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心理学专业英语

What Psychology Is

Why people do the things they do is an age-oldquestion. However, psychology--the science concernedwith behavior, both humans and animals--is only about125 years old. Despite its youth, it is a broad discipline,essentially spanning subject matter from biology tosociology. Biology studies the structures and functions of living organisms. Sociology examines how groupsfunction in society. Psychologists study two criticalrelationships: one

between brain function and behavior, and one between the environment and behavior. Asscientists, psychologists follow scientific methods, usingcareful observation, experimentation, and analysis.

Butpsychologists also need to be creative in the way theyapply scientific findings. Psychologists are frequently innovators, evolvingnew approaches from established knowledge to meetchanging needs of

people and societies. They develop theories and test them through their research. As this researchyields new information, these findings become part of the body of

knowledge that practitioners call onin their work with clients and patients. Psychology is atremendously varied field.

Psychologists conduct bothbasic and applied research, serve as consultants tocommunities and organizations,

diagnose and treatpeople, and teach future psychologists and other types of students. They test intelligence and personality. Theyassess behavioral and mental

function and well-being,stepping in to help where appropriate. They study howhuman beings relate to each other and also to machines, and they work to improve these relationships. And with America undergoing large changes in its

populationmakeup, psychologists bring important knowledge andskills to understanding diverse cultures.

Many psychologists work independently. They also team up with other

professionals--for example, otherscientists, physicians, lawyers, school personnel,

computer experts, engineers, policy makers, and managers--tocontribute to every area of society. Thus we find them

inlaboratories, hospitals, courtrooms,

心理学专业1

schools and universities, community health centers, prisons, and corporateoffices. Psychologists traditionally study both normal and abnormal functioning, and also treat patients withmental and emotional problems. Today, they areincreasingly concentrating on behaviors that affect the mental and

emotional health and mental processes of healthy human beings. For example, they work with business executives, performers, and athletes to combat stress and improve performance. They advise lawyers on jury selection and collaborate with educators on school reform. They show up

immediately following a disaster such as a plane crash or bombing, to help victims and bystanders recover from the trauma, or shock, of the event. They team with law enforcement and public health officials to analyze the causes of such events and prevent their occurrence. Involved in all aspects of our fast-paced world,

psychologists must keep up with what's happening all around us. When you're a psychologist, your education never ends. Psychology is a discipline with a bright future. Among fields requiring a college degree, it is expected to be the third

fastest-growing field in America through the year 2005 and to continue to grow steadily for at least another dozen years after that.

Opportunities for work in psychology are expanding in number and scope. The move toward preventing illness, rather than

merely diagnosing and treating it, requires people to learn how to make healthy behavior a routine part of living. Indeed, many of the problems facing society today are problems about behavior, for example, drug addiction, poor personal relationships, violence at home and in the street, and the harm we do to our environment. Psychologists contribute solutions to problems through careful collection of data, analysis of data, and development of intervention strategies--in other words, by applying scientific principles, the hallmark of psychology.

In addition, an aging America is leading to more research and practice in adapting our homes and workplaces for older people. The promises of the electronic revolution demand more user-friendly technologies