Analitical summary of modules 1-3

Robert S. Feldmans is a writer, whose book "Understanding psychology" is a great way to start in psychology. First Paragraph "Introduction to psychology" gives the basic information about the field of psychology and it is shortened in three modules.

Module one states that there are many sub-specialties in the field of psychology: behavioral neuroscientist, cognitive, developmental, personality, health, social, cross-cultural. In fact there are some more fields coming to our lives such as evolutionary, behavioral genetics and clinical neuropsychology. Moreover psychology can be applied in many specialties that require very good social, behavioral skills. 

The origins of psychology that are defined in module two can be seen in 1879 – the opening of laboratory of psychology in Germany by Wilhelm Wundt. The early perspectives of psychology are structuralism, functionalism and gestalt theory. Today five major perspectives can be separated in contemporary psychology: neuroscience, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive and humanistic. Each takes our understanding of behavior in its amazing variety.

Third module names the key issues of psychology – questions of nature vs. nurture, conscious vs. unconscious determinants of behavior, observable behavior vs. mental processes, free will vs. determinism, and individual differences vs. universal principals. Although there are major arguments regarding how best to resolve these issues psychology is a unified science because psychologists of all perspectives agree that the issues must be addressed for the field to advance. In the future psychology will become more specialized. Prevention will increase replacing treatment and will take the growing diversity of the country’s population into account more.

The field of psychology is very important to us. Now with the help of different psychological perspectives, with scientific research we are able to understand our behavior, our feelings.