It seems the viewing public cannot get enough of crime dramas. We obsess over shows like Tiger King and The Tinder Swindler. My Favorite Murder is one of the longest-running crime podcast. None of these or the hordes of others would be produced if there weren't an avid market for them.
Invariably, these instalments include clinical dissections of psychological conditioning. What made the villain do it? Were there any mitigating factors? Take the case of Polish serial killer Karol Kot, who was featured on an episode of World's Most Evil Killers. A clinical psychologist gave their assessment of issues this unfortunate youth had. That series routinely features psychologists delivering theories about how conditioning causes people commit crimes.
Are psychology studies a case of chickens coming before eggs? Do psychological theories fascinate us, compelling us to watch all those criminal shows we take in as entertainment? Or do we turn to those shows to gain a better understanding of human conditioning and brain disorders? Perhaps these areas of psychological study include the answers those questions.
Cognitive Psychology
Of all the types of psychology in this article, cognitive psychology is the youngest. And the oldest. As you likely know, Wilhelm Wundt declared psychology an area of study apart from philosophy in 1879. But philosophers in Plato's time were pondering the workings of the human mind. What changed?
Until the 1960s, cognitive studies counted as behavioural psychology issues. However, thanks to growing understanding of how the brain works, researchers learned they could model mental processes. Today, these models help explain human behaviour, conditioning and other issues. But that's far too simple an explanation for the massive upheavals this type of psychology underwent.
At its purest, cognitive psychology studies mental processes. It's about understanding human learning and language usage. And how we use our senses to perceive what's around us. Our sense of creativity, our ability to solve problems and encode memories all fall into cognitive psychology learning.
Admittedly, it's a broad field. So broad, in fact, that it suffered a lot of criticism, not the least for its lack of cohesion. Still, thanks to its wide reach, cognitive psychology has many applications, including education and social psychology (more on this type of psychology in a bit). Mental health clinics often use cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to help patients with mental disorders. CBT may be used as therapy for any condition from obsessive-compulsive disorder to depression and other mental health conditions.
Human cognitive development generally parallels physical development. So researchers studying cognitive psychology often include aspects of developmental psychology. The Theory of Mind is one of developmental psychology's major concepts. It describes being able to recognise that other people have different feelings and ideas. This early-age understanding helps shape their personality.
Early discoveries in this field were revolutionary but cognitive psychologists are having issues with substantiating their research. That's because technology challenges cognitive psychology theories. Other types of psychology don't endure that level of scrutiny.
Developmental Psychology
Of all the areas of psychology, developmental psychology might be the most familiar. Surely, everyone has heard of Sigmund Freud and a fair number probably know who Jean Piaget was. In case that name escapes you, he was a Swiss psychologist who formulated and explored the theory of cognitive development. Don't let that name mislead you, though. This theory is better known as a developmental stage theory.
Piaget took substantial heat for his theories on developmental stages, including because his 'patients' were his own children. Naturally, some bias must have crept into his observations. The bigger criticism targeted issues with his experiments. First, he only worked with his three children. Second, he failed to observe them in a clinical setting. His back garden probably served more of a therapeutic function than as any clinical conditioning environment. He didn't witness his 'patients' interacting with other children from different backgrounds.
In a sense, those limitations are bones of contention for developmental psychologists. For so long, understanding how the brain and personality develop focused on children and how they're conditioned. But humans develop throughout their lives, even in old age. Despite that, Jean Piaget's theories are applied still today. You've likely seen them in action yourself; they're widely used in educational settings, particularly early learning.
German-American psychologist Erik Erikson was among the first to suggest that psychological development is a lifelong process. He established eight stages of development, each presenting a new set of challenges. Resolving the challenges leads to growth and development. Failing to do so sets up a loop of negative reinforcement that traces back to the first stage of development. So compelling was this theory that it became a standard for developmental psychology research.
Social Psychology
Have you ever heard of a copycat crime? It's an often vicious act, usually modelled on a previous, much-hyped crime. News reports may go on for several days about such a deed. Sometimes, an opportunistic person with similar psychological conditioning will want to re-enact it. Or maybe there's a competitive edge, wherein the copycat tries to outdo the original perpetrator. Social psychologists have yet to understand this abnormal psychological behaviour.
A career in social psychology will see you focused on individual behaviour in community settings. How do we help each other learn? Which social clues should we pick up on? Take social conformity experiments, for instance. Studies show that people in a group setting are more likely to agree with opinions expressed by the majority. Even if they don't comport with their personality.
The Stanford Prison Experiment is probably the most renowned social psychology trial. So infamous is it that the BBC created a documentary series to replicate the experiment. This short-lived series yielded dramatically different results that the initial trial. But what happened with individuals in the Stanford group? You should read more about it and other heavily-criticised experiments, as well as what social psychologists study.
Organisational Psychology
Too bad you stayed up so late binge-watching Criminal Minds! Now, you're craving sleep but you have to go to work or head to your university class. And wasn't there supposed to be some major announcement today?
If your day ever started like that, you've probably experienced the practice of organisational psychologists. This type of psychology focuses on raising efficiency and productivity, whether for career professionals or university students. Sometimes, the changes they recommend are to the employees' and students' benefit.
Have you ever heard "A happy worker is a productive worker!", or some version thereof? It may sound clichéd but clinical tests prove it's true. Studies have repeatedly shown that individuals who feel valued and respected are more likely to give 110%. So today, corporations are scrambling to hire their own organisational psychologists to advise them on the changes they should make. Initiatives are many, including on-the-job training, educational opportunities and individual counseling.
Organisational psychologists' duties include ensuring that only people with the right personality and skills set are hired. They help managers decide which job applicants to interview. If your Curriculum Vitae passes muster, you'll be invited to meet. To be sure that every interview candidate is a good fit, the organisational psychologist will formulate questions designed to tease out aspects of your personality. Now, you know if you don't get the job, you can blame it on the companies' organisational psychologists.
Forensic Psychology
Legal dramas rank almost as high on the popularity charts as true crime shows. Maybe it's because they involve crime, usually depicted at the beginning of each episode. Or perhaps people enjoy hearing expert testimony? Whether you keep your telly tuned to the Crime and Investigation Network or only occasionally catch an episode of Law & Order SVU, you've surely seen a psychologist in court, giving expert testimony.
A career in forensic psychology does not primarily focus on treatment of mental issues. This psychologist works at all levels of the criminal justice system to gain an understanding of the criminal personality. But not just the behavioural conditioning that leads to crime. They also work in parole offices, counseling newly-released convicts and gauging their likelihood of reoffending. They may interview prisoners to help understand abnormal behaviours. They may also render expert opinions in child custody cases.
TV series like Mindhunter put the spotlight on forensic psychology. But even before that program took the world by storm, the film The Silence of the Lambs put the focus on behavioural science. Unfortunately, anyone aspiring to a career in a Behavioural Science Unit is likely to be disappointed. However, you might spend your university time learning about forensic psychology for a career in the government's Behavioural Insights Unit.
Did you know that forensic psychologists also help formulate government policy? When governments send out polls or take surveys, they're looking for public opinion. A team of forensic psychologists then analyses those responses and makes recommendations for change. Forensic psychologists are active in practically every part of society, even in practice, including counseling and clinical treatment. It's almost unfair to think that this field of study is limited only to the criminal justice system.
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