Final answer:
Psychology is broadly categorized into two primary disciplines: biological psychology and cognitive psychology. Biological psychology looks at the biological underpinnings of behavior, while cognitive psychology focuses on mental processes like memory and problem-solving. There are also applied subfields such as industrial and organizational psychology, health psychology, and clinical psychology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sub-Disciplines of Psychology
The field of psychology is divided into several major sub-disciplines or categories. The first category is biological psychology, which explores the biological bases of behavior. This includes studying brain processes and neurotransmission and how they influence our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Another category is cognitive psychology, which is concerned with thoughts, learning, and mental processes such as memory and decision-making. Other areas include developmental psychology, which looks at how people grow and change over the course of life, personality psychology, which focuses on individual differences, and various applied fields such as industrial-organizational psychology, health psychology, and clinical psychology.
Before the emergence of psychology as an academic field, philosophical inquiries were usually what dealt with questions of the mind. Over time, psychology has evolved and now offers detailed analyses of various aspects of human and non-human behavior and mental processes.
The applied areas of psychology serve practical purposes in various domains. For instance, industrial and organizational psychology applies psychological principles within work settings to improve productivity and employee well-being. Health psychologists work on promoting healthier lifestyles, while clinical psychologists focus on treating mental disorders.