Group Cohesiveness

Psychology is the science[1] of behavior and mental processes.[2] Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases.[3][4] For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society.[5][6] In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist, and can be classified as a social scientist, behavioral scientist, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and neurobiological processes that underlie certain functions and behaviors. Psychologists explore such concepts as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, phenomenology, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also consider the unconscious mind.a Psychologists employ empirical methods to infer causal and correlational relationships between psychosocial variables. In addition, or in opposition, to employing empirical and deductive methods, some--especially clinical and counseling psychologists--at times rely upon symbolic interpretation and other inductive techniques. Psychology incorporates research from the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities, such as philosophy.

^ Gray, P.O. (2010). Foundations for the study of psychology. Psychology (6th ed.). New York, New York: Worth Publishers.

^ Psychology. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary. Retrieved from merriam-webster.com

^ Fernald LD (2008). Psychology: Six perspectives (pp. 12-15). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

^ Hockenbury & Hockenbury. Psychology. Worth Publishers, 2010.

^ O'Neil, H.F.; cited in Coon, D.; Mitterer, J.O. (2008). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (12th ed., pp. 15-16). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

^ "The mission of the APA [American Psychological Association] is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives"; APA (2010). About APA. Retrieved 20 October 2010.

^ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at bls.gov (visited July 08, 2010).

^ Psychology

^ Online Etymology Dictionary. (2001). "Psychology".