Nursing and the Schools of Psychology

Studying the mind and its corresponding behaviors are the concerns of psychology.  Psychology establishes general assumptions through research; methods that have its own affinity with the study of nursing. Psychology may only be an increment to the nursing profession; but even before its insertion into the nursing course, nurses have already been using psychological techniques in treating their patients. This has been manifested through the schools of thought that psychology employs to its patients. Let us examine a few of these schools of thought that has already found its expression in the nursing field.

The Biological School
The biological matters that compose the human brain have an effect on the human behavior. If a nurse is aware of this, then they will be able to properly manage the patient. The nurse will also be able to keep in mind certain physiological reactions that can be expected from the patient.

 The Behavioral School
As has been said, psychology concerns itself with human behavior. Nurses should be able to determine behavioral patterns from the patient they is handling. If a nurse has the capacity go over the patient’s demeanor, then they has taken the first step towards treating the patient well.

The Cognitive School
Mental processes that manifest through human activity should be part of a nurse’s agenda of concern. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” If a nurse has a knack for determining peculiar behaviors within his/her patient, then both the nurse and the patient benefit from the professional’s good awareness.

The Social School
Like Psychology, the inclusion of Sociology to the nursing curriculum enables nurses to see attitudes in their patients based on their sociological status. This helps nurses create a complete assessment of their patients’ conditions.

The Psychoanalytic School
Ever since Freud introduced the study of psychoanalysis, it has become a part of every department in every office, including the nursing department. The analysis that goes about it is crucial in giving enough evaluation over a patient.

Psychology and Memory

Psychology derives from Greek roots meaning study of the psyche, or soul. It is defined as the study of the mind and behavior. Psychology, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is an academic discipline and an applied science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific areas.

With Psychology as the study of the mind, it leads us to memory. One function of the mind is to store and remember information. Memory is the sum total of what we remember, and gives us the capability to learn and adapt from previous experiences as well as build relationships.

However, our memory is not perfect or immune to errors. Sometimes we forget things from important to mundane that, one way or another, play such a pervasive and pivotal role in our daily lives. For example, forgetting a friend’s birthday or misplacing an important document.

Daniel L. Schacter, psychologist and memory expert, presented a framework designed to outline the seven major “sins” of memory in his book, “The Seven Sins of Memory.” These seven “sins” are transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, mis-attribution, suggestibility, bias and persistence.

Schacter describes the first three sins as those of omission (the memory is lost). Our memory fades over time, is easily distracted that is why we become absent-minded, and is blocked because we struggle to remember things when we know that we know it in the first place.

The last four sins Schacter describes as the sins of commission (at least some of the memory is there, but it is either wrong or unwanted. Our memory mistakes its source, is influenced by outside factors which triggers false memories, is influence by our current beliefs, and remembers things that we would rather forget.

Although our memory is not perfect, it allows us to adapt and interact in a world full of overwhelming information.

Learning Psychology and its Benefits

Psychology is basically the study of behavior, mental operations and performance of people. It is also the connection of educational, theoretical and applied science.

Students who studied psychology devotedly were able to understand the compound process of the brain that commands the actions of all human. They also have come to realize that they can make use of psychology in understanding the behaviors, situations and everyday life of all the people.

Why Learning Psychology is important?

Basically, there are a lot of reasons why learning psychology is important. Students will have the chance to experience the following:

The ability to understand own behavior

Studying psychology will allow students to understand their own behavior, emotions and ideas. They will also realize that studying the principles of psychology will allow them to assess, evaluate and provide solutions to all unwanted emotional situations.

Enhanced Communication Expertise

Most famous psychologists have discovered that humans are involved in all kinds of communication. Studying psychology will allow students to understand that communication skills can improve the effectiveness of human interaction.

The ability to understand the behavior of other people

According to Heidelburg of University of Ohio, studying psychology enables students to understand the behavior of other people. They will have the ability to read people’s minds and emotions. Understanding human emotions can be hard, but if students can master the principles of psychology, it will be easier to understand human actions. In addition, it can also improve student’s ability to help others in dealing with their dilemmas.

Better Career Ahead

Students who are so devoted in studying psychology have one thing in common. They want to become the best and effective psychologists. They also know that there is an urgent need for more psychologists since there are increasing numbers of individuals with mental disability. Right after mastering all theories and principles of psychology, students will have the chance to prepare themselves in obtaining a certification or license.

Learning the basics of psychology is important because it can be applied and used to countless life experiences.

Relating Psychology to Health

Psychology is not only for people with mental problems or illnesses. Patients with any health conditions may have undergone psychological difficulties, before or during the condition. The behavioral and social factors cause or lead to almost every reason for dying, illness, and disability and directly cause roughly 1 / 2 of deaths every year. Mental and behavioral health care play a substantial role within the prevention, diagnosis and/or management of the 15 main reasons for dying within the United States. These diseases are cancer, pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Septicemia, hypertension,  chronic lower respiratory system disease, accidents, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, kidney disease, suicide, chronic liver disease, Parkinson’s Disease as well as assault/homicide.

patient psychologyAccording to some research, psychological distress might have an adverse effect and is capable of doing modifying various options that come with the immune response system. Around 85% of physician visits are suitable for issues that possess a significant psychological and behavioral component, for example chronic ailments. For instance, studies have proven an association between depression and cancer.

Ideas, attitudes, and feelings can accelerate the start of cardiovascular diseases. This leads to the conclusion that most people are experiencing diseases in relation to their mental and psychological health. People with diabetes are two times as likely as people without diabetes to possess serious psychological distress. Depression is prevalent in roughly 20% of cancer patients and could slow down treatment and recovery. Children and care providers of cancer patients might also experience depression.

Supplying mental and behavioral health services included in a health care model greatly increases access for underserved people. A built-in health care approach helps eliminate stigma in addition to increasing the understanding of the psychosocial facets of health. Psychologists play a vital role in integrated health care by helping people modify their behavior to avoid and get over health problems. People in the United States can be more healthy and efficient when psychology is incorporated into primary health care.

Consumer Psychology

Steve Jobs popularly said “people do not know what they want until you show it to them.” Of course, Jobs was popular for presenting the globe to technology that developed whole new product groups, such as the iPod and iPad. Consequently, it was easy to understand why Jobs did not believe in customer actions. For most organizations, customer psychology is less of a wondering activity. But that does not mean promoting to customers is any simpler. Enter Michael Fishman. Michael is a New York-based professional in customer actions and customer psychology who has been assisting organizations to comprehend customer behavior for 30 years.

Food shoppingFishman says organizations battle with knowing customer psychology, because many customers do not act in logical methods. “Most individuals cannot answer the simple query of why they want the things they want,” says Fishman. “That’s because our mind pushes our decision-making procedure in methods that we’re not really conscious of.” Many individuals, if asked about a particular product or service, can review on whether they want it or not, says Fishman.  But there are subconscious drivers that also encourage consumers’ decision-making. “Consumer psychology is all about getting into that subconscious area where individuals are being instructed to shop for things they are not clear about,” says Fishman. When organizations work to comprehend their own consumer’s psychology, business and marketing becomes “way more foreseeable and more sympathetic in a way.”

Fishman’s interest for assisting organizations to comprehend customer psychology was one purpose behind his choice to group with top promoting writer Ramit Sethi to make BehaviorCon, targeted on customer actions and customer psychology. Fishman says that BehaviorCon was inspired, in part, on the latest reputation of non-fiction guides on the subject. “There have been so many top promoting guides on customer psychology and customer behavior in the last four to five years and yet, no conference outside of the academic globe,” says Fishman. “Ramit and I made the decision to make the conference we would love to go to if there was one.”

Psychology and Economics

Over thousands of years, several businesses have desired the position of science. Few have prevailed because they did not find out anything that was standing up to analysis as information. No human body of values, no issue how commonly approved or how comprehensive in chance, can ever be scientific.

Jared Bernstein [right], with a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Columbia University, is not officially an economist, but he has organized many roles that an economist would usually keep. He was chief economist and financial advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and a member of President Obama’s financial group. Before becoming a member of the Obama administration, he was a senior economist and the director of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute. Between 1995 and 1996, he was the deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor.

psychologyBernstein is engaged in equation adjusting, a frequent practice among economic experts. For Bernstein, it’s income. But what has the formula to do with reality? Economic experts believe that their equations explain truth perfectly, but no design ever comes associated with evidence that it does. As Keynes outlined, “Too huge a percentage of latest ‘mathematical’ business economics are simple blends, as obscure as the preliminary presumptions they rest on, which allow the writer to forget the reasons and interdependencies of the actual life in a labyrinth of exaggerated and unhelpful signs.” As others have outlined, the map is not the area.

So why do economists claim these? Is it because these statements explain how they themselves would act if given the opportunity? Was Bastiat amazingly lazy? Was Cruz really a selfish man? If those who create such statements would not have served in the methods they described, would not they then know that the statements were false? These all are unprovable statements about individual (or canine) characteristics. Economics as we know it is nothing but statements about how humans will act in given conditions. As such, it is nothing but armchair psychology, and the psychology is in accordance with the emotional features of the economists creating the statements. Greedy individuals believe that all individuals are. Unethical individuals believe that all individuals are. Damaged individuals believe that all individuals are. Wicked individuals believe that all individuals are. But, you know, they are wrong! John Blossom, a lecturer of psychology at Yale, says.