Branches of psychology
Explore twelve fields through the kinds of questions they investigate.
The picture in words
- Biological
- How do brain and body shape behavior?
- Cognitive
- How do we think, remember, and decide?
- Developmental
- How do people change across life?
- Social
- How do others shape our behavior?
- Personality
- How do people differ?
- Clinical
- How can we assess and treat mental disorders?
- Counseling
- How can we support adjustment and well-being?
- Educational
- How can we improve teaching and learning?
- School
- How can we help students thrive?
- Health
- How do behavior and health interact?
- Industrial-organizational
- How do people and workplaces interact?
- Forensic
- How does psychology inform the law?
Research, measurement and ethics form shared foundations.
Reading the illustration
Fields share questions and methods. Research and professional practice overlap, and the same problem can draw on several specialties.
Try a question
Which fields could contribute to a study of workplace stress?
Show the explanation
Health psychology could study effects on well-being, social psychology could examine relationships, and industrial-organizational psychology could investigate working conditions.
Read the sources
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-3-contemporary-psychologySelected field descriptions inspected
- APA: Psychology subfields. (n.d.). https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfieldsInstitutional field summary consulted
- What is a school psychologist? (n.d.). National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). https://www.nasponline.org/about-school-psychology/what-is-a-school-psychologistSelected main text was inspected by the coordinating agent for school psychologists’ work in learning, behavior, mental health, data-informed decisions and family-school relationships.