Psychology is an academic and
applied discipline that involves the
scientific study of
mental functions and
behaviors. Psychology has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases, and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society. In this field, a professional
practitioner or researcher is called a
psychologist and can be classified as a
social,
behavioral, or
cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and
social behavior, while also exploring the
physiological and
biological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors.
Psychologists explore concepts such as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, phenomenology, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships, including psychological resilience, family resilience, and other areas. Psychologists of diverse orientations also consider the unconscious mind. 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 has been described as a "hub science", with psychological findings linking to research and perspectives from the social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and the humanities, such as philosophy. (Full article...)
Asperger syndrome (
AS), also known as
Asperger disorder (
AD) or simply
Asperger's, is an
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in
social interaction and
nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of
linguistic and
cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported. The diagnosis of Asperger's was eliminated in the 2013 fifth edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (
DSM-5) and replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.
The syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, studied and described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. The modern conception of Asperger syndrome came into existence in 1981 and went through a period of popularization, becoming standardized as a diagnosis in the early 1990s. Many questions and controversies remain about aspects of the disorder. There is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA); partly because of this, its prevalence is not firmly established. (Full article...)
"US Navy: During a DUI safety lesson, Sailors are hypnotized and put in various comical situations at the Naval Air Station, Oceana theater"
- "Knowing reality means constructing systems of transformations that correspond, more or less adequately, to reality." — Jean Piaget
