The Diverse Nature of Psychology
Nicole L Clawson
PSY/490: Capstone Course in Psychology
December 8, 2014
Kathryn Earl
The Diverse Nature of Psychology
This paper will evaluate the influence of diversity on psychology’s major concepts. It will also identify two examples of subdisciplines and two examples of subtopics within psychology. Then it will explain how the subdisciplines and subtopics can be applied to other disciplines and venues in contemporary society. Plus, it will relate the subdisciplines and subtopics to the theoretical perspective. Finally, it will conclude with the psychological contribution to society in the areas of work, education, health, and leisure.
Evaluate the Influence of Diversity on Psychology's Major Concepts.
The influences of diversity on psychology’s major concepts are different everywhere because not one person is the same and not one person looks at things in the same way. It is important when looking into diversity to understand what diversity is. Diversity is in “refers to the differences in age, gender, ethnicity, sexual preference, socioeconomic, and religious orientations (Plante, 2011).” When looking into how to handle a person that has depression varies from person to person because they will not take the treatments all the same, just as handling patients that have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
. The cognitive-behavioral, humanistic perspectives, and psychodynamic represent varied perceptions of an individual’s behavior, each offering a different insight to a psychological challenge or a theory on human nature. Each of the major concepts emphasizes different aspects on an individual’s actions, such as the social, cognitive, unconscious factors, and spiritual which contribute to these kinds of behavior.
Two Examples of Subdisciplines and Two Examples of Subtopics within Psychology

Clinical Psychology “Clinical psychology deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorder (Feldman, 2010).” One of the most popular subdivisions of clinical psychology is abnormal psychology which “is the field of psychology that is concerned with the study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior (Butcher, Hooley, & Mineka, 2014).” The field of abnormal psychology reaches into the mind and what fuels a person’s behavior. Some of the branches of psychology that come from abnormal psychology are psychotherapy and even neuroscience. Some of the subdivisions of this field are the study of successful treatment plans and the biological components of mental illness. Being able to know the theories of abnormal psychology can help psychologist and people in the field focus on the development of morality, social functioning, identity, cognitive abilities, and other issues within life (Hansell & Damour, 2009). It is very important for psychologists in the field of abnormal psychology to understand the field and its wide vast effects of mental illness to help individuals suffering from the wide range of these disorders. Abnormal psychology can be applied to different fields such as science of medicine to help with seeing what milligrams for medicines can help or hurt different patients. Another way that abnormal psychology can help with different times of medical aspects such as a doctor can know what side effects are caused by different disorders and then they can pinpoint the current treatment plan for them without going through so many different treatments that may not work for the diagnosis disorder.
Cognitive Psychology
“Cognitive psychology focuses on the study of higher mental processes (Feldman, 2010).” The interest of cognitive psychologists are to see how a person can pay attention, perception, memory, language, thinking, knowledge representation, and artificial intelligence effect a person’s behavior (Darity, 2008). The field has the made it so there can be about maintain the rise to artificial intelligence and neurosciences. Cognitive