Applied psychology: what is it and what are its objectives?

Although today psychology is known primarily for its applications, the truth is that this science has not always been so interested in practice.

The appearance of what we know as "applied psychology" was key in the development of current psychology. In this article we will analyze what applied psychology is and what its objectives and its most important aspects are.

• Related article: "What is social psychology?"

Applied psychology: definition and objectives

Applied psychology consists of the use of the knowledge obtained and the methods developed by basic psychology with the goal of solving everyday problems, increasing quality of life, or making groups of people function more adequate.

Although applied psychology is a very broad discipline, we can say that this concept refers to the practical aspect of psychology. Unlike applied psychology, psychological science in general is not necessarily concerned with intervention but rather studies behavior and mental processes.

Thus, while basic psychology includes disciplines such as social, experimental, evolutionary or psychology, development, applied psychology puts into practice the knowledge obtained by the aforementioned branches, as happens in the cases of the

clinical psychology, the educational or that of the human Resources.

However, the distinction between applied psychology and other aspects of psychology is not always clear since theory and practice feed each other in a lively and constant way.

• Article to expand concepts: "The 12 branches (or fields) of Psychology"

Münsterberg and the foundation of this discipline

The main pioneer of applied psychology is considered to have been the German psychophysiologist Hugo Münsterberg. After studying with Wilhelm Wundt and founding a psychological laboratory in Freiburg, Münsterberg met William James, which invited him to work at Harvard University. It was in the United States where he obtained more recognition and fame.

Münsterberg's works contributed to the development of many of the future fields of applied psychology, among which are clinical, forensic and organizational psychology.

Münsterberg's work would be a fundamental reference for the application of psychological knowledge during the decades following, particularly after the creation of the International Association for Applied Psychology and the Second World War, when the US government began hiring public psychologists to increase its chances of winning the conflict.

Slopes of applied psychology

The concept of "applied psychology" is very broad and therefore includes a large number of sub-disciplines. We are going to focus on briefly describing the objectives of the most well-known and defining branches of applied psychology..

1. Community psychology

Community psychologists mostly use the knowledge gained from social psychology with the objective of improving the quality of life of broad groups, such as neighborhood residents marginal. The greatest peculiarity of community psychology is that it focuses on macrosocial aspects starting from a territorial perspective.

2. Organizational and human resources

The psychology of organizations focuses on preventing and solving problems that arise in the context of the company. For its part, the concept of “human resources” refers more specifically to the selection, training and management of personnel based on the organization's objectives.

3. Educational

Educational psychology is the application of scientific psychology to learning, fundamentally that carried out by children and adolescents during basic education. Educational psychology drinks from theoretical branches such as developmental or cognitive psychology.

4. Clinic

Clinical psychology, probably the best known branch of psychological science, deals with studying, preventing and treating dysfunctional behavior and improving mental well-being. Within clinical psychology, behavior modification therapy is the closest theoretical orientation to the objective of applying the knowledge obtained through scientific research.

5. Environmental

This discipline applies the knowledge of psychology to the relationship of people with their environment, understanding the term in a broad sense; thus, environmental psychology would include both the arrangement of furniture to enhance performance work as the applications of psychology in the conservation of nature, among many other examples.

6. Of the health

Health psychologyanalyzes the relationship between behavior and physical disorders, particularly chronic ones, such as cardiovascular problems or asthma. This branch of psychology partially overlaps with the clinic and focuses on both prevention and treatment and management of diseases.

7. Of sport

Sports psychology works on the factors that affect sports performance in order to enhance it. Among others, sports psychology deals with the management of group conflicts in team sports and with the reduction of anxiety in high-performance competitions.

8. Forensic

Forensic psychology focuses on applying scientific psychology to legal processes. In addition to assisting in the investigation of crimes, forensic psychology can be used to resolve child custody conflicts or analyze the validity of witness testimony, among others utilities.

9. Advertising

The application of psychological knowledge to advertising is one of the oldest forms of applied psychology given its economic potential for private companies. The well-known subliminal images, for example, arose in the context of applied psychology to advertising.