Famous Columnist and Psychologist Abdul Jabbar Qureshi, while guiding students on the topic “What is Psychology,” explains that psychology is the science that studies a person’s mental condition, actions, behavior, and personality.
Let’s try to understand this subject by using some important psychological terms.
One key term in psychology is sensation, which refers to the information we receive through our sense organs. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin help us see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. These actions are examples of sensations. For instance, when we hear a sound through our ears but cannot interpret it, this is simply a sensation.
When we give meaning to a sensation—such as recognizing a sound and identifying it as the music of a flute—this process is called perception. Perception requires direct contact with an object. When the object is not physically present and we imagine it in the mind, perception becomes a concept. If a concept carries meaning, it becomes an idea, and if it has no clear meaning, it is known as a notion or mental image.
The mental power that helps us respond to information gained from perceptions and concepts is known as intellect and awareness.
Attention is another important psychological term. It is a mental condition that directs a person’s focus toward a particular object or event and brings it into the center of consciousness. Attention is temporary. When this focus becomes lasting, it develops into interest. Interest is an inner, conscious desire that arises in response to a stimulus and motivates a person to act or react.
A person’s particular pattern of thinking and behavior is called an attitude. When this pattern becomes firm and unchangeable, it is called a belief. In religious or social contexts, any statement accepted as truth is also called a belief.
The manner we adopt in our actions and reactions is our behavior. When an individual repeatedly uses the same pattern in behavior, it is referred to as a tendency or inclination. When this behavior becomes steady and consistent, it forms one’s character.
Information that reaches the brain through the senses creates an effect on the nerves, and this effect is called sensation. When this condition appears outwardly, it is referred to as feelings. The immediate and strong reaction that arises from an emotion is known as excitement. For example, when a person suddenly sees something frightening and instantly runs away, this act of escaping is an emotional reaction.
Mood is also a psychological condition that can last from a few hours to several days. In other words, it is not stable. When a person’s mood continues for a long period of time, it gradually develops into temperament.
Another important psychological term is emotion. Emotions are the outward display of our natural inner reactions. They arise due to the influence of an external object or situation and appear through a person’s actions or responses.
Examples include anger, affection, joy, and happiness.
The mental ability that gathers related thoughts, organizes them, forms assumptions, and then draws conclusions is known as thinking and reasoning.
The act of shaping sensory experiences, events, or concepts into mental images—without meaningful interpretation—is called imagination. When this imagined concept carries meaning, it becomes an idea or theory.
Becoming aware of an object or event without intentional effort is called intuition, often referred to as the sixth sense.
The mind represents the entire process of thinking. Many people use “mind” and “brain” as if they mean the same thing, but this is incorrect. The mind includes both conscious and unconscious states and is not a physical object. The brain, however, is a physical organ. The relationship between mind and brain is similar to that of a television device and the picture appearing on the screen.
Illusion and doubt are distorted forms of perception. For example, mistaking a coat hanging on a hook for a ghost is confusion or suspicion. But if a person sees a ghost where no such object exists, it becomes an illusion.
Beliefs or practices that emerge from misunderstanding religious teachings are known as superstitions.
About an hour and a half after falling asleep, certain electrical signals appear in the brain that create images of our hidden or suppressed desires. For example, a student repeatedly failing an exam may dream of climbing a mountain but slipping back again and again. This is what we call a dream.
The ability that allows a person to intellectually understand or imagine reality is referred to as consciousness.
Our natural and fulfilled desires do not vanish; instead, they hide in a part of the mind called the unconscious. Sometimes, certain thoughts leaving the conscious mind do not go into the unconscious but settle in another part of the brain. This is known as the subconscious.
For example, an object may be in front of us, yet we fail to notice it at first, but after a moment it becomes clear—this is due to subconscious activity.
Memory is another key term in psychology. It is the mental ability through which we recall an object or subject and bring it back to awareness. Forms of memory include repetition, review, memorization, and rote learning. Memory improves through practice, logic, discussion, study, and systematic methods.
One mental state often leads to another connected state. When we repeatedly experience the same situation, we easily remember related information. This mental link from one idea to another is called association.
Actions performed without deliberate effort—aimed at helping an organism survive—are called instincts. Instincts, or natural tendencies, are inborn and not learned. Examples include self-protection, hunger, thirst, reproduction, and the search for food.
The refined or developed form of instinct is known as nature. For instance, the cooperation, discipline, and teamwork shown by ants are clear signs of their natural tendencies.
Acts that begin with conscious effort but become automatic through repetition are known as habits.
The collection of traits that defines a person’s individuality and stable behavioral patterns is called personality.