Psychology has the potential to recognise the value of the mind

Psychology aims at creating a broad-based understanding towards self and society, writes Anita Ghai, Associate Professor, Jesus and Mary College.

Psychology aims at creating a broad-based understanding towards self and society. The aim of the course includes enhancement of the inner talents and potential of students with the hope that they can develop personally as well as in the inter-personal context.

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By definition, Psychology offers a rich panorama of theoretical approaches such as cognitive, psychoanalytic, humanistic, existential, social, cultural, political and community psychology.

Students reflect upon issues such as thinking, learning and perceiving, remembering, forgetting, physiology of the nervous system, development of children, social relationships and their effect on personality development, mental disorders, applications of psychology to the study of society, organisational behaviour.

Psychology engages with debates about epistemology, ontology, theory, methodology analysis, ethical concerns and its applications.

The first year papers include General Psychology, Statistics, Physiological Psychology and a Practicum on General Experiments. In the second year, students are taught Social Psychology, System and Theories, Research Methods and Psychology Testing and Practicum II on Psychological Testing. The final year includes Abnormal Psychology, Development Psychology and Optional papers such as Organisational Psychology, Counseling Psychology and Self and Personality.

The help of professionals is also required for many rehabilitation needs such as drug addiction, alcoholism and dysfunctional families. Within the organisation setups, dealing with competitive jobs creates a need for counseling. Similarly the importance of popular games such as cricket and soccer create demands for sports psychologists. Further, developmental psychology is in great demand these days.

Child psychologists, criminal psychology with specialisation in forensic psychology, school psychologists are also some of the sought after options. Many other professions such as media, advertising, indeed anywhere where there are humans involved, require the presence of psychologists. Psychology as a discipline has the potentiality to recognise the value of the psyche as formed by the interactive setting socio-emotional, familial, political and historical forces.

Anita Ghai, Associate Professor, Jesus and Mary College