Psychologists are frequently innovators, evolving new approaches from established knowledge to meet changing needs of people and societies. They develop theories and test them through their research. As this research yields new information, these findings become part of the body of knowledge that practitioners call on in their work with clients and patients. Psychology is a tremendously varied field. Psychologists conduct both basic and applied research, serve as consultants to communities and organizations, diagnose and treat people, and teach future psychologists and other types of students. They test intelligence and personality. Many psychologists work as health care providers. They assess behavioral and mental function and well-being, stepping in to help where appropriate. They study how human beings relate to each other and also to machines, and they work to improve these relationships. And with America undergoing large changes in its population makeup, psychologists bring important knowledge and skills to understanding diverse cultures.http://www.apa.org/topics/psychologycareer.html
Psychologists study human beings primarily from the inside out — that is, from the brain to “mind”, considering how mind is expressed through the body, and how mind (brain?) manifests in behavior. This doesn’t mean that psychologists only study individuals, but that in the grand scheme of the academic universe, psychologists operate in a paradigm ultimately bent on explaining humans from the perspective of the person, both inwards and outwards.
Psychology covers a huge range of topics — we tend to think of psych as focusing on aberration (and there is merit to this, see D. Seligman’s TED talk on the subject); however, the field of psychology examines all things that humans do from birth to death.
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