Diverse Nature of Psychology the Human Mind

Diverse Nature of Psychology

The human mind is an incredibly complex tool. How it actually thinks and behaves is not always based on a single example, and thus there are clear elements of diversity within theoretical assumptions on how the mind works. Diversity is a crucial element to modern psychology and its various sub-categories. Modern psychology is heavily influenced by the extreme diversity found within its core concepts. There are a vast number of major concepts and sub-examples that differ enormously from one another and take their influence from other genres of study and the various findings of specific empirical research conclusions. Officially, there are four core "specialties," including clinical, counseling, school, and industrial / organizational psychology, although even these general topics are further diversified into more specific areas that highlight different findings and assumptions about man's position within modern society (Landrum 2010 p 13).

Therefore, there is great diversity within major subcategories within what is now considered acceptable modern psychology. Diversity is a crucial component to how core psychology concepts were first understood and how they are actually implemented in the field today. There are "vast opportunities and diversity that psychology has to offer" (Landrum 2010 p 17). The field is not simply limited to one or two theories that explain the motivation or reasoning for individual behavior or thought processes. Rather, there is a diverse array of theories that apply to different specific contexts, thus influencing both the larger field of psychology but other disciplines as well. There is great diversity, not only in the research and theoretical origins which present such a wide array of psychological theories and assumptions, but also within the mindset and practice of students who study the various subcategories within psychology itself. Essentially, it is true that "psychology students need to be sensitive to the diversity of the environment in which they live and be able to use this increased sensitivity and self-knowledge to monitor their own behavior" (Landrum 2010 p 12). As such, this diversity is a key element to the inherent nature of modern psychological thought.

One of the sub-disciplines in this analysis is motivational psychology and the subcategories of theory of emotion, approach and avoidance. Essentially, the discipline of motivational psychology is heavily influenced by diversity within theoretical foundations and actual empirical research. The genre examines how motivation is structure not only by our basic needs, but by our diverse emotional needs and desires as well (Maslow 1943). In this, there is a diversity of motivational needs that inspire particular reactions out of individuals in specific contexts. Here, there is the general assumption that "man is a perpetually wanting animal" (Maslow 1943). Yet, at the same time, mankind is itself incredibly diverse, and so how individuals within different societies create and structure their motivation to meet more specific needs will be different. How the individual satisfies his or her wants or needs depending on emotion can vary tremendously, thus showing the extreme diversity within the subcategory. This also helps account for "the apparent diversity from culture to culture" (Maslow 1943). Many subcategories of psychology focus on how motivation, and more specifically theories of emotion, leads to the construction of particular belief structures and behaviors (Landrum 2010). There is diversity in terms of how motivation is said to be a core factor in determining the emotional state of an individual, and how those emotions impact behavior.

There are also sub-categories that fall within a larger behavioral grouping. These are most often examples of clinical psychology, where psychologists "assess and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders" which can range from "short-term crises, such as difficulties from adolescent rebellion, to more severe, chronic conditions, such as schizophrenia" (Landrum 2010 p 14). Behaviorism focuses on understand reasoning for particular behaviors within groups in vastly different settings. Behavioral theories can aim to explain as diverse actions as aggression, cheating, and even binge drinking. According to behaviorism, there are a number of elements that can combines depending on the specific situation to produce very unique behaviors. Thus behavior is the result of very diverse factors functioning together to create very specific results.

Additionally, there is the genre of cognition within modern psychology that often deals with subcategories like cognitive dissonance, memories, and even false memories. Cognitive psychologists "are interested in though processes, especially relations among learning, memory, and perception" (Landrum 2010 p 14). How the brain interprets the outside world does heavily depend on the diverse characteristics of one's environment, but also there are a number of diverse theories aimed at explaining more universal cognitive concepts regarding memory and mental functioning. Here, the research shows that cognitive psychologists "focus primarily on mental processes that influence the acquisition and use of knowledge, as well as the ability to reason, the process by which people generate logical and coherent ideas, evaluate situations, and reach conclusions," (Landrum 2010 p 14). Although cognitive processes may be more shared than motivations and behaviors, there are still a wide number of vastly different theoretical interpretations as to how the brain functions.