Psychology is a very sensitive field and ethical concerns are likely to arise when carrying out research and prescribing any method of treatment to an individual. There are several branches of psychology. One of them is biological psychology or behavioral neuroscience which is the study of the biological substrates of behavior and mental processes.

Longitudinal studies are often used in psychology to study developmental trends across the life span, and in sociology to study life events throughout lifetimes or generations. Psychologists systematically study the origins of self-identity and self-esteem, the social determinants of self-conceptions, and the emotional and motivational consequences of beliefs about oneself. Clinical psychology includes the study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development.

Qualitative psychological research methods include interviews , first-hand observation, and participant observation . Many factors contribute to our interpretation of reality. One of the main reasons we find dieting so difficult is because we underestimate the psychological difficulties it entails.

Statistical surveys are used in psychology for measuring attitudes and traits, monitoring changes in mood, checking the validity of experimental manipulations, and for a wide variety of other psychological topics. Psychology tends to be eclectic , drawing on knowledge from other fields to help explain and understand psychological phenomena.

Research in most areas of psychology is conducted in accord with the standards of the scientific method . Research designed to answer questions about the current state of affairs such as the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of individuals is known as descriptive research. Qualitative psychological research methods include interviews , first-hand observation, and participant observation .

Source: Psychology - Every Psychology