Definition of Psychology The word Psychology is made of two ancient Greek words psyche meaning soul and logos

s meaning word. Thus, Psychology pertains to the study of mind, thought, and behaviour. Although the subject mainly studies the human behavior but the animal behavior is also studied either as a separate branch of psychology (animal cognition) or it is studied in order to gain insight into human behavior and psychology by making a comparison between the two (comparative psychology). Wilhelm Wundt was the first person to call himself a psychologist, and he opened the first psychological laboratory in 1879 and it is only recently that Psychology has developed as a separate discipline and science. It must be observed that Psychology does not study brain or nervous system as such but rather it is studied in terms of phenomenological or information processing theories of mind. However, in the recent past psychology has included a deeper understanding of brain function both in psychological theory and practice, especially in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology and artificial intelligence. The study of Psychology is conducted in a scientific as well as non-scientific manner. Psychology has an eclectic approach and it draws on scientific knowledge from diverse fields of knowledge in order to explain and understand behaviour. The mainstream psychology largely draws up on positivism and it derives data from quantitative studies and uses scientific methods to test hypotheses in an experimental setting. Yet all psychological research methods dont adhere to the classical scientific approach and method. The proponents of humanistic psychology completely reject a scientific approach while the mainstream psychology is biased towards the scientific methodology and it is dominated by cognitivism in its understanding of thought and behaviour. Psychology has a different approach in comparison to anthropology, sociology, political science and economics in order to study behavior. While Psychology studies behaviour of individuals (alone or in groups), the other sciences confine themselves to the behaviour of groups or aggregates themselves. Human Behavoir Human behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influencedby culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics. The behavior of people (and other organisms or even mechanisms) falls within a range with some behavior being common, some unusual, some acceptable, and some outside acceptable limits. In sociology, behavior in general is considered as having no meaning, being not directed at other people, and thus is the most basic human action. Behavior in this general sense should not be mistaken with social behavior, which is a more advanced action, as social behavior is behavior specifically directed at other people. The acceptability of behavior is evaluated relative to social norms and regulated by various means of social control.

The behavior of humans is studied by the academic disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology, economics, and anthropology. Human behavior is experienced throughout an individuals entire lifetime. It includes the way they act based on different factors such as genetics, social norms, core faith, and attitude. Behavior is impacted by certain traits each individual has. The traits vary from person to person and can produce different actions or behavior from each person. Social norms also impact behavior. Humans are expected to follow certain rules in society, which conditions the way people behave. There are certain behaviors that are acceptable or unacceptable in different societies and cultures. Core faith can be perceived through the religion and philosophy of that individual. It shapes the way a person thinks and this in turn results in different human behaviors. Attitude can be defined as "the degree to which the person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior in question." Your attitude highly reflects the behaviour you will portray in specific situations. Thus, human behavior is greatly influenced by the attitudes we use on a daily basis.

Functions of Psychology Psychology has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and neurobiological processes that underlie certain cognitive functions and behaviors. Psychologists study processes of sense perception,thinking, learning, cognition, emotions and mo tivations,personality, abnormal behavior, interactions between individuals,and interactions with t he environment. The field is closely alliedwith such disciplines as anthropology and sociology in its concernswith social and environmental influences on behavior; physics inits treatment of visi on, hearing, and touch; and biology in thestudy of the physiological basis of behavior. In its earli estspeculative period, psychological study was chiefly embodied inphilosophical and theological discussions of the soul. Classifications of Human Behavior 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. overt / covert behavior verbal / non-verbal behavior normal / abnormal behavior conscious / unconscious behavior regulatory behavior instinctive behavior habitual behavior

Definition of Philosophy The word Philosophy is Greek for "love/pursuit of knowledge", but for Socrates philosophy is so much more than that. Socrates does not merely love knowledge. For Socrates knowledge is a way of life, in fact, the only way. When faced with the opportunity to escape death on the condition that Socrates quit "philosophizing", Socrates would rather die. Socrates also mentions that people should not fear death since they don't know what it will be like. This shows that Socrates mind is always open to new possibilities. In Socrates time, many people simply believed what they were told, but Socrates did not just accept any answer. Socrates Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, andlanguage.[1][2] Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance onrational argument.[3] The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek (philosophia), which literally means "love of wisdom".[4][5][6] In more casual speech the "philosophy" of a particular person can refer to the beliefs held by that person. What is Man? Rational animal is a classical definition of man.[1] Though it is often attributed to first appearing as a definition in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Aristotle does not define it here. In the Nicomachean Ethics I.13, Aristotle states that the human being has a rational principle. Burke's definition of man states: "Man is the symbol-using (symbol-making, symbolmisusing) animal, inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative), separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own making, goaded by the spirit of hierarchy (or moved by the sense of order), and rotten with perfection".[2] Essentially, Burke's definition maintains that man is distinct from other creatures by the virtue of his use of symbols to communicate, his understanding of negation, his separation from nature by his own techniques, his existence in differing social structures, and his goal to become better than he presently is. Areas of Philosophy

Theory of Reality : Ontology & Metaphysics. Theory of Knowledge: Epistemology--from episteme and logos. Theory of Value: Axiology--from the Greek axios (worth, value) and logos.

Definition: *Epistemology- (from Greek (epistm), meaning "knowledge, understanding", and (logos), meaning "study of") is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope (limitations) of knowledge. *Solipsism-is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. The term comes from the Latin solus (alone) and ipse (self). Solipsism as an epistemological position holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure. The external world and other

minds cannot be known, and might not exist outside the mind. As a metaphysical position, solipsism goes further to the conclusion that the world and other minds do not exist. As such it is the only epistemological position that, by its own postulate, is both irrefutable and yet indefensible in the same manner. Although the number of individuals sincerely espousing solipsism has been small, it is not uncommon for one philosopher to accuse another's arguments of entailing solipsism as an unwanted consequence, in a kind of reductio ad absurdum. In the history of philosophy, solipsism has served as a skeptical hypothesis. *Skepticism or scepticism is generally any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts,or doubtregarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere. *Infinitism is the view that knowledge may be justified by an infinite chain of reasons. It belongs to epistemology, the branch of philosophy that considers the possibility, nature, and means ofknowledge. *Coherentism is the name given to certain philosophical theories in modern epistemology. There are two distinct types of coherentism. One is the coherence theory of truth; the other, the coherence theory of justification. The coherentist theory of justification characterizes epistemic justification as a property of a belief only if that belief is a member of a coherent set. What distinguishes coherentism from other theories of justification is that the set is the primary bearer of justification.[1] As an epistemological theory, coherentism opposes foundationalism andinfinitism and attempts to offer a solution to the regress argument. In this epistemological capacity, it is a theory about how belief can be justified.[citation needed] Coherentism is a view about the structure of justification or knowledge. The coherentist's thesis is normally formulated in terms of a denial of its contrary foundationalism. Coherentism thus claims, minimally, that not all knowledge and justified belief rest ultimately on a foundation of noninferential knowledge or justified belief. *In philosophy, Foundationalism is any theory in epistemology (typically, theories of justification, but also of knowledge) that holds that beliefs are justified (known, etc.) based on basic beliefs(also commonly called foundational beliefs). Alternative views are usually called anti-foundationalism. This position is intended to resolve the infinite regress problem in epistemology. Basic beliefs are beliefs that give justificatory support to other beliefs, and more derivative beliefs are based on those more basic beliefs. The basic beliefs are said to enjoy a non-inferential warrant (or justification). This warrant can arise from properties of the belief (such as its being self-evident or self-justifying). *Rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification". In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive". Different degrees of emphasis on this method or theory lead to a range of rationalist standpoints, from the moderate position "that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge" to the more extreme position that reason is "the unique path to knowledge". Given a pre-modern understanding of reason, rationalism is identical to philosophy, the Socratic life of inquiry, or the zetetic (skeptical) clear interpretation of authority (open to the underlying or essential cause of things as they appear to our sense of certainty). In recent decades, Leo Strauss sought to revive "Classical Political Rationalism" as a

discipline that understands the task of reasoning, not as foundational, but as maieutic. Rationalism should not be confused with rationality, nor with rationalization. *Empiricism is a theory of knowledge that asserts that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. One of several views of epistemology, the study of human knowledge, along with rationalism, idealism, and historicism, empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially sensory perception, in the formation of ideas, over the notion of innate ideas or traditions; empiricists may argue however that traditions (or customs) arise due to relations of previous sense experiences. Great Philosophers *Aristotle was one of Platos greatest students. He lived from 384 BC to 322 BC. His father worked as a physician for the Mecadonian king. At the age of seven Aristotle was sent to the academy to pursue his studies. His journey at the academy took him from being merely a student at the beginning to a researcher followed by being a teacher. He used dialogue form to understand, adopt and develop Platonic ideas and express them. After leaving Athens Aristotle went to Asia Minor in Assos to open a branch of academy. This branch focused more on biology as oppose to the one in Athens that focused on mathematics *The world famous French philosopher, mathematician, physicist and writer Rene Descartes was born on the 31st of March 1596 and died on the 11th of February 1650. Even though he had a short life of 54 years, he was a very accomplished man. He spent the majority of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been honored with the title of being the father of modern philosophy. He was born in La Haye en Touraine in Indre-et-Loire, France. His mother passed away when he was only a year old and his father raised him all alone. At a young eleven years of age he entered the Jesuit College Royal Henry-Le-Grand at La Fleche and graduation from there he went on to pursue higher studies in a University. *On August 29 in the year 1632, John Locke was born in the small village of Somerset in Wrington. He died in Lady and Lord Mashams country house in Essex on 28th October 1704. His early childhood was very unfortunate as his mother passed away while he was just an infant. His father passed away shortly after his mother did, leaving him an orphan. He studied in the renowned Westminster school from 1646 onwards and graduated from the University of Oxford in 1652. His early studies were in the classics from Greek, Rhetoric, Moral Philosophy and many more. Following that in the later years he underwent training in medicine and experimental science. After that in the year 1666 he practiced medicine on then famous Anthony aka Lord Anthony. *Saint Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher and theologian in the school of Scholasticism. He was born circa 1225 and died March 7th 1274. He was also a priest at a Catholic Church in the Dominican Order. A very influential philosopher of his time, much of modern thought has been derived as a criticism of or in agreement with his ideas and beliefs relation to politics, ethics and natural law. Born in Aquino, Aquinas was of noble lineage and had his early studies at Monte Cassino. He later studied at Naples, where he was introduced to Aristotle, Averroes and Maimonides, all of whom had an effect on his later thinking. At age

nineteen, he decided to join the Dominican Order, which drew many negative reactions from family. *Niccol di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is one of the greatest philosophers and writers of all time. He was Italian and was born on the 3rd of May in 1469 and passed away on the 21st of June in 1527. He is considered one of the most prominent and important founding figures of the modern day political science. His other areas of expertise were philosophy, political philosophy, playwriting, music and most importantly he served as a civil servant for the Florentine Republic. His most renowned work is the novel The Prince, where he describes how a ruling prince can maintain his throne and rule for as long as he wishes to. It also goes and describes how a government can be torn down to shreds in order for a new one to rise and be more successful. *Plato The renowned classical Greek Philosopher was born in 428/427 BC and died in 348/347 BC. He was a great mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues and ultimately founder of the Academy of Athens. This academy was the first higher learning institution in the Western world. Plato helped lay the foundations of Western Philosophy and science. He did this with the help of his mentor Socrates and his student Aristotle. He is chiefly known by his work on Socratic dialogues for which thirty six dialogues and thirteen letters were honorably attributed to him. *Bertrand Arthur William Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, socialist, historian, and social critic. Born on 18th May 1872, he died at the age of 94 on 2nd February 1970. Russell was educated at home by a series of tutors, and was greatly intrigued by the works of Euclid in his growing up years, which is said to have changed his life. He then won a scholarship at Trinity College and started studying there in 1890. In 1903, he published his first important book, The Principle of Mathematics and in 1910 he became a lecturer in the University of Cambridge, where he received Wittgenstein as a student, who went on to become a noted philosopher himself. *Socrates was a Greek philosopher. He lived from 469 BC to 399 BC. During his time and even now, he still considered an enigma that changed the way philosophy would ever the viewed upon. He is also credited as one of the founders of western philosophy; Socrates came to be known as a legend. Although he was one of the only philosophers that did not write much, his ideas and theories still made him stand out. Socrates is most famous for the Socratic Problem, which as the name suggests was named after him. The Socratic problem is an issue where forming an accurate picture of the historical Socrates and his philosophical viewpoints is problematic at best. *Thales of Miletus lived from 624 BC to 546 BC and was a renowned pre=Socratic Greek philosopher. He was also one of the seven Sages of Greece and was from Miletus in Asia Minor. He is often regarded as the first philosopher in the Greek Tradition. Thales was tremendously influential in his area of expertise as he attempted to explain natural phenomena. He tried to do so without making use of mythology in any way. Thales interest predominantly lied in astronomy and he attempted to explain a variety of cosmological events. Many times these events would include different types of supernatural entities.