As the world has become a more complex, unfriendly place, illnesses that attack those who are stressed have become more prevalent. Not all of us manage to navigate through life without hitting a rock that threatens our adjustment and overall mental health. The study of dysfunction is perhaps the most visible portion of psychology, for the lay person assumes that all psychologists study and treat abnormal behavior. Although the functional is as much a part of psychology as the dysfunctional, by examining the way our usually reliable psychological systems break down we gain information that is both theoretically and pragmatically useful. Therapeutic methods in psychology .
Psychology is, at once, both a science and a practice.
Some psychologists are fascinated by the nature of human behavior, thought, and emotion, whereas others seek to help people overcome their psychological problems or move more rapidly towards the goals they have set for themselves. Social psychology . Ours is a social world. Its awash with some 5.8 billion people, and these billions of people are busily interacting with one another. These social encounters are the subject matter of social psychology.