Argumentative Essay: Is Psychology A Science?

985 Words4 Pages

Is psychology a science has been a debate since the second half of the nineteenth century and scholars of the subject know this is a debate that has been continued and brought up to them. From my experience psychology is largely science-based and lives up the definition of science, "The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment" (Oxford Dictionary of English). The two goals of psychology are to explain emotions, thoughts, and behavior. Psychologists study experiments, test out variables and problems within their field to understand the brains functions, emotion, and behavior. This is enough evidence for my answer for …show more content…

My father would teach her new tricks and every time she would do it correctly she would receive a treat from him, if she did not she wouldn't receive a treat. She would also poop in the house before learning to use the bathroom outside. Every time she would defecate in the house she would be sent outside until she learned where to go. I watch a show called the "Office", and one of the characters named Jim would offer a mint to his coworker every time his computer beeped. After a while, the coworker would hand out his hand for a mint when he heard the computer beep and without Jim offering a mint. I realize now that is actually called classical conditioning. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology and when I first came across this five-stage model for this theory, I found the Idea Maslow had interesting. In terms of how this would be important to my academic achievements, the act of fulfilling needs and increasing motivation from my self-actualization and esteem could affect the way I …show more content…

For example, the individual's feelings, thoughts, and behavior are heavily influenced by social situations. Prosocial behavior was an interesting topic that made me sit down and question myself on whether I really help someone to for their need or is it because of the satisfaction I feel for leading a hand. The most interesting topic for me was learning about the social roles. "A social role is a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a given setting or group" (Hare, 2003). Roles that people have in their everyday life, like being a parent, coach or teacher. You would have certain culture and behavior associated with that social role. I just thought it was conspicuous but very true. Taking the information that I have gained from learning about social psychology and using it in the future could be an ideal thing to do. Understanding social psychology could let you become closer to people in your social circle, you could gain more trust by learning what is appropriate and a correct way of expressing yourself to others could make life easier for