Psychology is the
scientific study of
mind and
behavior. Psychology includes the study of
conscious and
unconscious phenomena, including
feelings and
thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between the
natural and
social sciences. Psychologists seek an understanding of the
emergent properties of
brains, linking the discipline to
neuroscience. As social scientists, psychologists aim to understand the behavior of individuals and groups. Ψ (or
psi) is a
Greek letter which is commonly associated with the science of psychology.
A professional practitioner or researcher involved in the discipline is called a
psychologist. Some psychologists can also be classified as
behavioral or
cognitive scientists. Some psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and
social behavior. Others explore the
physiological and
neurobiological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors.
Psychologists are involved in research on
perception,
cognition,
attention,
emotion,
intelligence,
subjective experiences,
motivation,
brain functioning, and
personality. Psychologists' interests extend to
interpersonal relationships,
psychological resilience,
family resilience, and other areas within
social psychology. They also consider the unconscious mind. Research psychologists employ
empirical methods to infer
causal and
correlational relationships between psychosocial
variables. Some, but not all,
clinical and
counseling psychologists rely on
symbolic interpretation. (
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