General Psychology

Course description

This course describes concepts of psychology, self-understanding, human development, motivational processes and life skills. It introduces other disciplines with the concepts, theories, methods and the core subjects in the field of psychology. The course provides an overview of the field of psychology as a science of human behavior and mental process and show how this knowledge can be used to improve human life.

Course outcomes

Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe basic psychological concepts
• Discuss different aspects of human development
• Learn motivational and emotional processes
• Demonstrate social and interpersonal skills in everyday life
• Set an adaptive goal and plan for future
• Compare and contrast the major theoretical perspectives in psychology and different learning theories
• Apply knowledge of psychology to their life and develop their life skills
• Understand the essence of psychology and become conversant of the concepts and key issues in the field
• Comprehend why psychology is characterized as scientific discipline along with other arguments to the contrary
• Appreciate the complexities of human behavior and be reasonably skeptical of assertions made in the name of research or science in general
• Understand the current thinking in the areas of sensation, perception, emotion, motivation, learning, memory, forgetting, personality and abnormal behaviors

Course contents

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🔽 2 h 10 min | Essence of Psychology

Historical roots of psychology
Early schools and modern perspectives of psychology
Branches of psychology
Major research methods in psychology

🔽 1 h 25 min | Sensation and Perception

Meaning of sensation and perception
Difference and similarities of sensation and perception
Factors affecting sensation and perception
Principles of sensation and perception
Reasons for sensory and perceptual differences among individuals

🔽 1 h 28 min | Learning and Theories of Learning

Meaning, types and factors of learning
Characteristics of learning
Theories designed to explain the characteristics of learning
Viewpoints of different theories of learning
Applications of theories of learning
Techniques used to motivate and reinforce behavior

🔽 1 h 15 min | Memory

Memory and forgetting
Stages and memory structures proposed by theory of memory
Processes that are at work in memory functions
Learned materials in the long term memory
Factors underlying on the persistence/loss of memory
Different theories of forgetting

🔽 1 h 30 min | Motivation and Emotion

Define motivation
Types of motivation
Different theories of motivation
Types of conflicts of motives
Define emotion
Elements of emotion
Theories of emotion

🔽 1 h 09 min | Personality

Define personality
Natures of psychoanalytic theory
Structures of personality
Psychological defense mechanisms
Essence of the trait theory of personality
Factor model of personality
Essence of humanistic theory of personality

🔽 1 h 20 min | Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment

Psychological disorders and inherent difficulties
Nature of psychological disorders
Causes of psychological disorders
Types, characteristic features of psychological disorders
Theories to explain the nature of abnormality
Treatment techniques

🔽 1 h 14 min | Social Psychology

Social psychology
Psychological topics dealt by social psychology
Causes of behavior as attributed to situational or dispositional factors
Different types, characteristic features of group thinking
Social psychology concepts such as social influence, obedience, cognitive dissonance and conformity
Psychological influence exerted by individuals

🔽 1 h 30 min | Applying Psychology in Intra and Interpersonal Life

Nature, components and goals of life skills
Intra and interpersonal skills such as self-concept, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and coping with stress
Academic skills such as time management, test taking skills, and note taking skills
Social skills such as understanding diversity, gender and social inclusion, communication, and team work