensic psychology is a branch that deals with issues related to psychology and the law. Forensic psychologists perform a wide range of duties, including testifying in court cases, identifying cases of child abuse, preparing children to testify, and determining the sanity of criminal suspects.

Health psychology is a field dedicated to the study of how biology, psychology, behavior, and social factors influence human health and illness. Sometimes, along with the term “”, the terms “medical psychology” and “behavioral medicine” are also used. This field aims to study interventions to promote human health and prevent and treat diseases and illnesses.

This branch of psychology is focused on the study of the ability of thinking, as well as feelings and behavior, that make a person different from other representatives of the animal world. Some of the most famous theories in psychology originated in this area, including Freud's theory of psychoanalysis and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.

Social psychology aims to understand and explain social behavior and examines topics such as human behavior in groups, social interaction, leadership, non-verbal communication and the influence of society on a person when making decisions.

Have something to say? Leave a comment!.

The branches of psychology have a very ramified scheme, among which there are fundamental and applied, general and special. The fundamental branches of psychology have general meaning to understand and explain the psychology and behavior of people, regardless of what specific activity they engage in.

The main branch of psychology is general psychology, which studies the most general laws and mechanisms of development and functioning of the human and animal psyche. As a fundamental scientific discipline, general psychology studies issues of methodology and theory of psychology in general. IN general psychology sections are highlighted that represent (sensation, perception, and), as well as personality psychology, which considers such structural formations as character, abilities, emotions, needs, motives, will, etc. Studying psychological sciences begins with general psychology, since without knowledge of basic concepts, laws and mechanisms it is impossible to understand special branches of psychology.

Special, or applied, branches of psychology consider certain types psychic phenomena and human activities, and their achievements are used in practice. Thus, the pedagogical aspect of psychology is studied by educational psychology. She studies the patterns of teaching and upbringing, the conditions for the formation of cognitive functions in students, clarifies the psychological factors that influence the success of knowledge acquisition, and develops psychological recommendations.

Studies the ontogenesis of various mental processes and personality traits of a developing person, age-related characteristics of mental processes, factors of personality development, etc. It is divided into child psychology, adolescent psychology, youth psychology, adult psychology and gerontopsychology (psychology of an elderly person). One of central problems age and - problem of learning and mental development and their interdependence.

Identifies and describes individual differences people, genetic psychology studies the hereditary mechanisms of the human psyche and behavior, their dependence on the genotype. Medical issues of psychology are considered by such a branch as. She explores psychological aspects the doctor’s activities and the patient’s behavior.

A branch of psychology that studies patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by their involvement in social groups, and psychological characteristics these groups. She studies social and psychological phenomena in large groups, Problems mass communication(television, cinema, press, etc.), mechanisms and effectiveness of the influence of mass media on various communities of people, the psychology of nations, nationalities, the influence of political processes occurring in society on people. Social and psychological problems of small groups include the following questions: psychological compatibility in closed groups, interpersonal relationships in groups, the position of the leader and followers in the group, types of groups, person's perception of person and much more.

Studies psychological aspects labor activity human, psychological foundations of scientific organization of labor. The tasks of labor psychology include the study of a person’s professional characteristics, patterns of development of labor skills, and clarification of the influence of the production environment, design and arrangement of devices on the worker. Labor psychology has a number of sections, which are at the same time independent branches of science. These include engineering psychology, which studies the activity of the operator in automated control systems, legal psychology, which examines issues related to the implementation of the legal system, military psychology, which studies human behavior in combat conditions, and the psychological aspects of the relationship between officers and their subordinates.

The science of methods and rules for making a psychological diagnosis. Psychocorrection considers issues related to the development of methods of influencing the individual in order to correct certain mental abnormalities.

All branches of psychology and its smaller disciplines are very closely interconnected; there is a constant exchange of experimentally identified scientific information between them, which makes it possible to solve practical problems faster and more comprehensively.

It should be noted that modern psychology occupies a special place among other scientific disciplines, because combines into a single whole the most diverse knowledge about a person. The Swiss psychologist noted that “...psychology occupies a key position in the system of sciences. On the one hand, psychology depends on all other sciences and sees psychological life the result of physicochemical, biological, social, linguistic, economic and other factors that are studied by all sciences dealing with objects outside world. But, on the other hand, none of these sciences is possible without logical-mathematical coordination, mastery of which is possible only through the body’s influence on objects, and only allows one to study this activity in development.” Thus, psychology becomes an important means of communication modern sciences in the field of human cognition, combining natural sciences, technical and social scientific disciplines.

According to the point of view of B. M. Kedrov, psychology occupies a central position in the system of other sciences, since, on the one hand, it is an integrative product of other sciences, and on the other, it acts as a source for the further development of other scientific directions.

Briefly characterizing the relationship between psychology and the natural sciences, it should be noted, for example, that psychology borrowed some theories from biology to substantiate the patterns of phylogenetic development of the psyche. The problem of the relationship between hereditary and social factors influencing intellectual and personal development the individual, is one of the central ones in psychology.

In this regard, scientific data from a science such as genetics is important for her, providing material about the mechanisms of inheritance of certain inclinations, predisposition to mental illness, etc.

Psychology is closely related to higher physiology nervous activity. Thus, he studies the relationship of the psyche with its material substrate - the brain.

Clinical psychologists work in close collaboration with doctors (and, first of all, with neurologists and psychiatrists), developing problems of diagnosis, prevention, correction, and rehabilitation of sick people.

Psychology is closely related to humanities. It has been developing for a long time and many psychological schools are based on one or another philosophical system. Today, many philosophical problems are being developed in psychology, such as the relationship between the material and the ideal, the biological and the social, the subjective and the objective. Psychologists actively use data from history, anthropology, philology, linguistics, etc. Together with sociology - the science of social systems and processes - psychology studies the psychological patterns of interaction between an individual and his social environment.

Political scientists study the behavior of individuals and groups in a political context, so problems such as conflict resolution, sources of power, its accumulation and distribution are extremely relevant for psychology.

Psychology is closely interconnected with technical sciences. In particular, the development of various sociotechnical systems involves taking into account the mental and psychophysiological capabilities of a person as the most complex element of the “man-machine” system. Mathematical Sciences Provide Psychology statistical methods processing diagnostic results psychological research. In addition, the simulation method has been widely used recently.

Thus, psychology, on the one hand, accumulates theoretical and empirical knowledge of other sciences and at the same time provides these sciences with necessary information, Related psychological characteristics person.