Evolution: The Common Thread throughout Psychology
Psychology is the study of behavior and mental functions and their relationship in individuals. The study encompasses consideration of broad aspects and subjects in the field of human behavior. As a result, different theories were developed to help group various factors of psychology into diverse specialties. Ultimately, it is easier to analyze the factors that affect the mental and emotional reactions of different people in the world. However, despite the differentiation in the types of psychology research, some aspects have remained prevalent. One of such aspect is evolution. Evolution entails growth and development of the human mind in connection with the past generation and the changing factors that impact people’s behavior. Therefore, this paper will define different departments of psychology and explain how each is connected to evolution. To achieve this goal, nine branches of psychology will be thoroughly defined and analyzed to determine if evolution is a shared factor in all the subjects of psychology or not.
Evolution
According to human behavior study, some behavior and responses to our daily life have been linked to the past conduct of our ancestors. In psychology, evolution is depicted in the science that attempts to explain the root of actions of human beings in ancient times. The study on what triggered our ancestors' reaction to the challenges they faced in the primitive surrounding they lived in their time and how they adapted to them. Further, evolution has been linked in our age because the similarity in the modern and ancient man's behavior have been noted. Therefore, it is possible that genes have been passed down generations and created the commonness of human brain functions and ultimate behavior.
Therefore, it is possible to attain a shared reaction to a problem being faced today with the people that lived long before our generation. In psychology, this behavior can be illustrated by a reconstruction of the past challenges and expose them to the current generation. This study has proved a similarity in the behavior of human brain in different occasions and over a range of human population despite their culture, age, and location. Therefore, evolution is psychology is linked to all behavior of people and is not affected by any factors faced by an individual. Below is a discussion to confirm evolution is a common thread in psychology.
Evolution in Branches of Psychology
Several branches of psychology have been divided based on human activity and people’s behavior. Further, consideration on how people relate to their environment and themselves has been accounted for. Different fields of psychology can be linked to the evolution of factors because the human mind and behavior can be influence by a wide variety of them. Most importantly, the factors that influence the response of human mind, and behavior can change over time. Therefore, in each sector of different psychology factors are considered while analyzing the stability of the findings of any research. Below is a list of nine branches in psychology, their definitions, and discussions about their link to the evolution aspect.
Life Span Development Psychology
The above psychology research entails learning of the development of the brain and the changes it triggers in people. Mostly, these changes have been elaborated through the changes that occur in the growth of a child's mind as they mature. The study depicts different development stages of a child's thoughts, feelings, and reaction to various events. According to past research, the complexity of the behavior of humans is developed as they grow. For example, it is easy to distinguish between an adult and child behavior despite the conditions that surround them. The ultimate functioning of the human behavior is linked to the common development process that all human beings face.
Therefore, evolution is an existing thread in the study of lifespan development psychology because it interprets the interrelationship of people's mental capacity despite their age and encounters with their surroundings. The evolution process has contributed to a better understanding of the diversity in the reaction of children, adults, and young adults to the issues they face during their lives. Moreover, the same concept has been used to explain the difference in the actions of people in different generations and all walks of life that are caused by experience and mental growth variance. As a result, it is imperative to link evolution in the developmental psychology study to show a common understanding of human behavior and mental capacity growth process and their behavior.
Personality Psychology
The characteristic of an individual is defined by their pattern of behavior, feelings, and thoughts. The uniqueness in each of a person's symptoms is ultimate to their personality. Therefore, personality psychology focuses on understanding the human nature by studying the unique character of each. This study facilitates understanding of one's perspective on different issues and behavior. Moreover, this aspect of the character helps identify the weaknesses and strengths of a person by their mental and behavioral factors.
However, this study is influenced by different developing factors in a person’s life, such as the level of knowledge and expertise in different fields. For example, gender has created a rational perspective and reaction to issues in the past and current human life. In the societies today, men handle some roles, and not women and the same habits have been traced in the ancient days. Meaning, despite the difference in time of existence, that perspective in humanity has barely changes. Therefore, the commonness in human knowledge and experience are primary factors and are indispensable in showing the evolution of human psychological aspects and behavior. As a result, keen analysis of the shared attributed of human in the past and current times creates is an understanding of how evolution is linked to personality psychology.
The Social-Cultural Psychology
In social-cultural psychology, the study focuses on the interactions of individuals. Additionally, the self-image created by each in their environment is analyzed. Defining how humans interact with others depicts the mental capacity influence on the others and the surroundings. Specifically, this aspect is measured through observation of how an individual handles issues with other people and how he or she values their reactions. For example, in a school set up, it is easy to observe how students of different ages interact with their seniors and juniors. The personality of an individual contributes largely to their social relationship with other people. Moreover, the interaction of a person may be influenced by the norms in their cultural background. For example, racism was a challenge in the past generations in the world. Today in the US, parents that do not value the lives of black citizens can quickly pass the pattern on to their children who will grow without acknowledging black people as worthy Americans. As a result, the interaction of these kids in future with the people of color will be adversely affected by the notions fed to them by their families. Therefore, some traits in human behavior are learned and passed across generations. Thus, linking the lifestyle of the past to the current, that is an evolutional development of human behavior and mentality.
The shifts in the social perspective and individual behavior may be caused by the development and growth of their rational understanding of life over years. Therefore, changes are unavoidable in the life of a person and the social environment due to the experiences that redefine their perspective of issues. However, such changes can only occur due to the development of the brain of an individual and the capability of understanding things in a new perspective beyond their cultural ideology. As a result, a change in behavior in the way one relates to other people can be learned. Therefore, how people relate to others and what changes their reactions over time has been influenced by their past lineage.
The Health and Stress Psychology
This branch of psychology entails the study on the wellness of an individual and the factors that can be self-triggered to affect it. Most of the factors that can be self-triggered to change the welfare status of a person are mind generated. These factors can trigger such disorders as depression and stress. However, the diseases are caused by the difference in how one handles the challenges they face in their activities. For example, an individual that is in a difficult financial situation can choose to modify their living standards and spending habits and work harder to attain more income, or they can focus on grieving without making positive changes. Along with that, due to the stagnation of the challenge, one ends with stress or depression. Therefore, the capacity of an individual to handle challenges and make a proper decision that will create solutions varies from one person to another. In the study of health and stress psychology, the aspects that bring about the difference in this mental capacity in people are well evaluated.
According to different studies on the wellness factor, the brain and the behavioral strengths of the individual trigger changes in reaction. Moreover, the changes differ according to age, empowerment, experience, and environmental aspects. Similar reactions have been traced in the behavior of past generations in solving their problems. For example, today a common challenge may be more devastating to a child than to an adult most of the times. However, it is possible to find a child that is less bothered by the same challenge compared to other adults. In the past, younger people have also been dependent on their seniors or parents' decisions due to the perception created over generations that adults are superior. However, some exceptional did not believe in these assumptions too. As a result, the study of the human brain and behavior in stress and health management depends on the evolutionary knowledge passed to them as they grow.
The Abnormal Psychology
This branch of psychology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Most contemporary psychologists in the world specialize in this field. The primary purpose of this specialty is identifying the psychological problem, establishing a solution or treatment method, and executing the determined recovery plan. Most of the medical practitioners under this cluster include clinicians, therapists, counselors, nurses, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Their function includes evaluating the problem or condition of a patient and giving guidelines on the possible ways to overcome the challenges. In most cases, individuals are diagnosed with the ailment of diverse diseases that may be linked to mental dysfunctions, such as stress and depression. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the medical practitioner to evaluate a situation and establish the possible origin of the causes of the diseases affiliated with a patient's medical history.
Moreover, professionals recommend and implement treatments to the current challenges. For example, the practice is seen when dealing with challenges that are genetically inherited. Different reactions may be expected depending on the treatment techniques used, but similarity on the response is ultimately noticed over the lineage of the patients' family. Therefore, linking the above sub-filed of psychology to evolution is perfect due to the shared shifts of the behavior of people are their ancestors.
The Organizational Psychology
In this field, psychology and human behavior are analyzed by working environment relations. For example, factors such as levels of productivity and self-drive of people in the execution of duties at work are examined. This study entails analyzing the challenges that people face in their workplaces. Moreover, close attention is paid to the way people interact with other individuals and machines such as computers in their line of work. Therefore, this study encompasses the evaluation of real world challenges that are faced by employees in their workplaces. For example, with the extensive use of computers in offices, the interactions of staff can be affected. Some people will be more productive when they interact with fewer people, and others will be less productive. A good manager will use the concept of industrial or organizational psychology, to promote motivation and maximum productivity through the understanding of the staff members with different personalities. The aspects were attained in the ancient man when they created tools to increase their productivity. Meaning, invention and the thinking of man to increase their productivity has not changed and its shaped by the problems they face in their environment.
Evolution of the world’s workplace aspects such the adoption of the use of computers and the invention of tools are great factors that helped in understanding the actual situation of workplaces. The drastic changes in the way people work and the requirements of the world in the past and today are an excellent depiction of the passing of human behavior only that it comes with improvement.
The Behavioral Statistics Psychology
This study focuses on defining the emotional and mental relationships of an individual. The study encompasses an understanding of brain function and reactions such as moods, feelings, and thoughts of a person. Therefore, how a person behaves is analyzed by understanding how their mind and emotions impact each other. The same trend has been experienced in the current and past times. This study is important in helping neural medics know the ways the nervous system of a person affects their responses to issues. Further, an understanding of human characteristics is well expounded on in this study. As a result, it is easier to understand the reaction and functioning of the brain.
The study embraces the changes of the factors influencing responses in emotions and mind to understand the subject well. Therefore, a keen analysis of the changing factors in the human brain and how those factors trigger reactions of an individual promotes success in this endeavor. As a result, understanding factors that evolve and are directly linked to the behavior of individuals’ plays a significant role in emphasizing the success of behavioral statistics psychology in humans.
The Counseling Psychology
Counseling psychology is the practical way of giving guidelines to achieve solutions to mental related challenges in individuals. The practice involves the evaluation of the challenges and the mental ability of an individual to create a proper understanding of their situation. This specialty focuses on understanding both interpersonal and personal relationships of people. That is, how one reacts to different emotions and situations and how they interact with their surroundings and other people. Therefore, the study entails the understanding of all the aspects related to the psychological specialties named above. That is social, health, developmental, industrial, abnormal, personality, and behavioral psychology studies.
Considering that, all of the above branches have been linked to evolution in a paramount way. Development directly relates to counseling psychology in a compelling way. Therefore, counseling psychology is and has been an essential way of implementing the knowledge attained in psychology to alleviate existing problems in the sector.
The Research Methods Psychology
Psychology can be divided into practice and research. Research entails seeking knowledge on the aspects of psychology in different branches, while practice requires the implementation of the knowledge attained in the research in real life situation. Therefore, research psychology is the study of the different psychology studies with the aim of understanding how each of them operates. The study may entail writing books and other theoretical works that guide and teach psychology better. However, research has nothing to do with implementing the gained knowledge in practical problem solving.
However, despite the possible involvement, the academic activities require considerable analysis of the changing factors that affect each of the psychological behaviors or emotions in individuals. The factors may at times undergo drastic changes as analyzed in each branch above. Therefore, the implementation of evolution even in the theoretical approach is necessary. For example, today a scholar who aspires to influence the sector of psychology by contributing to research projects only can efficiently execute his duty without treating people. As a scholar, they can use institutions to perform their experiments and write books or articles that will help advance the knowledge of practitioners in a specific field. In the past, actions such as inventions depicted the same urge to attain knowledge and be more productive.
In the above discussion, several aspects that are prone to change have been discussed in every branch of psychology. Therefore, a better perspective on each of the identified fields has been analyzed. The information can be highly useful to researchers, students, and practitioners of psychology. The analysis has helped determine the factors to be evaluated in analyzing how human emotions and brain operates and the impact caused by the diverse internal and external environmental factors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is true that evolution is a common thread throughout the study of psychology. According to the above analysis, the following is how it's represented in all the nine branches of the study. First, in life span development study, the changing factors in growth and development of the human brain show an evolution of people. Moreover, in personality study, the dynamic aspects in expertise levels in people trigger the need to keep up with the evolution of notions. Besides, the disparity in the human knowledge and cultural norms triggers changes and growth in personality studies. Additionally, in the health, behavioral statistics, counseling, and abnormal psychology, similar shifts in the factors that are focused on in each study represent evolution. Last but not least, in the study of industrial organization psychology, the variations in the workplace industry trigger the need to keep up with evolution to understand employees' responses better.
Therefore, these attributes discussed above have shown the relationship of psychology and the changing factors relating to human activities. The factors are both internal and external and have a direct influence on human thinking, behavior, and responses to different issues. Hence, evolution in psychology applies to the entire study of psychology due to the study of the diverse factors that affect individual mental and emotional reactions to situations, people, or events. In every specialty of psychology, changes are inevitable in the factors that are considered for the study. As a result, the evolution process is a crucial factor needed to attain perfection in the execution of the practices.
