PSYCHOLOGY IN EVERYDAY LIFE

The discussion above may have clarified that psychology is not only a subject that satisfies some of the curiosities of our mind about human nature, but it is also a subject that can offer solutions to a variety of problems.
These may range from purely personal (for example, a daughter having to face an alcoholic father or a mother dealing with a problem child) to those that may be rooted within the family set up (for example, lack of communication and interaction among family members) or in a larger group or community setting (for example, terrorist groups or socially isolated communities) or may have national or international dimensions. Problems related to education, health, environment, social justice, women development, intergroup relations, etc.

While the solution of these problems may involve political, economic and social reforms, interventions at the individual levels are also needed in order to change. Many of these problems are largely of psychological nature and they result from our unhealthy thinking, negative attitude towards people and self and undesirable patterns of behaviour. A psychological analysis of these problems helps both in having a deeper understanding of these problems and also in finding their effective
solutions.

The potential of psychology in solving the problems of life is being realised more and
more. Media has played a vital role in this respect. You may have seen on television
counsellors and therapists suggesting solutions to a variety of problems related to
children, adolescents, adults and the elderly people. You may also find them analysing vital social problems relating to social change and development, population, poverty, interpersonal or intergroup violence, and environmental degradation. Many psychologists now play an active role in designing and executing intervention programmes in order to provide people with a better quality of life.

Hence, it is no surprise that we find psychologists working in diverse settings such as schools, hospitals, industries, prisons, business organisations, military
establishments, and in private practice as consultants helping people solve problems in their respective settings.

Besides helping you in rendering social service to others, the knowledge of psychology
is also personally relevant to you in your dayto-day life. The principles and methods of psychology that you will learn in this course should be made use of in analysing and understanding yourself in relation to others.

It is not that we do not think about ourselves.

But very often, some of us think very highly of ourselves and any feedback that contradicts our opinion about ourselves is rejected because we engage in what is called a defensive behaviour. In some other cases, persons come to acquire a habit of running down themselves. Both conditions do not permit us to grow. We need to have a positive and balanced understanding of ourselves. You may use psychological principles in a positive manner to develop good habits of study for improving your learning and memory, and for solving your personal and interpersonal problems by using appropriate decisionmaking strategies. You will also find it of use to reduce or alleviate the stress of examination. Thus, the knowledge of psychology is quite useful in our everyday life, and is rewarding from personal as well as social points of view.