To have a view of the importance of psychology, a brief survey of its contribution in different fields of human life is helpful.
(1) Education - Psychology has made radical reforms in the field of education and revolutionised the syllabi and methods of education. The rule of cane has been substituted by psychological methods of persuation, encouragement and sympathy ctc. Thus psychology has made education more natural, easy and useful. It has helped in the all round development of the education and in sweet relation between the teacher and the taught.
(2) Crime Detection and Justice - Psychology has been very helpful in understanding the causes of crimes and also their cures. In modern states, steps have been taken to reform the cirminals and to restore them to the society by removing the psychological causes of crimes. It is due to the influence of psychology that one finds new experiments in the field of criminology e.g. probation, reformatories, borstal schools, open air jails etc. Psychology has made it clear that the ciriminal alone is not responsible for his crimes, but much of the responsibility rests with his social situations as well. This has changed our attitude towards the criminal. In the present theory of punishment, revenge has been substituted by reform. Separate arrangements have been made for the juvenile delinquents and juvenile delinquency has become a separate study. Psychology has helped the judges to distinguish criminals from noncriminals and to devise suitable punishment in various cases. Thus in the field of justice as well as of crime detection, the study of psychology is gradually proving more and more helpful.
(3) Cure of abnormal diseases - Psychology has proved very valuable in the medicine. According to present day psychology, every somatic disease is psychological and hence requires not only physical but also psychological treatment. According to Brown, the author of the Psycho Dynamics of Abnormal Behaviour, every man stands in need of periodical psychological check up. It has been found that 10% of the population in America at one time or another suffers from some serious type of mental disease. According to an estimate 45% of American colleges under graduates require the services of mental hygienist. Roughly, it can be said without exaggeration that almost every man needs the guidance of the clinical psychologist at some times or the other to keep his mental health. The psychologist has been instrumental in removing the chains of the insanes in asylums. The insanes today are no more treated as sinners, But sympathised with those who have failed to accommodate themselves to their circumstances. Thus psychology has removed a lot of supertitions about the mental diseases and also helped in their cures.
(4) Industry and Trade - One of the most important factors in modern trade is advertisement and it is here that one finds widest application of psychology. Psychology studies the interests and reactions and helps the industrialists to manufacture according to tastes. Psychology has made selling an art, if not a science. It has helped in the solution of the industrial disputes, the problems of strikes and lock-outs and all other problems between millowners and labourers.
(5) Recruitment in Services - Psychology has helped the employers in finding out suitable men for different kinds of work. It has helped the employee to secure work suited to his capacities and talents. It has helped in minimising the fatigue and using human capacites with utmost efficiency. It is due to the advice of the psychologist that one finds numerous schemes of labour welfare in modern countries.
(6) Human Relations - Psychology has been instrumental in bringing about adjustment in society. It has enabled men to understand each other and thus to improve their relations. Thus it has helped the sociologists and the social reformers to solve various problems of society.
(7) The solution of personal problems - Psychology has not only helped in the solution of the social problems, but also in that of the problems of the individual. Psychology makes man understand himself. Self understanding is the way to self-control. Selfcontrol help one in future progress. Again, psychology has removed many superstitions regarding various phenomena in human psychology e.g., the meaning of dreams, day dreams and various abnormal phenomena etc. Psychology has helped man to form his character, to change his habits, to control his conduct and finally to adjust himself to new situations. It has warned him against dangerous activities and showed him the way to intergral development of his personality.
(8) Help in the understanding of others - Just as psychology helps in the understanding of oneself, so it leads one to the understanding of others. It removes prejudices and eliminates hatred, because one can understand the causes of differences in behaviour. Thus psychology has been helpful in all types of primary and secondary relation e.g., family, clubs, schools, colleges, play grounds etc. Psychology helps the parents to understand the child and the teacher to understand the taught. It helps in maintaining harmony between husband and wife, friends and lovers. In brief, psychology helps in the understanding of every type of human relation and solving its difficulties.
(9) Solution of political difficulties -- Psychology has been widely appliedi in the political field. Social psychology has helped the leaders to understand the masses and control them. A Government which rules in defiance of the psychology of the public cannot stay long. Hence modern democratic Government have a keen eye on different tendencies in the public. A democratic Government is formed by the people's representatives. These representatives are elected by the masses. Modern election depends upon the success of propaganda and the success of propaganda depends upon its psychological appeal. Thus modern politics very much depends upon psychology, Legislation, unless based upon psychological principles has scant chances of success. Even the reforms should be devised according to the psychology of the public. The administrator, without the knowledge of psychology, shall be a complete failure. History is a witness to the fact that the great rulers have always been masters of human psychology. Thus in every branch of Government and politics the knowledge of psychology has been valuable.
(10) Uses in war time - In the times of war, the value of psychology becomes even more. The cold wars almost entirely depend upon psychological propaganda. Victory in war depends as much on self confidence as on equipment. Psychology maintains the self confidence in the army. It also helps in the recruitment of different men for different posts in navy, air and land forces. In the time of war the leaders are chosen according to their psychological insight and influence on the masses. In the time of an attack by the enemy the reactions of the public are observed and confidence is maintained with the help of psychological suggestions. The art of diplomacy very much depends upon the knowledge of psychological facts.
(11) World Peace - Not only in the time of war, but also in the time of peace psychology has its own importance. The problem of peace is in fact the problem of human adjustment. The world peace depends upon the adjustment of men and women of different nationalities to one another. It is here that psychology plays a vital role. The knowledge of individual differences helps persons of different nationalities to understand one another. It helps to realise ideal fraternity among men. It helps in the understanding of aggressive tendencies, their control as well as in finding suitable outlets for them. The realisation of the cherished idea of world peace depends to a great extent upon finding suitable outlets of the various tendencies in men and women.
Thus in the ultimate analysis, one finds that psychology has its uses in every field of human relations. It helps us in under standing ourselves and others and control the harmful tendencies. It improves the individual behaviour, makes for social adjustments and removes conflicts and frustrations. Of all the differents sciences which man has discovered so far, psychology is undoubtedly one of the most useful science for the realisation of human ideal of world peace.
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