Does Psychology Make a Significant Difference in Our Lives?

Research Question 

The main aim is to establish if psychology makes any significance difference in the human lives. The research question will be answered based on the evaluation and analysis of Philip G. Zimbardo’s article. 

Introduction 

Psychology plays an imperative role in identifying, predicting, and sometimes preventing certain social issues. There has always been a controversy on whether psychology plays any significant role in improving the human life and solving problems. Psychology is applicable almost in all spheres of life and social institutions, such as the politics, health, and criminal justice system. Psychological tests, for instance, are used in the organizations to test the skills and abilities of potential candidates. Despite the contribution of psychology in solving various social issues, a question of reliability and validity of most of the psychological models always arise. The article critique will shed more light on such problems and make a conclusion on the significant contribution of psychology to the society. 

Methodology 

The researcher relied on the literature review to support the claim that psychology makes a significant difference in human life. According to Zimbardo (2004), psychology is applicable in all areas of human life. He provided evidence from the health, political, criminal justice system, family, and organizations as the main areas where psychology has played a significant role in solving various problems. The applied methodology is reliable since all the studies used are based on scientific research. 

Results

The research findings demonstrated that psychology makes a significant contribution to the individual lives. Psychology has been applied successfully in the assessment and treatment of mental health issues. In the criminal justice system, forensic psychology assists in detecting criminals and criminal activities. The study established that psychology had been used in the modification of human behavior. The positive reinforcement methods of psychology are used to enhance a desirable behavior in individuals with maladaptive behavior. The finding also indicates the importance of psychology in the organizations and political arena. In the organization, psychology has played a significant role in the motivation of employees, which assists in fostering productivity. Additionally, during the recruitment process, psychological tests are used to identify the most suitable employees. 

Discussion and conclusion 

From the research findings, it is apparent that psychology is applicable in the real situations and challenges affecting the society. Psychology has become an integral part of the human life, especially in explaining the causes of psychosomatic ailments. The medical field and psychology work together in establishing the causes of certain mental illnesses, such as depression. Psychotherapy has also been used in debriefing war veterans, especially in the assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorders. 

While some critics perceive psychology to be unreliable, especially because of the study on subjective variables, such as motivation, one cannot dispute its contributions to the society. In the workplace, for instance, psychology assists employees in enhancing growth and productivity of employees. Using rewards and punishment techniques of psychology, employers are able to make employees become more productive. With the increased challenges and competition in organizations, there is always a need to ensure that competent employees are recruited. Without a reliable tool or test, it would be difficult for the human resource managers to recruit the best employees. The psychological tests go beyond the academic achievement to establish the abilities and skills. As a result, employers are able to employ the most qualified candidates. 

List of references 

The author used the APA referencing style. All the references have been perfectly used to support claims in the articles. The references are from books and peer-reviewed journals, making them more reliable. Recent references have been utilized in the article. 

Personal reflection 

I agree with the article’s claim that psychology makes a difference in the lives of the society. The article is well researched, making it more reliable and credible. The author provides real-life situations to support his claims. I agree that psychology is applicable in many spheres of human life, especially in health, behavior modification, organization, and politics (polling). 

Despite the reliability and applicability of psychology in addressing various social issues, it is necessary to address the discrepancies existing in some of the psychological models. There should be harmony on the best methodologies to be used in psychological studies. This will assist in enhancing the validity and reliability of psychological studies and its application in real life situations.

Reference

Zimbardo, P. (2004). Does Psychology Make a Significant Difference in Our Lives ? Stanford University