Psychology is commonly said to be “the scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment” (Wade, Carol. Psychology, 6th Edition. Prentice Hall. 2000. p.1). The study of psychology, however, involves many theoretical perspectives, methods and topics. In order to understand the nature and subject matter of psychology, it is important to examine these different aspects of the science.
The study of psychology includes five different theoretical perspectives: biological, learning, cognitive, sociocultural, and psychodynamic perspectives. Each of these perspectives allows psychologists to study and focus on a different part of the mind or body.
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