The Four Goals of Psychology

Written By Colēgia

Psychology offers us many different perspectives to consider when it comes to viewing ourselves within the world. This subject has several goals in mind that are covered in different manners. Today we want to discuss what these are and how they can help you.

Describe

Being able to describe behavior is one of the major cornerstones of psychology. It allows us to practice observation and put what we see into words. This is good for a wide variety of reasons and social psychology is a good example of this. In order to identify behaviors, we need to first elaborate on what they are. This process doesn't necessarily require us to have an opinion on them but rather, set us up for future goals. This requires us to challenge our minds to accurately cover what we are seeing along with the subtle elements within this. One way to use this goal within your life is to describe how you feel when you are upset and use that to practice mindfulness.

“Being able to describe behavior is one of the major cornerstones of psychology.”

Explain

Being able to explain a process is the second major goal of psychology and directly ties into the describing goal. After we have covered what something is, we need to dive into why something behaves as such. This is crucial as it can highlight key aspects of something while giving it more time than the surface-level thoughts from simply describing something. In regards to behavior, determining why people act the way they do in response to different events can help us explain other elements about themselves. Using both of these effectively leads us into our next goal which trains our mind to view this information in a new light. A good application of this is if you feel that you are in conflict with something to then explain your feelings.

“This is crucial as it can highlight key aspects of something while giving it more time than the surface-level thoughts from simply describing something.”

Predict

Predicting behavior is the next major goal of psychology and this is helpful as it can help us identify what direction people will take. Habits are something that is formed after enough time and these can either be good or bad. An example of a good habit is brushing your teeth before eating. An example of a bad habit would be getting a minimal amount of sleep. Predicting behavior can be applied to both and in combination with the other goals, we can use the information from them to determine what will happen. If you notice that you are going to make a mistake, use this method to review your past experiences and see if that applies going forward.

“Predicting behavior is the next major goal of psychology and this is helpful as it can help us identify what direction people will take.”

Change

The final major goal of psychology is to use all of this to promote change. Change, when used appropriately is one of the most important tools for bettering our lives. Being able to change a negative habit into something more constructive is one of the most helpful applications of this. There will be many instances where we may be struggling with something mentally but being able to see past it and properly analyze the information we have can help us dramatically. Change can empower us for the better and acting upon it can ultimately help you.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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