November 27, 2023

Stephanie Khoury

12th Grade

West Ranch High School

By definition, psychology is the study of the mind, but most people fail to realize how our minds relate to science. While commonly perceived as a social science due to its exploration of emotions and human interactions, psychology is intricately linked to the natural life sciences.

Each psychological principle that has been verified by the American Psychology Association relies upon the scientific method to test its theories. The scientific method is the universal procedure used to test hypotheses. It starts by asking a question through research that a hypothesis arises from and then is followed by a series of experiments until the results can prove or debunk the hypothesis. This test of theories isn’t exclusive to psychology; every known science discipline follows this protocol to decide whether or not there is truth behind their conjectures. 

Beyond methodological rigor, the foundation of psychology also relies upon a scientific foundation. As stated before, psychology is the study of the mind, but it is also the study of how things in the world relate to it, for instance, our nerves. Nerves allow the brain to send signals to the peripheral nervous system and for chemical messengers, called hormones, to carry out specific functions. These hormones travel in vesicles and are sent between synaptic clefts until they reach a receptor. Some of the many functions that the brain helps the body carry out are muscle movements, regulating sleep, and even allowing the body to grow. 

Even so, each segment of the brain is also able to carry out its specific functions and come together under a single purpose, similar to how each segment of a cell can come together to help the body function. Although both have their unique purposes, they’re able to work simultaneously throughout the body to achieve the goal they were made to fulfill. 

Regardless of how it’s done, psychology and its parts interconnect with various scientific principles to become the building blocks of everything we know about the mind.