NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Psychology Chapter 1 What is Psychology?

Chapter 1 asks for the meaning of behaviour and one example of each type: behaviour includes visible actions and inner activities; speaking is overt behaviour, while thinking or feeling anxious is covert behaviour. Concept used. Behaviour means any response or activity of a person that can be studied by psychology. It includes actions that other people can see and inner processes that only the person can report.

1. Start with the broad meaning. Behaviour is not limited to movement. It also includes thinking, feeling, remembering, imagining, and deciding.
2. Overt behaviour is open and observable. Examples include speaking in class, smiling, walking to school, writing an answer, or helping a friend.
3. Covert behaviour is private and internal. Examples include feeling nervous before an exam, silently planning an answer, remembering a birthday, or imagining a future goal.
4. Psychology studies both forms because visible action is often linked with inner mental processes. A student may raise a hand because she knows the answer and feels confident.

Behaviour includes both visible actions and inner mental activities. Speaking and walking are overt behaviours; thinking and feeling anxious are covert behaviours.

Chapter 1 contrasts scientific psychology with popular notions: scientific psychology uses systematic observation, data, testing, and revision, while popular notions depend on common-sense beliefs, hindsight, stereotypes, or untested claims. Concept used. Scientific psychology is based on systematic observation, careful data collection, and tested explanations. Popular notions are common beliefs about people that may sound convincing but are not always checked by evidence.

1. Scientific psychology defines the problem clearly. For example, it asks how stress affects memory and then studies the relation with a planned method.
2. It collects data through observation, experiment, interview, case study, tests, or surveys. The aim is to reduce personal bias.
3. It accepts an idea only when evidence supports it. If new evidence disagrees, the explanation is changed.
4. Popular notions often come from everyday sayings. Examples include "people use only a small part of the brain" or "a person can read minds from face alone."
5. Such beliefs may sometimes contain a partial truth, but they are not scientific until tested with dependable methods.

Scientific psychology uses evidence and tested methods, while popular notions depend on common beliefs, guesses, or stereotypes about people.

Chapter 1 traces psychology from philosophy to Wundt's 1879 laboratory, then to structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, behaviourism, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology, and Indian institutional growth. Concept used. Evolution of psychology means the historical shift in how people understood mind, behaviour, and experience. NCERT shows this movement from philosophical questions to scientific study.

1. Early ideas about psychology came from philosophy. The word came from Greek terms linked with soul or mind, so early thinkers asked questions about human nature.
2. Modern psychology moved away from only soul or mind. It began to study conscious experience, behaviour, and mental processes with scientific methods.
3. Wilhelm Wundt set up the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig in 1879. This is often treated as a key starting point for modern experimental psychology.
4. Later schools focused on different questions. Structuralism studied elements of consciousness. Functionalism asked how mental processes help adjustment. Behaviourism studied observable behaviour.
5. Gestalt psychology studied organised perception. Psychoanalysis focused on unconscious motives. Humanistic psychology later gave a positive view of human freedom, dignity, and growth.
6. Cognitive psychology brought attention back to thinking, memory, perception, problem solving, and information processing.
7. In India, modern psychology began strongly at Calcutta University, where experimental psychology and later Psychology departments developed. N.N. Sengupta brought Wundt's experimental tradition, while G. Bose helped build psychoanalytic work.
8. Indian psychology then expanded into testing, applied branches, problem-oriented research, indigenisation, and current professional work in schools, hospitals, organisations, sports, development, and technology.

Psychology evolved from philosophical study of soul and mind into a scientific discipline shaped by experimental, behavioural, psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, and Indian applied developments.

Chapter 1 shows psychology working with other disciplines. Problems such as mental health, environmental behaviour, school learning, and crime need psychologists plus doctors, social workers, educators, lawyers, planners, or policy experts. Concept used. Collaboration means psychologists work with experts from other subjects to understand and solve real problems. Human behaviour has biological, social, cultural, economic, and environmental links, so one subject alone is often not enough.

1. Many problems need teamwork. Examples include mental illness, learning difficulty, crime, addiction, road safety, pollution, disaster response, and workplace stress.
2. Problem one: mental health. Psychologists work with psychiatrists, neurologists, social workers, and physicians. The psychologist studies thoughts, emotions, coping, family relations, and behaviour change.
3. In the same case, the psychiatrist may prescribe medicine, the doctor may check physical health, and the social worker may support family and community needs.
4. Problem two: environmental behaviour. Psychologists work with environmental scientists, urban planners, teachers, and policy experts.
5. The psychologist studies attitudes, habits, fear, motivation, and group influence. Other experts study pollution, resources, waste systems, and laws.
6. Together they can design campaigns for saving water, reducing plastic use, and making public spaces safer and cleaner.

Collaboration is fruitful in problems such as mental health and environmental protection because behaviour is linked with body, society, policy, and culture.

Chapter 1 asks for two contrasts: a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medicine, while a psychologist studies behaviour and mental processes; a counsellor handles adjustment problems, while a clinical psychologist assesses and treats psychological disorders. Concept used. Differentiation means showing clear points of contrast. Here the contrast is based on training, work setting, kind of help offered, and legal permission to prescribe medicine.

1. A psychologist studies behaviour and mental processes. A psychologist may work in teaching, research, counselling, testing, organisations, sports, or community settings.
2. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with special training in mental disorders. Since psychiatrists are doctors, they can prescribe medicines.
3. Psychologists usually use tests, counselling, behaviour change methods, training, and research. Psychiatrists may use diagnosis, medicines, and medical treatment along with therapy.
4. A counsellor helps people handle normal life difficulties. These may include study stress, career choice, adjustment, family tension, grief, or decision making.
5. A clinical psychologist works with people who may have serious emotional or behavioural problems. Clinical psychologists assess, diagnose, and provide psychotherapy for psychological disorders.
6. Counselling may be short-term and guidance-based. Clinical psychology usually needs deeper assessment and therapy planning.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medicines; a psychologist need not be a doctor. A counsellor handles everyday adjustment problems, while a clinical psychologist treats deeper psychological disorders.

Chapter 1 applies psychology to daily life: students can use it in study, memory, stress, family communication, health habits, work relations, social behaviour, road safety, cleanliness, environment, and community action. Concept used. Applied psychology uses knowledge of behaviour, emotions, learning, memory, motivation, and social relations to improve everyday life. The same ideas can help individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and communities.

1. In study and learning, psychology helps students plan revision, improve memory, manage attention, and reduce exam fear.
2. In family life, it helps people communicate better, understand emotions, handle conflict, and support children or older persons.
3. In health, psychology helps people manage stress, follow healthy habits, cope with pain, and seek help when emotional problems become heavy.
4. In work life, psychology helps with motivation, teamwork, leadership, job satisfaction, and safe working conditions.
5. In social life, it helps people understand prejudice, group pressure, cooperation, aggression, and helping behaviour.
6. In public life, psychology supports road safety, cleanliness campaigns, environmental awareness, and disaster response.

Psychology can be used in study, family relations, health, work, social behaviour, environment, safety, and community life.

Chapter 1 connects environmental psychology with behaviour change: study barriers, shape attitudes and norms, improve facilities, use reminders and feedback, and make sustainable choices easy to repeat. Concept used. Environmental psychology studies the relation between people and their physical surroundings. It explains how attitudes, habits, design, crowding, noise, and social norms affect environment-related behaviour.

1. Environmental psychology can identify why people waste water, litter, overuse electricity, or ignore public transport.
2. It can change attitudes through clear messages that connect daily acts with real outcomes, such as cleaner air or lower waste.
3. It can use social norms. If students see most classmates carrying reusable bottles, the behaviour becomes easier to copy.
4. It can improve design. Dustbins placed at visible points, separate waste labels, cycle lanes, and shaded walking paths make good choices easier.
5. It can use feedback and rewards. A school can display monthly electricity saving or water saving by each class.
6. It can build habits through repeated cues, reminders, pledges, and group campaigns.

Environmental psychology promotes friendly behaviour by changing attitudes, using social norms, improving design, giving feedback, and building sustainable habits.

Chapter 1 points to forensic psychology for crime: it applies psychology to law, criminal behaviour, victims, witnesses, risk assessment, correction, rehabilitation, and prevention. Concept used. A branch of psychology is suitable when its main concerns match the problem. For crime, forensic psychology is the most direct field because it applies psychological knowledge to law, criminal behaviour, victims, and justice systems.

1. The most suitable branch is forensic psychology. It links psychology with law, courts, police work, crime prevention, and rehabilitation.
2. Forensic psychologists may study why people commit crimes. They examine factors such as aggression, peer influence, family background, substance use, trauma, and poor impulse control.
3. They may help with assessment. This can include risk assessment, personality assessment, witness reliability, and the mental state of an accused person.
4. They may support victims and witnesses. Fear, trauma, memory, and stress can affect how people report events.
5. They may work on rehabilitation. The aim is to reduce repeat crime through counselling, behaviour change, anger control, skill training, and social support.
6. They may also advise crime-prevention programmes by studying group violence, prejudice, juvenile crime, and community safety.

Forensic psychology is the most suitable branch for a problem like crime because it studies criminal behaviour, legal processes, victims, risk, and rehabilitation.