“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity.”
An influential field of Science, gaining increasing popularity over the past few decades. You may have read about its advances or perhaps even studied it. Butlet us begin with afairly basic question.
Take a few seconds to introspect:what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about the term – ‘Psychology’?
Illness? Treatment? Helping others?
If these were some of your thoughts, they fall under the norm of what people commonly associate Psychology with – a helping profession that deals with the treatment of mental illness. The public’s understanding is typically connected to the intervention aspects of the discipline. What we fail to see is the proactive contribution this field makes to the overall well-being of society.
Despite popular belief, Psychology is not solely focussed on distress and disorder. In fact, it concerns itself with health! Health, as we know, is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. Psychology has four primary goals: to (i) describe; (ii) explain; (iii) predict; and (iv) alter behavior. When we learn to align our understanding of the discipline with these goals, we recognize the broad scope of this field and its overwhelming impact,taking into account the biological, social and environmental factors that affect the way we think, feel and act.
Consider this hypothetical scenario: Mr. X, consciously chooses to live healthy. He maintains a nutritious diet, stays hydrated, goes to the gym, exercises regularly, takes care of his personal hygiene and gets a good night’s rest. His lifestyle patterns may not account for unexpected illness, neither does it guarantee that he will never fall sick. The only thing his choices ensure is a worthy fight against external factors that attack his immunity. Does that mean that he should make healthy choices only when subject to illness? Certainly, not. His efforts need to perpetuate a quotidian routine not only to prevent illness but to enhance health.
Psychology is unparalleled in a similar effort to bring about cognitive, behavioral and emotional health. The theories and programs are designed not only to treat and prevent illness, but to enhance and promote overall well-being.
The functions and significance of psychologists are far reaching and fall on a wide spectrum. Itdepends largely on their specialization and specific area of interest.In order for you to get a contextual understanding, it might be helpful to have a conceptual overview of their contribution to the military service.
The Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) is the nodal agency and technical headquarters for the selection of officers to the military. It is the only institute in India that provides technical assistance to the armed forces in ensuring person-job fit. In recent years, the role and research interests of the institute have expanded manifold, as has the scope for Military Psychology in the country.
The focus of research in the institute is to optimize the selection and placement of officerswith a view to increase efficiency. Another key focus area is refining the techniques of psychological warfare, ideological convictions, motivation, attitude, morale, leadership behaviour, job satisfaction and organisational climate. Developing a better understanding of human factors in man-machine systems and studying the effects of extreme environmental conditions on the psychological adjustment of service personnel, forms the essence of many research studies undertaken by the institute. Studies enhancing manpower planning with particular emphasis on personnel policy and providing help to service headquarters and other civilian organisations adds to the value of the institute.
A recent feather in its cap is its proactive initiative in designing programs like this – ‘Vratamana’, to prioritize health and establish a healthy lifestyle among army personnel.
So, ask yourself the question again: what comes to your mind when you think about Psychology?
If you’re finding it difficult to encompass its meaning in a few words, you’re beginning to understand the scope and depth of its contribution to society. If you have added the words, ‘health and well-being’ to your understanding, you’re probably on the right track to adopt its proactive approach. And if you have aligned your understanding to the goals of Psychology, you will likely recognize its influence, not just in the unfamiliar extraordinary, but more so, in the everyday ordinary.
