Psychology As The Most Significant Discovery Made By Humans

Many tangible inventions or discoveries have been considered as influential in the modern world, Harford (2017) mentions clocks, paper money and google search as three of Fifty Inventions That Shaped The Modern Economy or the elevator as described by Paumgarten (2008) in his article Up and then down: The lives of elevators. However, this essay will focus on a conceptual idea as the most significant discovery made by humans: psychology.

Psychology is a large contributor to the driving force behind many of the ideas that have changed the world. People invent and discover things because they have a desire to improve the lives of others by making life simpler, easier or more enjoyable. What causes this desire to improve others’ quality of life? An understanding of how others act, feel and think is essential to understand how to help make life better and this is brought about through psychology. “It may be said, therefore, that psychology, once abstract and unrelated to any practical interests, will become the most useful of all sciences, as it works out its problems and finds the laws of human behaviour.”

According to Phillippe’s (2017) article The Importance of Psychology, psychology is the study of people's behaviour, performance, and mental operations. It also refers to the application of knowledge, which can be used in propaganda, understanding events and improving productivity, education and relationships. This essay will discuss two specific areas in which psychology plays a significant role: Industry and Government.If humanity didn’t understand how to interact with one another, nothing could ever be accomplished. People would not be able to survive without interacting with each other. Without the ability to communicate and build relationships there would be no families, no organisations, no successful businesses and in essence no humanity.

Think about a successful business. Did it become successful through the hard work of just one person or by countless dedicated people? Does it have a single employee or one-thousand? The answer to these questions is obvious: very few large businesses succeeded because of one person working alone. It attained success due to the hours of time and effort that were put in by multiple teams and individuals, who were able to work together. In order for individuals to work together effectively in a team, they must be able to see different points of view and accept others ideas. This requires an understanding of the way that others think, feel and act.

A manager in a business must have a thorough understanding of psychology in order to facilitate the best performance from each employee. In her book The Psychology of Management Gilbreth (2005) said “that emphasis in successful management lies on the man, not on the work. It has, further, recognized that the man's mind is a controlling factor in his efficiency, and has, by teaching, enabled the man to make the most of his powers.” It is evident that managers must create an environment where employees can learn and improve, through methods which are tailored to each individual’s personality. To do this managers have to know their employees’ attributes and behaviours which comes through application of psychological principles.

To design a successful product, companies need to have an idea which, if marketed correctly, can produce a profit. Many products that people have in their homes are not items essential to survival. After many hours of research, design and finding the right niche, these items - which simplify the life of the consumer - are found on shelves, in cupboards and are being used all over the world. To ensure that this does in fact occur, designers find out what people think would improve their lives and then produce it.In addition to well-designed products, advertising plays a large part in the success of the product. Producers use advertisements which have been designed to attract the viewer’s attention. The people who design the adverts know their target market and prepare accordingly. An illustrative example would be food. Few would buy something that looked old and was surrounded with flies in the advert for it. To make food appealing, when it is advertised it looks delicious and tasty which can lead to a belief that it actually tastes as good as it looks. Münsterberg (2005) proposes the idea that an advert is made to have a lasting effect, not an immediate one and that “the mental effect of a well-adapted advertisement is manifold. It appeals to the memory.” He continues by describing the options which a customer has in choosing a certain product. There are many brands to choose from but because of the lasting impact of the advert on the mind of the customer, the customer chooses the brand which they have heard of before, the brand which they have seen in the adverts, the brand which their feelings have made seem more attractive, despite the fact that the selected brand may not be any better than the other brands for sale. This reaction can be explained by a “psychological law that the pleasure in mere recognition readily attaches itself to the recognized object.”

The power of understanding psychology in the way that people think and perceive things can be seen in advertising practice. Very often adverts can trick the mind into believing that a certain product is a necessity. A good advert can make the product, which was not even remotely close to a priority, something that is now desirable by appealing to people’s self-image. Many will go out and buy the product even though it is likely to be unnecessary and overpriced. Another area in which psychology is used, to great effect, is politics and propaganda. Leaders of a nation must understand the concept of human behaviour in order to successfully lead the nation and gain the people’s support. If they do not, they are likely to lose the vote and will be replaced by other more willing and qualified individuals.In The Psychology of Nations, Partridge (2007) states, “Government is ideally a means of aiding all the functions of every individual.” This implies that the government’s duty is to serve the people and help them to accomplish their roles in society. The leaders in the government therefore must have an in depth understanding of how people think and be able to see what motivates people, to be able to help them better fulfil their roles. This enables the country to progress and it will in turn benefit the country and its leaders through better international relations, increased trade and a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP).However, this knowledge can be used to negative effect. Many leaders in today’s society use their knowledge of psychology to prey on those who are not as educated as they are. Lewis (19) in his famous work The Screwtape Letters relates an example of two Dictators in Ancient Greece. One Dictator asked for advice about the principles of government. His response was “Allow no preeminence among your subjects. Let no man live who is wiser or better or more famous or even handsomer than the mass. Cut them all down to a level … All equals.” Governments use these same tactics today, in order to further their own agendas. Lewis continues by suggesting that this tactic flourishes today within the “new education system” introduced into England during the 1950’s; whereby no child should be made to feel intellectually inferior to any other child “leading towards the discrediting, and finally the elimination, of every kind of human excellence.” Propaganda is filled with evidence of people who use these tactics to their advantage. Much of the material used in propaganda is designed to influence people’s feelings and behaviours more than their rational minds. This can lead them to become desensitized and part of an unthinking herd, incapable of making value-based decisions.

“Men will cease fighting when reason controls instinct, and men think for themselves rather than allow their thinking to be done for them.” was Bertrand Russell’s reply to the great question: “Why do men fight?”. The results of war seem to contradict the reason the war was initially started. War entails killing many people who are similar, they are just fighting for those who make the decisions. The leaders never set foot on the battle field, let alone die for the cause. Yet according to James’ essay The Moral Equivalent of War, war brings a sense of unity, in the face of a collective threat. It binds people together — not just the army engaged in battle, but the whole community. It brings what James referred to as ‘discipline’ — a sense of cohesion, with communal goals. The ‘war effort’ inspires individual citizens (not just soldiers) to behave honorably and unselfishly, in the service of a greater good. Wars can only be won by strategies and knowing how your opponent is going to attack and defend.

War also has devastating effects: physical and psychological. War leads to destruction of great cities, the death of thousands and it changes the lives of all who have any connection to it. Cities can be rebuilt and people are born and die every day but the psychological effect that war has on a nation and particularly the individual can last throughout generations. Human emotions are a complex field of psychology and cannot be rebuilt or reformed as easily as a building. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can cause major issues and peoples lives will be changed forever.

In conclusion psychology plays a huge role in everyday life and its effects are not timebound – infinite… not quite sure;… and because communication, industry and politics are such relevant parts of life today, especially in designing the inventions that have changed and will change the world, it is the most significant discovery humans have made.