“What you think, you become,
What you feel, you attract,
What you imagine, you create.”
– Lord Buddha
The human mind comes across approximately 6,000 thoughts a day. These thoughts have the power to shape the mental schema and behaviour of a person on a short as well as long-term basis. Research statistics by WHO reveals that around 7.5 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental illness throughout their lives. Consequently, there is an evident increase in the significance of psychological interventions. Psychology is a scientific study of the human mind and behaviour and traces its origin from 19th century Philosophy and Physiology. Various schools of thought, namely Structuralism (Focusing on mind as a physical entity ), Functionalism (Functions of mind came into consideration), and Behaviorism (Visible human behavior was assessed ), etc. emerged in Psychology over time and paved the way for various scrutinized concepts relating to human mental Health (Watson,1913).
In the 21st century, with a variety of stressors, including the Pandemic, economic hardship, social isolation, health safety and much more, the importance of Psychology can be traced to various levels
At the Individual level, various interpersonal and intrapersonal issues arise relating to mental health involving occupational stress, anxiety, fear of isolation, stress due to financial upheaval, lack of effective communication and much more. According to a statement by United Nations, the Pandemic and other contemporary stressors can contribute towards a strong global mental health crisis (Galea, et al., 2020; UN, 2020) Consequently, People suffering from mental disorders like Depression, Schizophrenia, OCD, etc. require undivided attention amidst prevailing stigma and upheaval in the society. In such areas, cognitive psychology, abnormal psychology, evolutionary psychology and related disciplines have a major role to play (Titchener, 1910).
The role of Psychology at the occupational level is also vital and inevitable. Various theories of Organizational structure, Human Resource Management, Job Satisfaction, Recruitment, etc., have continually aided organizations in attaining short-term and long-term mental well-being goals.
Organizational Psychology paves the way for development in the areas of productivity, team building, recruitment, conflict management and talent acquisition within any organization. In the contemporary era, with life-threatening challenges like the pandemic, recruitment of a spontaneous and resilient workforce is the need of the hour.
Furthermore, at the community and global level, sub-disciplines of Psychology such as Community psychology, Criminal psychology, Linguistic psychology, Cultural psychology, Political psychology etc., have ever since helped in acquiring knowledge about the salient principles involved in language building, policy-making, antisocial behaviour, resolution of political conflicts and management of the masses.
The interdisciplinary approach of Psychology with other fields like medicine (Physiological psychology), Neurosciences(Cognitive Neuroscience), child care (Developmental Psychology, Education(Educational Psychology), and Health (Health Psychology), etc. has aided in providing behavioural and causal frameworks of human mind and behaviour to imminent fields of study. Therefore, In order to fathom various interpersonal, intrapersonal and social issues relating to mental health, it is important to understand the mental frameworks behind the existing principles and take steps towards accommodating new realities and interventions through the scientific study of Psychology.
References
- Galea S., Merchant R.M., and Lurie N., 2020, the mental health consequences of COVID-19 and physical distancing: the need for prevention and early intervention, JAMA Internal Medicine, 180, 817–818.
- Titchener, E. B., 1910, The method and scope of psychology, A history of psychology: Original sources and contemporary research (2nd ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Watson, J. B., 1913, Psychology as the behaviorist views It., Psychological Review, 20, 158–177.
