Types of psychology

Human behavior has been one of the most debated and controversial issues throughout history.

Branches of psychology and their types

Human behavior has puzzled those trying to understand the workings of the mind for years . The phenomena of perception, personality, cognition, behavior, reaction, relationship and emotion not only show a wide diversity of mental faculties, but also affect our relationships, with ourselves and with our environment.

These are the main types of psychology:

• Clinical psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Experimental psychology
• Health psychology
• Community psychology
• Sports psychology
• Differential psychology
• Comparative psychology
• Forensic psychology
• Organizational or work psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Child psychology
• Humanistic psychology
• Abnormal psychology
• Psychology of sexuality

There are different branches within psychology ; Each of them is in charge of studying the behavior of the mind, emphasizing different areas, such as: consciousness, perception, behavior, the unconscious, physical state, thought, among others. In this article we are going to detail, one by one, the different types of psychology that exist and we will see what exactly they consist of.

Different types of psychology

Clinical psychology

Clinical psychology is the field of psychology that is responsible for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of people who have some type of psychological distress. This is aimed at relieving stress or dysfunction that is triggered by various psychological reasons. This results in personal development and emotional and physical well-being .

Clinical psychologists study the depths of forensic testimony and clinical neuropsychology and use specially designed and adapted models of therapy to generate a therapeutic alliance. They also use the subsequent exploration of psychological problems , which helps to identify and apply new methods of thinking and behavior.

Cognitive psychology

The cognitive psychology studies the mental processes that dictate behavioral traits. These are based on the understanding of learning, perception, memory and attention, to apply information processing to mental reasoning and normal functions. Cognitive psychology is the result of the participation of various neurobiologists , logicians, and linguists, who emphasize not only theory, but also formalization.

Developmental psychology

The psychology of the development is the scientific study of psychological progressive changes that occur in humans as they age. This psychological branch is based on a scientific approach that aims to explain growth, change and consistency throughout life. Developmental psychology looks at the change in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors throughout a person’s life.

Developmental psychologists study a wide range of theoretical areas, such as biological, social, emotional, and cognitive processes . They also play a great role in helping humans address developmental concerns and work to provide assistance to children, adults, and the elderly facing developmental challenges.

Experimental psychology

Experimental psychology uses scientific and experimental methods for understanding the human mind and behavior. The experimental method in psychology aims to understand animal activities -based mainly on humans- and the functional organization of mental processes through the manipulation of variables that can give rise to behavior.

Health psychology

Health psychology or health psychology, is the branch of psychology that is based on the general aspect of health maintenance, prevention and treatment of diseases. It seeks to understand how an individual’s behavior interferes with their health.
This subfield of general psychology studies the subjective components of the health-disease process and examines how physiological, behavioral and social factors influence it.

Community psychology

Community psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with interactions between people and the environment , and the ways in which society affects individual and community functioning.

The goal of community psychology is to optimize the well-being of individuals and communities with innovative and alternative interventions designed in collaboration with affected members of the community and with other related disciplines within and outside of psychology.

Community psychologists deal directly with sensitive and important social issues. For example, they can focus on finding ways to help the most disadvantaged , such as the poor, the disenfranchised or the homeless, trying to connect with their local communities and access resources and support.

They also seek to reduce ethnic tension by researching and understanding the social problems faced by minority groups.

Sports psychology

The psychology of sport is the kind of psychology that uses psychological knowledge and skills to address optimal performance and well – being of athletes. This psychological branch studies the influence of psychological, developmental and social aspects in sports and the systemic problems associated with sports settings and organizations.

Sports psychologists help athletes perform at peak levels and rehab after injury. They can also explore the effects that sports participation has on athletes, the factors that contribute to success on the field, or the psychological consequences of physical injury. These can function as coaches, consultants or therapists and can offer therapy for problems such as eating disorders or career transitions.

Differential psychology

It is known that most subfields of psychology deal with the similarities between individuals or groups of individuals -whether of the same species or different species-, differential psychology, on the contrary, deals with the differences of mental life individual ; examines how people are similar and how they differ in their thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

It also states that people can be classified psychologically, according to their intelligence and personality characteristics.

Differential psychologists strive to understand the ways in which people are psychologically similar , but in particular, the psychological characteristics that make them different. They conduct research on a variety of individual and group differences, to understand the factors that influence human behavior.

Observations about group differences can sometimes be misused and stereotyped when average characteristics are attributed indiscriminately to all people in a group, and when differences between groups are considered immutable and solely heritable.

Comparative psychology

The comparative or comparative psychology is a type of psychology that deals with the study of animal behavior. This is based on the comparison of species ; compares man with animal and animal in its various subgroups.

Research on animal behavior began with the work of Charles Darwin and his book entitled ” The Origin of Species .” Since then the field of comparative psychology has become a multidisciplinary study. Today professionals from different disciplines such as biologists, psychologists and anthropologists, among others, contribute to the study of animal behavior.

One of the subfields of comparative psychology is animal psychology, which studies in depth and based on scientific methods the functioning of the animal mind. Within animal psychology we can also distinguish several subgroups, including canine psychology and feline psychology.

Forensic psychology

Forensic psychology or psychology of law, is the application of science and psychology to questions and issues related to the law and the legal system. It is based on the study of the reasoning behind the decisions of the jury, the evidence and the testimonies of the witnesses in the legal field. It is also in charge of the study of clinical reports, systematic evaluation and evaluation of the consistency of information across multiple sources.

The forensic psychologist must have a solid understanding of the law and the legal situation involved in the courtroom. In cases of imputability for mental illnesses, the forensic psychologist will be in charge of evaluating the witness to discern whether that mental illness is a general mental state or a temporary state.

Organizational or work psychology

Organizational psychology is the scientific study of the behavior and attitudes of people at work, and of the psychosocial processes underlying the functioning of organizations.

Organizational psychology focuses on a wide range of research topics , such as: job analysis and personnel selection procedures; performance and performance in staff; analysis of training needs in organizations; factors that affect work stress and well-being at work; work attitudes, goals and motivations, among others.

Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology and neurology that aims to understand how the structure and function of the brain relate to specific psychological processes.

The neuropsychologist specializes in understanding the relationship between the physical brain (structure) and human behavior (function). He is scientific in his approach and shares an insight into the information processing of the mind with cognitive psychology and cognitive science.

Child psychology

Child psychology is a specialized branch of traditional psychology that focuses on children , primarily their development and behavior. It is one of the most commonly studied types of psychology today.

This type of psychology covers all periods of childhood, from birth to the beginning of adolescence. Some of the topics covered by child psychology include: cognitive development, affective development, behavior problems, childhood disorders, development of social skills, mental and emotional well-being.

Humanistic psychology

Humanistic psychology is a psychological branch that is based on the belief that human beings are innately a “good” being, and that their behavior is influenced by external factors such as mental and social problems that result from deviations from their natural tendency. .

Humanistic psychologists strive to help people develop their potential and maximize their well-being and propose a perspective that emphasizes observing the individual as a whole and emphasizes concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization.

Abnormal psychology

The abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies abnormal behavior . It studies people who are “abnormal” or “atypical” compared to members of a given society. The objective of this is to understand the change in nature and the abnormal interactive patterns adopted by an individual.

This type of psychology uses psychopathology and clinical psychology to investigate the causes of psychological disorders, and is responsible for studying the maladaptive characteristics of the condition, in the presence of disability, stress or dysfunction.

Psychology of sexuality

The psychology of sexuality is a type of psychology that is based on the interdisciplinary study of the various aspects of sexual behavior and human sexuality, including sexual development; the interpersonal relationships; sexual dysfunction; the sexual act; sexually transmitted diseases and sexual psychopathologies such as: sexual addiction, pedophilia, voyeurism, sadism, among others, in addition to psychological disorders that can occur after sexual abuse.