The 13 Benefits Of Psychology (and Why It Is A Good Idea To Go To The Psychologist)
The study and application of psychology is very useful in different areas, and the work of psychologists is beneficial in different areas. We must not forget that in this discipline there are many specializations and, although many people associate the figure of this professional with the clinical field or psychopathologies, we can also find psychologists working in companies, in the marketing world, in sports clubs and even in the school centers.
And the study and application of psychology is beneficial both to improve the well-being and mental health of people and to promote interpersonal relationships, improve sports or organizational performance, help groups function better and many other things..
The psychologist is a professional who, from a scientific perspective, studies how people and groups think, feel and behave, and has the knowledge, techniques and tools to diagnose and intervene in different problems that can arise at a mental, behavioral, relational level…
Psychology is not just dealing with psychopathologies
Erroneously, there is a popular belief (although to a lesser extent) that the psychologist is solely and exclusively dedicated to to deal with patients with psychological disorders.
The reality is that psychology professionals carry out different functions, and although one of them is to diagnose and treat the psychological problems of some people, this professional is present in different environments, which do not necessarily have to do with a hospital or a psychology clinic.
For example, psychologists can work in companies carrying out personnel selection processes or by participating in the training of workers, they can act in schools so that those children with special educational difficulties can improve their academic performance and have the same opportunities and rights as any child of their age.
They can also work directly with an athlete (for example, a tennis player) so that they get more out of their training or the competitions in which they participate, and learn to better manage their emotions to perform at a high level during a championship. The benefits of psychology are multiple and psychologists, with their effort and dedication, contribute to making this happen.
What are the branches of psychology?
As you can see, psychologists participate in different fields of application, since psychology can have as many facets as there are activities carried out by human beings. Some of the most important branches of psychology are:
1. Organizational Psychology and Human Resources
The psychologists can participate in companies performing different functions, including personnel selection, training or reduction of work stress.
Marketing and consumer psychology can also belong to the area of organizational psychology, and is responsible for carrying out research aimed at creating attractive services and products for the customer. Likewise, it is responsible for establishing communication strategies that are more useful, and makes efforts to provide knowledge about neuromarketing, among many other functions.
2. Social and community psychology
One of the branches of psychology that currently generates the greatest interest is social and community psychology, which focuses on the collective and the relationships between people in a context It takes into account group processes and how social and relational dynamics affect individuals.
It consists of research and intervention focused on psychological problems and people’s well-being
Although clinical psychology directly treats psychological problems, whether very serious or not, health psychology professionals usually focus their work on improving the well-being and quality of life of some individuals who do not necessarily suffer from mental disorders. For example, cancer patients, in the case of the specialization in Psycho-oncology.
4. Educational and developmental psychology
These professionals may or may not work in schools, but their work usually focuses on the learning and education processes. For example, working with individuals who suffer from ADHD or improving the relationship between family and school.
Developmental psychology is frequently linked to educational psychology. However, although some of the functions in both areas may overlap, developmental psychology focuses on psychological and behavioral changes that occur at different stages of life, from childhood to old age.
5. Sexology
This area aims to apply psychology to the resolution of problems related to sexuality (erectile dysfunction, paraphilias, lack of sexual desire, etc.), as well as contributing to improving the sexual performance of individuals.
Benefits of psychology
Therefore, psychology has many fields of application, and all of them are very useful for people in different aspects. It is necessary stop linking behavioral science to psychopathology since psychology positively affects many areas of our lives and different contexts.
In summary, the benefits of psychology are:
Improve communication skills and relationships of people.
Help improve Emotional Intelligence and conflict resolution and help better manage other related aspects (for example, stress).
Improve couple and family relationships and, of course, your well-being.
Maximize people’s potential and your own personal development thanks to self-knowledge, planning and improving your own motivation.
Improve the quality of life of people with diseases (for example, diabetes or cancer).
Diagnose and intervene in overcoming different mental disorders.
Improve our knowledge of the structure and functioning of our brain, and help understand and improve cognitive functions such as memory.
Improve Teaching and learning processes and work alongside teachers to motivate all students.
Create a better group climate, for example, in schools or organizations.
Improve the processes of evaluation and incorporation of changes. These changes can be of all kinds, for example, when dealing with drug addicts.
Improve personnel selection processes, teamwork, company production and employee well-being.
Psychological interventions can reduce the need for drug treatment
Positive manipulation of psychological variables related to sport. For example, self-confidence, activation level, aggressiveness, perseverance or team cohesion.
