Editing Social science (section)

===Psychology===
{{Main|Psychology|Outline of psychology}}{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}[[File:Wundt-research-group.jpg|thumb|right|[[Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt]] was the founder of [[experimental psychology]].]]
Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of behaviour and mental processes.<ref>[https://www.apa.org/support/about-apa Frequently asked questions about APA] Retrieved on November 28th, 2023.</ref>  Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of [[mental illness]].<ref name="APA_mission">"The mission of the APA [American Psychological Association] is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives"; APA (2010). [http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx ''About APA''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902193306/http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx |date=2 September 2017 }} Retrieved 20 October 2010.</ref><ref>Peter E. Nathan & James Langenbucher, "Diagnosis and Classification", in Weiner (ed.), ''Handbook of Psychology'' (2003), Volume 8: ''Clinical Psychology''.</ref> The word ''psychology'' comes from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|ψυχή}} ''([[Psyche (psychology)|psyche]]'', "soul" or "mind") and the suffix ''[[-logy|logy]]'' ("study").<ref name="OED">Online Etymology Dictionary. (2001). [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=psychology "Psychology"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718053840/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=psychology |date=18 July 2017 }}.</ref>

Psychology differs from anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology in seeking to capture explanatory generalizations about the [[mental function]] and overt behaviour of individuals, while the other disciplines focus on creating descriptive generalizations about the functioning of social groups or situation-specific human behaviour. In practice, however, there is quite a lot of cross-fertilization that takes place among the various fields. Psychology differs from [[biology]] and neuroscience in that it is primarily concerned with the interaction of mental processes and behaviour, and of the overall processes of a system, and not simply the biological or neural processes themselves, though the subfield of [[neuropsychology]] combines the study of the actual neural processes with the study of the mental effects they have subjectively produced.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pinel |first=John |title=Biopsychology |publisher=Prentice Hall |location=New York |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-205-83256-9}}</ref>

Many people associate psychology with [[clinical psychology]],<ref name="brain">Brain, Christine. (2002). ''Advanced psychology: applications, issues and perspectives.'' Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. {{ISBN|0-17-490058-9}}</ref> which focuses on assessment and treatment of problems in living and psychopathology. In reality, psychology has myriad specialties including [[social psychology]], [[developmental psychology]], [[cognitive psychology]], [[educational psychology]], [[Industrial and organizational psychology|industrial-organizational psychology]], [[mathematical psychology]], neuropsychology, and [[Quantitative research|quantitative]] analysis of behaviour.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Psychology Subfields |url=https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields |archive-date= |access-date=January 17, 2024 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref>

Psychology is a very broad science that is rarely tackled as a whole, major block. Although some subfields encompass a natural science base and a social science application, others can be clearly distinguished as having little to do with the social sciences or having a lot to do with the social sciences. For example, biological psychology<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hill |first=Jonathan |date=2002 |title=Biological, psychological and social processes in the conduct disorders |url=https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1469-7610.00007?casa_token=UzGZ3akg5VQAAAAA%3ASjA3rTdIQwvnZIhjEri3kNxiGxhD5USHU_ZO8oVRlV-qfXUvyiRFaqmP1CUSotP6GMsdP6tlzqv--cHk |journal=Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry |language=en |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=133–164 |doi=10.1111/1469-7610.00007 |issn=1469-7610}}</ref> is considered a natural science with a social scientific application (as is clinical medicine), social and occupational psychology are, generally speaking, purely social sciences, whereas neuropsychology is a natural science that lacks application out of the scientific tradition entirely.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Jason P. |date=June 2009 |title=Social psychology as a natural kind |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2935896/ |journal=Trends in Cognitive Sciences |volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=246–251 |doi=10.1016/j.tics.2009.03.008 |issn=1364-6613 |pmc=2935896 |pmid=19427258}}</ref>

In British universities, emphasis on what tenet of psychology a student has studied and/or concentrated is communicated through the degree conferred: [[Bachelor of Psychology|BPsy]] indicates a balance between natural and social sciences, [[BSc]] indicates a strong (or entire) scientific concentration, whereas a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] underlines a majority of social science credits. This is not always necessarily the case however, and in many UK institutions students studying the [[Bachelor of Psychology|BPsy]], [[BSc]], and [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] follow the same curriculum as outlined by The [[British Psychological Society]] and have the same options of specialism open to them regardless of whether they choose a balance, a heavy science basis, or heavy social science basis to their degree. If they applied to read the [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]. for example, but specialized in heavily science-based modules, then they will still generally be awarded the [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]].{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}