Psychology: Five Unique Yet Important Subfields Today
- Developmental Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Experimental Psychology
- Industrial Psychology
In times long past, psychology was but a mere novel concept. Today, it is an incredibly important and very well established science. To that end, as the field has grown and matured, so too has the number of specialized subfields existent within. What are some of those very important yet uniquely adapted subfields of psychology practice today? Here are five such specialties within the science.
Related resource: 20 Most Affordable Doctoral Programs in Psychology
1. Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology studies the depths of the very complex processes of human growth and development. While the mind and personality are subject to complex evolution as they grow, so too is the body and its own effects back onto the mind and personality. Like many of the other subfields of psychology, we’ve come to know that there is plenty more which we do not yet know when it comes to human development. This, in turn, only furthers the demand for progress and workers in this area.
2. Health Psychology
The effects of community elements, environmental elements, and general experience on overall health and illness rates are very real although still largely a curiosity to science in their inner-workings. Health psychology is the branch dedicated to this phenomenon and the untangling of its secrets. While many mysteries do remain here, it is very well known that action can be taken to offset and shield against detrimental effects caused by less than perfect environs and experiences.
3. Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology is also a rapidly growing field. In this branch of psychology, experts seek to understand the actual connection between the physical brain and body and how a person thinks, behaves, and feels. It is an exploration into the connection between physical and mental described by WebMd experts as a field that “looks at how the health of your brain affects your thinking skills and behavior”.
4. Experimental Psychology
As its name suggests, the experimental branch of psychology deals almost exclusively with experimentation and the design of tests, observations processes, and the analysis of outcomes. Nearly all of psychology was, at one time, experimental, but now this designation only fits a portion of the whole of the science. While some experimental psychology work today is done by private companies, much is done within the research facilities of colleges and universities.
5. Industrial Psychology
Industrial psychology, also referred to as organizational psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, or IO-Psych, is simply the study of how people behave in a work setting. Many industrial psychologists are hired each year by companies seeking to better manage and understand their respective workforces. Psychology Today shares the fact that, according to the experts, this is generally the highest-paying branch in all of psychology.
Psychology is certainly a wide and seemingly ever-expanding science. This results in a field lush with unique and specialized goals and focuses for nearly any kind of worker or vocational interest. These five subfields of psychology represent much of the action taking place in the science right now.
