Biological Psychology Vs Applied Psychology

Psychological occurrences, from a psychobiology viewpoint, can be traced back to their biological roots (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014). In other words, psychology is really just an effect of biological manifestations which can ultimately be understood through a strictly physiological perspective. This is not a new concept, and in some form or another has been around for over 2,000 years, but more than ever before the technology exists to delve deeper into what is biological and what is psychological, and perhaps most importantly, how this affects human existence. If all psychological phenomena is a result of biological functions (i.e. genetics, evolution, hormones, etc.) then behavior at work can be influenced through the environment and appealing to instinctual physiological events. For example, even something as unassuming as ceiling height can have an effect on a person’s mental and cognitive abilities. In a series of experiments, the height of a room’s ceiling elicited feelings in the participants of either freedom (high ceiling) or confinement (low ceiling); which influenced their thinking by increasing their ability to find connections between seemingly unrelated items in high ceiling rooms, and showed a decline in this capability when in low ceiling rooms (Meyers-Levy & Zhu, 2007). This could have very real implications when designing a workspace for employees and also areas for consumers. One aspect of biopsychology research that is different from other psychological fields is that it discounts cognitive processes and relies on strict biological explanations (McLeod, 2015). Biopsychology seems to differentiate between humans and animals based on the complexity of the brain, but at the same time undervalues the intricacy and multidimensional nature of human beings. A limitation of this type of thought is that it does not adequately take into account the interaction and cultivation of human relationships and connections among individuals as a basis for behavior. In pure scientific psychology, the emphasis is completely on research in various forms, whereas applied psychology focuses on the implementation, or application, of research in real-world situations and events. …show more content…
Although experimental and applied psychology may seem like complete opposites, they actually complement one another very well. For instance, experiment after experiment could be completed, but without some type of application the research would be done just for the sake of doing it with no other purpose. On the other hand, without the research that is done with experimental psychology, there would be nothing to apply through applied psychology. In the end, although seemingly in opposition with one another, they actually run parallel with each one giving purpose and structure to the other. Hall, Münsterberg, Cattell, and Witmer were all interested in applying psychological principles to real-world …show more content…
The creation of the APA seemed to set the tone for what was to follow, namely the continued application of data from experimental psychology to everyday life, which covered a wide range such as counseling, clinical psychology, social psychology, education, and industrial and organizational psychology. World War II saw the need for greater psychological assistance than any time before and created an upsurge in APA membership which helped promote awareness of psychology to the general public (American Psychological Association, 2016). Greater awareness brought more funding and more interest which aided in the creation of additional divisions within the APA; this in turn allowed for more specialization and application of psychological methods to practical settings and