Essay on Psychology The Study of the Mind and Behavior

Psychology Concepts: Psychology is a term derived from two Greek words that translate to life explanation, which makes it an important element of daily life. The field of psychology can be described as a discipline that focuses on the study of mind and behavior. This discipline is characterized by several concepts and approaches that are used by psychologists in understanding human behavior. Since psychology is a broad field, psychologists not only use these concepts and approaches but also conduct scientific research that enables them to understand human behavior. Some of the most common psychological concepts that are used to modify or change an individual’s behavior include operant conditioning, positive and negative punishment,†¦show more content†¦An example of the use of this method is when my friend was recently grounded by his parents for misbehaving in school. While positive punishment helps in modifying behavior, it may cause an individual to be embarr assed and contribute to other negative behavior, which is a major ethical concern. On the contrary, negative punishment is a method that also contributes to weakening a behavior though it lessens or eliminates something pleasant. It involves taking away something desirable or good from an individual in order to discourage him/her from engaging in a particular behavior. For instance, one of my classmate’s phone rang in class despite being told by teachers not to bring our phones to class. Consequently, the teacher took away the phone from my classmate in order to discourage that behavior. The ethical concern that may emerge from using negative punishment is that it does not teach the victim of undesired behavior how to change his/her behavior. Positive reinforcement involves strengthening or fostering desired behavior through the addition or increase of a pleasant incentive. Positive reinforcement tends to be a more effective means of behavior modification that the two ty pes of punishment. The addition or increase of incentive when using positive reinforcement is geared towards encouraging the occurrence of the behavior in the future. For instance, positive reinforcement is used by anShow MoreRelatedPsychology Is The Study Of The Mind And Behavior1769 Words   |  8 PagesIn simple definition, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Psychology is a very recently made science, and it includes many sub-fields. The newly-made science evolved out of biology and philosophy can be traced far back to early Greek whose thinkers include Aristotle and Socrates. The science is unique because it studies something abstract and can’t be seen physically perceived such as thoughts, memory, cognition, and emotions. 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