ABSTRACT
If you were to ask a layperson, someone with no formal training in psychology, “What do psychologists do?” or “What is psychology?,” they would probably say that psychologists treat people with emotional problems. They would define psychology as an endeavor that deals with the mind. While one function of psychologists is to provide therapy, less than one-half of those who hold a Ph.D. in psychology work mainly as clinicians or counselors, that is, as providers of therapy to people with mental and emotional difficulties. The belief that psychologists are primarily interested in the “mind” is also incorrect. Such an interest is more the focus of those involved in parapsychology the study of psychic, or supernatural, phenomena. An example from parapsychology is the presumed ability of psychics to locate the body of a homicide victim by mentally connecting with them and visualizing the crime scene. While this is interesting, it is more a matter for mystics than for psychologists. Psychology is a scientific discipline, while parapsychology deals with phenomena that are not subject to scientific scrutiny. Although some topics in psychology, such as emotions or feelings, are difficult to study scientifically, psychology nevertheless attempts to use scientific methods and principles to explain these phenomena.
