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Hello and welcome to another episode of
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Academic Psychiatry. Today we're going to
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dive into the world of psychology.
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So, what is psychology? Is it just
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about people lying on a couch
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telling their dreams to a guy with a beard
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and a notebook? Not exactly.
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Psychology is much, much more than that. In
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fact, psychology is the science that
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studies human behavior and
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mental processes. And yes, you heard right, it's
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a science. Psychology is interested
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in understanding how our
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thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and
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behaviors work in different contexts.
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In other words, it focuses on everything
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that happens in that box of surprises we
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call the brain and how that affects what we
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do and how we do it. Remember
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when you were scared of the
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dark as a kid? Well, that also has to do
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with psychology. Sometimes the
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answers to the questions we
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ask ourselves aren't as obvious as they seem. Why do
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we fall in love with one person and then another?
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Why are some people afraid
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of heights and others not? Why do we
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like music? These are just some of the
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questions that psychologists try to
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scientific research. Let's do a little
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experiment. Remember that famous debate
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on the internet about the color of a dress? Was
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it blue and black or white and
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gold? Well... Psychology can
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help us understand why there was so much
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discrepancy. Why? Because the way
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we perceive the world around us is
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n't the same for everyone.
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Our perception can be
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influenced by a multitude of
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factors, such as our health, our
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expectations, and also our
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vision biology—in this case,
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our visual structures. Furthermore,
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psychology can explain why
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irrationally. Have you ever bought
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something you didn't need just because it was on
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consumer psychology in action. Psychologists
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behavioral patterns to understand how and
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why we make certain decisions. But that's
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not all. Psychology can also
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help us understand and treat
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mental health problems: depression,
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anxiety, sleep disorders,
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post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia,
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bipolar disorder—the list goes on. Thanks to
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diagnostic and treatment tools, many
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people can improve their quality of
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life and find help in times of
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crisis. Branches of Psychology: If
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you thought psychology was
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simply a single entity, you'll be
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surprised to learn that there are more branches of
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psychology than there are in
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a squirrel's family tree. In
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fact, each branch of psychology has
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its own approach and method.
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Like the explorers of the
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Amazon, each psychologist specializes
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in their own area of study. For example,
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clinical psychology, one of the best-
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known branches of psychology, focuses on
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the diagnosis and treatment of
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mental health problems. Have you ever
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behavioral therapy? Well, you can thank
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clinical psychologists for it. They
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work tirelessly to help
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people deal with everything from
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anxiety and depression to
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post-traumatic stress disorder and
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schizophrenia. Another great example is
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developmental psychology, which studies
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how we grow and change throughout
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life. Developmental psychologists
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study how we develop from
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childhood to old age, seeking to
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understand how and why we change. We
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cognitive psychologists who spend all day
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thinking about how we think. Yes, it's
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hard work, but someone has to
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do it. These psychologists study how
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we process and store information,
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how we solve problems, and how
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our perceptions affect how we
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interact with the world. And then there are
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social psychologists. While
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cognitive psychologists are
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concerned with how we think,
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social psychologists are obsessed
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with how the presence of others affects us.
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For example, have you ever
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wondered why you behave
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completely differently
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when you're with your friends
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compared to when you're with your grandparents?
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Well, that's something
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social psychology can help explain. And of
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course, we can't forget
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organizational psychology, which studies
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human behavior in the workplace. Have you ever
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who made you want to pull your hair out?
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Well, these psychologists are here to
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help improve the work environment
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and make your work life a little
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less stressful. We also have
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sports psychology, which studies how
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mental state can affect
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athletic performance. Have you heard
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of the flow state? Well, that's a
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concept sports psychologists
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use to describe that moment when
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everything seems to click and you can
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perform at your best. The importance of
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psychology: First and foremost,
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psychology is crucial for understanding
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who we are as individuals. Think of
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it as a kind of internal GPS; it
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helps us understand why we think what we think,
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why we feel what we feel,
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and why we act the way we act. And just like
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find our way when we feel
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lost, whether it's at school, at
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social situations, psychology... It provides us with
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navigate the complex labyrinth of
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human behavior. But wait, there's more!
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Psychology also plays a
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vital role in caring for our
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mental health. Just as medicine takes care
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of keeping our bodies fit,
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psychology takes care of keeping
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our minds fit, and let me tell you,
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that's just as important. Without good
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mental health, it can be difficult to lead
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a happy and fulfilling life. At this point,
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thinking, "Well, that sounds great, but I do
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n't have any mental health problems."
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And that may be true, but
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psychology isn't just about treating
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problems; it's also about improving
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our quality of life. Have you ever
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wanted to improve your
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communication skills, learn to manage
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stress better, or simply be a little
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happier? Well, psychology can help you
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with all of that. Furthermore, psychology has
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implications beyond the individual. It
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helps us understand social problems
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and seek solutions to them. Have you ever
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people follow authoritarian leaders or
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why some people discriminate against
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others based on their race, gender, or
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sexual orientation? Psychology can
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help us understand these
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behaviors and develop
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strategies to combat them. Now,
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that doesn't mean psychology has
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all the answers. Like any
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science, psychology... Psychology is constantly
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evolving; psychologists are always
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discovering new things, and that's what
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makes it so exciting. In short,
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psychology is important because it
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helps us understand who we are,
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provides us with the tools we
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need to navigate the world, and
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improves our quality of life. So,
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the next time you find yourself
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wondering why you do what you do
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or why you feel what you feel,
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remember, psychology is here to
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help you find those answers. And
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here to accompany you on that journey. That's
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all for today's episode. I hope it
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helped you understand a little
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better the importance of psychology. If
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you liked it, don't forget to like the video
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and subscribe. So, Academica, to make sure you don't
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miss any of our future
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journeys into the fascinating world of
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psychology, see you in the next