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Unit-1: Nature, Branches and Schools of Psychology

group, social, applied and other sub-branches. Abnormal psychology is divided into only two sub- Notes
branches individual and group. There are a few more sub-branches other than these sub-branches but
that will not be described here.
Applied psychology influences only these scopes like educational psychology, Industrial Psychology,

religious Psychology are the other sub-branches of applied psychology. Here we will study about
educational psychology.

Schools of Psychology

Education and Psychology are closely realted, this topic has been enlightened in the previous chapters too.
Through psychology we gain knowledge about human mind. Therefore, its relationship with education

is mandatory. In the field of psychology, Psychologists have explained behavior through different
means. Educational Psychology is applied branch of psychology. To study the behavior of people from
different point of views and instructor needs to have a thorough knowledge of serial development of

psychology. So that he brings change in the behavior of his pupil by influencing him in order to attain
the desirable result. Difference in the ideas of psychologists in the development of psychology and the
explanation of behavior resulted the origin of different schools. These schools explained not only the
nature of behavior but also brought changes in the ideas of educational psychology, studies methods
and scope.

Meaning of the Schools of Psychology—Here the meaning of school indicates towards the method of

thinking and ideas of organized group of the people working in the field of psychology.
Psychologists Woodworth opinion is—“For us a ‘School’ is group of Psychologists who put forward a
certain system of ideas designed to point the way that all must follow if Psychology is ever to be made
a genuine productive service of both theoretical and practical value.” —R.S. Woodworth
This statement clarifies that the school of psychology is such a group of people who do theoretical

determination in the field of psychology and gives it a nature of scientifi c research.
In the 20th century psychologists experimented on the behavior of the living things and gave explanations
through different means. That is why in psychology many schools of different ideas originated. These
schools gave the solution of the same problem through different point of views. Each group has different
scope and thinking system. In educational psychology co-ordination between different ideologies to
solve the education related problem is not required. These schools can be helpful in the process of
education by giving contribution in their own specifi c fi eld.
The main motto of educational psychology is to help in the holistic development of a child. The different
schools of psychology try to understand human mind through their own point of views. Each school

has studied the mental problems minutely. In the field of education a few schools have researched on the
subjects related to learning process, mental development, personality development etc. and infl uenced

the process of education. A few important schools of psychology will be briefly described here. Schools
that have directly infl uenced the field of education and educational psychology are as follows:

1. Structuralism
2. Functionalism
3. Behaviourism
4. Psychoanalysis
5. Gestalt School
6. Field Theory
7. Holistic Psychology
8. Purposivism

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