1.1 Introduction to Psychology

The speaker introduces psychology as the science of understanding oneself, explaining human behavior, thoughts, feelings, personality, mental disorders, and social interactions.

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of mental activity and behavior based on biological processes in the brain. It discusses the challenges in studying mental activity and the advancements in brain imaging technology.

Various career options in psychology are explored, including research, teaching, working in companies, government roles, and counseling. The speaker emphasizes that psychology is not just about treating mental illness but offers a wide variety of job opportunities.

Details about becoming a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist are provided. The educational requirements, roles, and responsibilities of these professions are explained.

Information about becoming a counseling psychologist and other positions with a master's degree such as psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse, and paraprofessional is discussed. The educational requirements for each role are highlighted.

The importance of research in psychology is highlighted, with insights into major research topics like cognitive processes, biological influences, development, learning, animal behavior, gender, and cultural differences. The goals of research in psychology are outlined.

An overview of major branches of psychology, including abnormal psychology, behavioral psychology, biological psychology, cognitive psychology, comparative psychology, cultural psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, environmental psychology, and evolutionary psychology, among others, with explanations of each branch.

Distinction between basic and applied research in psychology is explained, where basic research focuses on seeking new knowledge, and applied research aims to solve practical problems and improve people's lives.