The study of psychology in a philosophical context dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, India and Persia. Psychology was once considered as a separate branch of Philosophy called ‘Mental Philosophy’ (study of mind); and due to this reason psychology is known as the ‘child of philosophy’.The definition of psychology has been changing from time to time. The term psychology was first defined as ‘the science of soul’; perhaps for this reason, it was originally defined as ‘the knowledge of soul’. But what is soul? One could not give a definite answer to this. To a majority, soul was omnipotent and omnipresent. Soul is beyond time, space and knowledge. It meant a theological or metaphysical entity.

Spiritual philosophers believed that soul is identical with god. To a few, soul meant a being dwelling in the human body which could at times even leave the body and go on a sojourn. Moreover, soul as a theological entity was inaccessible for scientific investigation. Thus the definition of psychology as ‘Knowledge of soul’ is bound to be inadequate, for the conception of ‘soul’ remained uncertain and difficult to understand; and hence it did not become popular. In the eighteenth century psychology was defined as ‘science of mind’. It was not possible to give a satisfactory answer to the questions such as ‘what is mind’? Where does it exist?Ancient people gave several meanings to mind. Descarter held that mind is a kind of matter located in the brain and had the powers of thinking and reasoning.

The Greeks and psychologists of the eighteenth century believed that mind had the powers of thinking, reasoning, memory and imagination. Freud and his followers lay emphasis on the three states of mind – the conscious, preconscious (or subconscious) and the unconscious. Stout and his school of thought lay emphasis on the three major aspects of mind – cognition (knowing), conation (willing) and affection (feeling). These form the human mind, the basis of all activity of the human being. According to behaviourists it consists of different behaviour patterns formed by association of such ideas in the brain. All these ideas differ radically from one another and also from the views of the early psychologists.Thus the experience of the term ‘mind’ was inadequate hence the definition of psychology as ‘science of mind’ lost its ground and search for the proper meaning of the term psychology continued.Some psychologists examined introspectively the nature of the mental phenomena, and found that there are three modes of experience or states of consciousness; and they are thinking, feeling and willing.

They defined psychology as the ‘science of Consciousness’. This definition also was found to be narrow because it ignored the unconscious realm of mind such as our fleeting dreams and those hidden motives behind our behaviour which the psychoanalysis emphasises. Besides, psychologists like Watson questioned the validity of introspection as it was subjective. As a science, psychology could accept only the objectively observable data.Another definition of psychology was it is the ’science of human behaviour’. But this definition ignored the inner state of consciousness; and explained man’s behaviour in terms of mechanical connections and situations and responses. Thus, this definition also failed to cover the whole of the mental life of man.Albeit psychologists differ in defining the term psychology, they agreed on one view that psychology is the study of human behaviour, where behaviour is understood in psychical or mental terms.

Indeed human behaviour is the product of experience too. Human experience comprises of three fundamental aspects. They are knowing (cognition), willing (conation) and feeling (affection). Psychology studies all the three aspects of experience. Thus psychology is a study of human behaviour and experience. As per Woodworth (1948) “any manifestation of life is activity” and behaviour is a collective name for all these activities. Behaviour also includes all the segments of human mind – conscious, subconscious and unconscious; and thus it covers the overt behaviour as well as inner experiences and mental process. Thus, the term behaviour is too comprehensive to cover all the life activities and experiences of all organisms.

Psychology as a behavioural science involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behaviour through controlled and naturalistic observation and scientific experimentation.A famous writer on psychology N.L.Munn after an elaborate study writes- psychology is a science where scientific methods and information resulting from scientific investigations are used. After a long discussion considering its scientific nature, other psychologists also accepted psychology as a science.Psychology that originally had its roots in philosophy and physiology is a broad and diverse field. There is no field where psychology has left its mark. Even in our daily life psychology is very important.

Psychology emerged as a separate and independent field of study when Wilhelm Wundt, a German doctor and psychologist established the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. He is also known as ‘father of experimental psychology’. Today psychologists prefer to use more objective scientific methods to understand and explain and predict human behaviour. The discipline has two major areas as follows: academic psychology and applied psychology. Academic psychology focuses on the study of different sub topics with in psychology including personality, social behaviour and human development where as applied psychology focuses on the use of different psychological principles to solve real world problems such as forensic psychology, ergonomics and industrial psychology. Thus, psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies human mind and behaviour and its activities.

Psychology as a separate branch of philosophy known as ‘Mental Philosophy’ has thus gradually emerged in to a separate discipline claiming the status of science.  During this period, its meaning has also changed from time to time as the study of Soul, study of mind, study of consciousness and finally as the study of behaviour by equating the term ‘behavior’ with all the life activities and experiences of all the living organisms.  Woodworth has remarked humorously that “first Psychology lost its Soul, then lost its mind, then it lost its consciousness; its still has behaviour of a kind”.

REFERENCES

Mc Dougall.W, An outline of psychology, Mathuen & co., Ltd, London. 1949

Woodworth.R.S., Psychology, Mathuen& co., Ltd, London. 1949

Kumaraswami.K, Foundations of Educational Psychology, St. Joseph’s printing house, Tiruvalla. 1949