Basic psychology: definition, objectives and theories that influence it.

What is basic psychology? Let us look at the characteristics of this field of research.

To understand psychology we must imagine a giant mental map where we find, broadly speaking, two central concepts or backbones: applied psychology (the practical part of psychology) and basic psychology (the theoretical part).

Basic psychology studies the psychic processes and behaviors of human beings, as well as the laws that govern them.and the laws that govern such processes and behaviors. In turn, it is nourished by different historical currents that we will know in this article.

For its part, applied psychology gathers the contributions of basic psychology to put them into practice and solve people's problems.

Basic psychology and applied psychology

Basic psychology is, in a way, the most fundamental part of psychology. That is to say that applied psychology is based on basic psychology as a basic science.. But what is applied psychology?

Broadly speaking, applied psychology is a concept that refers to the practical side of psychology; it uses the knowledge gained and methods developed by basic psychology. In other words, it puts into practice the knowledge obtained not only by basic psychology, but also by different branches of psychology (e.g. social, experimental, evolutionary, developmental psychology...).

The aim of applied psychology is to solve problems of everyday life, increasing the quality of life of people.The aim of applied psychology is to solve problems of everyday life, increasing the quality of life of people and making their functioning more positive and adaptive.

In addition, the different branches of applied psychology deal with the functionality of the mentioned processes, in the different environments of the individual.

General Psychology

But to talk about basic psychology, we must also understand what general psychology is; this is the part of basic psychology that studies mental processes and behavior in the individual considered normal and mature..

That is why the specific contents of general psychology do not coincide exactly with all the knowledge of basic psychology.

Basic psychology: what is it?

Basic psychology, on the other hand, is a fundamental part of psychology, which deals with the study of psychic processes and behaviors of human beings, as well as the laws that govern these processes and behaviors. the laws that govern such processes and behaviors.. It attempts to explain the processes underlying behavior, which are developed or carried out by the organism.

In other words, basic psychology encompasses all that knowledge of mind and behavior that is not applied. Basic psychology focuses on a number of areas of knowledge or research.

Areas of research

The areas that basic psychology mainly investigates are 6:

• Memory.
• Learning.
• Sensation.
• Reasoning.
• Perception.
• Motivation.

Psychological currents

Basic psychology is nourished and sustained by different psychological currents to develop its explanations and theories.. Historically, the main currents that have nourished basic psychology were -and are- (in chronological order) a total of 9:

1. Structuralism

Initiated by Wundt at the beginning of the 19th century, it attempts to scientifically study consciousness (considered the object of psychology).

2. Functionalism

Developed by William James a little later, also in the 19th century. It is concerned with the functional and pragmatic approach to consciousness.

3. Psychoanalysis

Promoted by Sigmund Freud at the end of the 19th century. Freud began his studies of neurosis through psychoanalysis, as opposed to the traditional anatomical or physiological model.

4. Russian Reflexology

Developed by Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov discovers a procedure (the conditioned reflex) to study the dynamics of psychic activity which he calls "higher nervous activity".

5. Behaviorism

Initiated in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century by John Watson. Watson, faced with the failure of introspection, seeks a method whose results are absolutely objective.. He studies behavior and its genesis, and uses techniques that can control and change it.

6. Gestalt

It appeared in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, by the hand of Wertheimer. It considers that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts", and therefore does not pretend to break down the psychological phenomenon into parts.

7. Neobehaviorism

Originated in the 1930s by three main authors: Hull, Tolman and Skinner. It is based on the experimental analysis of behaviorIts doctrine is based on operant conditioning (stimulus - response - reinforcer).

8. Cognitivism

It appeared in the 50's and 60's, driven by Piaget and Neisser, as behaviorism began to be questioned for its excessive reductionism, and cognitive variables began to be taken into account in the study of human activity.

9. Humanism

It also originated in the 1950s and 1960s, a little later than cognitivism, with authors such as Rogers, Allport and Maslow. It represents a conception of man close to the more traditional philosophical currents, and embraces concepts such as self-realization and human motivation.

Bibliographical references:

• Arias, M. F. and Fernández, F. (2000). Basic psychology, applied psychology and research methodology: the paradigmatic case of experimental and applied behavior analysis. Revista latinoamericana de psicología, 32(2), 277-300.
• García Vega, L. (2007). Brief history of psychology. 2nd edition. Siglo XXI. Madrid.