What Are the Objectives of Psychology?
The objectives of psychology are to learn about the mind’s subconscious, the mind’s consciousness and the reasons for human behavior. Psychology is essential to study for treating mental disorders, other biological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, and looking at the way the mind functions with memory and emotion.
One aspect of psychology is the classification system for defining a psychological disorder. Defining psychological disorders allows psychologists to treat clients effectively.
Psychologists test their clients using objective testing as well as projective testing. An example of an objective test would be the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. An example of a projective test would be the Rorscharch inkblot test.
There are three criterion that are used in determining whether or not a client has a psychological disorder:
- Whether or not a person is demonstrating behavior that is harmful to the person or to other people. An example of this would be someone who is self-injuring or who is drinking too much alcohol.
- If a person violates a cultural standard, such as a person who believes that he or she is the messiah and lectures the shoppers at grocery stores.
- The feeling of distress, which can show itself as anxiety, depression or pain.
For a disorder to be present, it must interfere with the person’s ability to function at an optimal level.
