While psychology is the study of the mind and behavior, the field has several branches, each with a distinctive focus. If you plan to study psychology, you’ll take a variety of classes within the different branches. If you work on an advanced degree in psychology, you’ll choose a branch as your specialty, like earning a child psychology degree.
The various psychology branches have two major areas: research and practice. Some psychology majors choose research psychology topics so they can learn more about the brain and behavior. Others decide to work with patients so they can help with their behaviors and mental health. Most branches of psychology have researchers and practitioners who apply the research in the real world.
1. Abnormal Psychology
This branch studies how emotions, thoughts, and behaviors affect abnormal behaviors. Mental health professionals like clinical psychologists and psychotherapists treat people with mental health disorders.
2. Behavioral Psychology
The behavioral psychology branch is focused on learning and how to improve it. People who study behavioral psychology study theories like operant and classical conditioning. Teachers and counselors often study this branch as they use the techniques and lessons in their classrooms and school settings.
Behavioral psychology was a prominent field of study in the early days of psychology. Now, it’s usually taught in education departments.
3. Biopsychology
Students who study biopsychology look closely at the biology of the brain and how it works to affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Biopsychologists combine information from other branches to advance their knowledge about the brain. In practice, biopsychologists work with people with brain injuries, while researchers study the brain and how injuries and diseases affect human behavior.
4. Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists assess and treat people with mental illnesses and psychiatric disorders. Many clinicians have advanced degrees and licenses to treat patients. They often work in clinics, hospitals, and colleges.
5. Cognitive Psychology
In the field of cognitive psychology, students learn about mental status and learning. They also look at how people build and access memories. Cognitive psychology emerged in the 1960s and continues to grow as researchers learn more about how people make decisions, solve problems, and learn language and skills.
6. Comparative Psychology
Comparative psychologists tend to focus on researching humans and animals, following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Comparative psychologists work with biologists, anthropologists, and other professionals who study how humans and animals have changed throughout history.
7. Counseling
In the field of psychology, counselors have the most interaction with patients. Counseling professionals work directly with patients of all ages to help them work through mental distress and other psychological problems. They talk and listen to their clients to help them with personal concerns that involve their families, workplaces, and mental health.
8. Cross-Cultural Psychology
This branch studies how culture affects behavior. People who study this field look at a variety of cultures and how they grow independently. They also look at how cultures evolve in pluralistic societies. Cross-cultural psychologists often study how children develop in unique cultures and how their personalities and emotions change. This practice has been around since the early 1970s and continues to grow in popularity at schools and in other research situations.
9. Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology is a popular field for people interested in looking at how humans grow and change throughout their lifetimes. Developmental psychologists specialize in different ages, like infancy, adolescents, and geriatrics. This field has many researchers who share their findings with health care providers who work with children, teens, adults, and elderly patients to better understand their behaviors and unique needs.
10. Educational Psychology
Students and teachers need educational psychologists to improve learning and behaviors. Most educational psychologists are researchers who share their findings with colleges that offer teacher prep programs. They also work closely with school counselors and administrators who need to help children in their schools.
11. Experimental Psychology
Most psychology branches rely on experimental psychologists to help them solve problems and apply new learning. They study the brain and behavior using the scientific method, case studies, naturalistic observations, and more. Experimental psychologists work in research centers around universities and hospitals.
12. Forensic Psychology
Like other forensic professionals, forensic psychologists use their knowledge of psychology to help law enforcement officials solve cases and understand criminal behavior. They often testify in court cases and evaluate suspects to determine motives and reasoning.
True forensic psychologists are rare, as most actually work in clinical settings, but their expertise in psychology gives them the knowledge that lawyers need during court cases.
13. Health Psychology
Like clinical psychologists, health psychologists work closely with patients. Instead of working on mental health problems, health psychologists help patients understand how their social situations affect their behavior. They often help patients manage stress, stop smoking, or improve their eating habits.
14. Industrial-Organizational Psychology
This specialized field helps people in the workplace improve their working conditions and productivity. They analyze human factors in a business, then look at ways to reduce error and improve human capabilities, especially in the ways employees interact with each other and with machines. Industrial-organizational psychologists also study organization processes in a business to see how they affect employee behaviors and leadership interaction with employees.
15. Personality Psychology
The field of personality psychology looks at what makes people unique. While psychology is a science, it is not a perfect science as unique behaviors make it challenging to make generalizations about humans. Personality psychology uses theories developed by the fathers of psychology like Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. Personality psychologist often develop, test, and implement personality tests.
16. School Psychology
School psychologists work in schools of all sizes to improve mental health and learning conditions for students, teachers, and administrators. Counselors and developmental psychologists often work with school psychologists.
17. Social Psychology
Social psychologists study social behavior, looking at how people interact with each other using language and non-verbal communication techniques. They also look at how social interaction affects decision making.
18. Sports Psychology
Sports psychology is a fast-growing branch where psychologists look at how behavior affects performance in athletic competitions. Many professional and collegiate athletes work with sports psychologists to improve their mental toughness and reduce anxiety.
HR Future Staff Writer
