Spend some time scouring the Internet about psychology and you’ll quickly find that a lot of research has been published on the subject. In fact, you’ll even find there is a lot of literature concerning the effectiveness of psychotherapy, which grew out of the practice of applied psyhology. There are other types of applied psychology as well (including marketing). Psychology is often defined as the study of the behavior of animals (or people).
There can be no mistaking the importance of observing how people relate to other in psychology but researchers have also learned that medicines may affect our moods and behavior. For example, interesting studies like Listening to Prozac but Hearing Placebo: A Meta-analysis of Antidepressant Medication may lead to open dialogue at many levels (both within psychology circles and outside them) about how to treat mental disorders and cope with the side effects of medications.
Psychology examines all aspects of the individual’s mental and emotional well-being. We even have extensive psychological research in assisting couples with their relationships. In large cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Seattle couples counseling and couples therapy are important parts of the mental health community’s services. Many couples experience periods of difficulty, although some couples may be off-balance more because of one person’s emotional turmoil than a mutual deprivation.
Psychology is not just devoted to healing the mind. In a way it is concerned with healing the spirit, although it differs very much from religious counseling in many ways. Psychology seeks to isolate the factors that draw individuals into turmoil and conflict without judging or qualifying behaviors beyond what is harmful to the individual and to others.
We certainly have a need for well-balanced religious counseling, but unfortunately some religious groups take their ideas to the extreme edge of acceptable behavior. In doing so their ideas and methods may cause more harm than good. Perhaps one day we’ll be able to study and apply a psychology of religious fundamentalism.
