ABSTRACT
The opening chapter in any textbook is intended to ‘set the scene’ for what follows, and this normally involves defining the subject or discipline. In most disciplines, this is usually a fairly simple task. With psychology, however, it is far from straightforward. Definitions of psychology have changed frequently during its relatively short history as a separate field of study. This reflects different, and sometimes conflicting, theoretical views regarding the nature of human beings and the most appropriate methods for investigating them. While most psychologists would consider themselves to be scientists, they disagree about exactly what science involves and the appropriateness of using certain scientific methods to study human behaviour.
