Introduction
Psychology has several important tasks that contribute to the goal of making the world a better place. Firstly, psychology strives to describe the behavior and feelings of people; furthermore, the collected information is processed to explain why people behave in a certain way. A detailed explanation of people’s behavior can be used to predict how people will react to information depending on their characteristics. Lastly, the predictions are used to correct an individual’s behavior and improve his life in society. However, psychology generally focuses on studying human behavior through the lens of individuality. Thus, by prioritizing the examination of people’s individual characteristics and the elements of their upbringing and susceptibility to the influence of environmental factors, psychology overlooks how other important social issues are formed.
Discussion
On the other hand, different approaches to psychology consider people’s behavior in the context of society. Critical psychology specifically studies how differences between social classes contribute to the creation of different mentalities in minority groups. Thus, critical psychology can be perceived as a more extensive form of psychology that combines knowledge from different areas of social studies to seek justice for oppressed population groups. In a way, critical psychology perceives traditional psychology’s goal of being able to predict and change people’s behavior as an excessive control measure. Therefore, critical psychology argues that the knowledge of psychology should be used on a wider scale to eliminate the unequal balance of power in society rather than focusing on the internal factors influencing individuals’ behavior.
Furthermore, the difference between critical psychology and traditional psychology is observed in the way the theories consider the influence of society. Psychology focuses on internal mental processes and studies of individual people’s behavior and denies the influence of society on the individual. However, critical psychology suggests that society influences how people understand themselves. The theory of social constructionism suggests that people develop knowledge within social contexts; therefore, a significant part of knowledge is based on shared perceptions. Examples of social constructs include countries, nations, gender, race, and money. Social constructs play a significant role in defining people’s understanding of the world. Moreover, social constructs allow people to understand themselves better as a member of society. In modern society, people often identify themselves as representative of a particular race, gender, or profession. Thus, an individual’s self-identity is socially constructed, and their internal thoughts, values, goals, and dreams present a result of social exposure (Berdzenishvili, 2022). However, the traditional approach to psychology continues to view behavior as an outcome of internal factors.
Lastly, a significant difference from traditional psychology is that critical psychology acknowledges the importance of subjectivity for understanding the negative influence of power structures in society. Thus, critical psychology favors the improvement in society through acknowledgment of social issues such as racism and discrimination of minority groups. Critical psychology has the power to influence society and eliminate the system of power differences and discrimination by changing people’s opinions of themselves.
Conclusion
Thus, while traditional psychology seeks to understand the internal causes of individuals’ behavior and correct it, critical psychology studies individuals’ behavior in a social context and tries to eliminate social issues. In the modern world, people are more exposed to the influence of society through politics, law, religion, and increased social contacts and interactions. Thus, it is impossible to avoid the influence of society on people’s behavior and mental wellness. Therefore, the progression from traditional psychology to critical psychology has the potential to provide more helpful information about behavioral features and their causes.
Reference
Berdzenishvili, I. (2022). Personal identity 101: How identity is socially constructed. Arcadia. Web.