Because they are predicted on relatively rigorous procedures for the gathering and assessment of empirical information, the social sciences provide a more satisfactory way to understand the causes of human behaviour than do humanistic approaches, although the value of insights obtained through non-scientific methods should never be underestimated. Often such insights provide the starting point for scientific explorations.
Sociology is only one of a family of related social sciences.
The following discussion examines the character of these other disciplines and explores sociology's relationship with each of them. Psychology has both academic and applied branches. Applied psychology is a therapeutic effort to help people understand their own behaviour and cope with their problems. Academic psychology is closer to the mainstream of sociology, placing its central emphasis on understanding such phenomena as learning, thinking, personality formation and functioning, intelligence, memory, and motivation. Academic psychology grew out of biology and is still strongly oriented toward experimental research.