Detailed Information
Introduction to Psychology
This course follows the main developments in Psychology from the beginning of the twentieth century until the present day. The emphasis will be on positive developments in Psychology that can help people in their personal lives whether at home, work or pursuing one’s personal interests. Each week two different topics are introduced beginning with an introduction to Positive Psychology followed by lectures covering the three major schools of psychology from the first part of the twentieth century, Freud, Behaviourism and the Science of the Mind. These schools laid a foundation for psychology as we know it today. Week by week new topics will be introduced, topics that are typically found in a standard Introduction to Psychology textbook. The course promotes friendly conversation between lectures and there will be an opportunity to get to know others who share your interest in Psychology. The structure of the course has been updated to include a mix of lectures followed by discussion and questions. Links to online supporting resources including videos, articles and books, plus copies of the PowerPoint presentations will be made available online. Print copies of PowerPoint presentations will be provided on request.
The number of lectures for each topic is shown in brackets if more than one.
- Introduction to the Course
- Positive Psychology
- Freudian psychology (2)
- Counselling and Psychotherapy (2)
- Behaviourism and Scientific Psychology (2)
- Science of the Mind and Cognitive Psychology (4)
- Social Psychology (2)
- Ecological psychology
- Intelligence and Creativity
- Clinical Psychology (2)
- Neuropsychology
- Sleep and Dreams
Martina Carroll been a psychologist working in the fields of teaching, research and community for the past twenty years. Over the years she has taught Human Development and Cognitive Psychology. Martina has also been involved in teaching and research in the fields of counselling and psychotherapy. Her specialist area of psychology is human development. Martina's current interests include the relationship between the arts and psychology and how positive psychology can help with psychological suffering.
BELFIELD
10 Tuesdays 7.00-pm-9.00pm
Sept 26, Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Nov 7, 14, 21, 28
At the end of this course, a student should be able to:
- Outline the different schools of psychology that influenced the psychological professions, how science has increasingly played a role and how the study of psychology today in a university is a scientific field.
- Evaluate psychological ideas from a critical perspective and assess the basis of claims made for treatments, therapies and popular ideas.
- Discuss the difference between Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Counselling and Clinical Psychology.
- Explain that scientific claims and interventions are based on the latest research and are always open to being challenged when new discoveries are made.
Any ‘Introduction to Psychology’ textbook will provide a good basis for reading. New textbooks are often very expensive and unnecessary, second hand and older books are fine. Additionally, topic specific reading and resources will be recommended during the course. In relation to Positive Psychology I recommend watching the YouTube video on PERMA Theory by Martina Seligman and you may also be interested in the work of psychologist Jonathan Haidt and his book called the Happiness Hypothesis.