A Good Essay Answer

Perhaps the most frequent complaint I've encountered as a teacher is, "I wrote such a long answer for the question! For so and so pages. Still, I got only so and so marks!" I used to tire of questioning the logic of such an argument, and so decided to ask these students to generate their own answer to this question, so that they remember what makes an answer a good answer. I give them an exercise of comparing poor and good quality answers (like in the IGCSE candidate's booklet), and list out to me what the differences are between the answers. If you are a student, you can try this 'find the differences' exercise:

Question: What is Psychology? What are the major sub-fields of Psychology? (10 marks)

A typical 'D' grade (fail) answer:

         Psychology is study of mind. When we want to see what is in mind of a person, we use psychology. We see thinking of mind in psychology.

         Psychology has many sub-field. After study psychology, people are becoming councellor, doctor of mind, etc. Some are working with people who is in asylum, some are seeing people in hospital, some are doing councelling. They are seeing mind of people. They are making note of illnees in the minds. They are seeing thinking of mind. (And this ranting goes on in different arrangements, repeatedly)

A typical 'C' grade (barely pass) answer:

         Psychology is study of mind and behaviour. Mind refers to thinking of person, and behaviour to actions. These both together make Psychology. It is also a science.

         There are many fields in psychology, these are called 'sub-fields.' One sub-field is abnormal psychology. In this field, experts study abnormal behaviour and abnormal mind of people. It is also called clinical psychology. It is done in asylums.

         Other sub-field is counseling psychology. It studies mind of people and not behaviour. These people's behaviour is normal but mind is disturbed. They want advise for problems like school, college, marriage, job, etc. It is done in schools.

          One more sub-field is biological psychology. It studies body. It studies neurons, cells, dendrites, axons, etc. People working in this sub-field are the researchers. They study the body. They work in the hospitals or colleges.

         Last sub-field which is important is cognitive psychology. It studies mind of people but not like counseling sub-field. It studies how people think, reason, feel, make sense, etc. People working in this sub-field are the researchers. They study the brain of people, and tell them to report their thoughts. They work in hospitals or colleges.

         In this way, Psychology has many sub-fields.

(It seems surprising that this answer manages to qualify for a pass, but remember that when it comes to just passing in India, any University system is quite benevolent.)

A typical 'B' grade (average) answer:

          Psychology is the scientific study of animal and human mind and behaviour. 'Mind' refers to the mental characteristics of animals and people. Behaviour refers to their actions.

          Psychology has many subfields, out of which the most significant ones are:

1. Abnormal Psychology - This sub-field is also referred to as 'Clinical Psychology.' It deals with patients who have severe psychological disorders like schizophrenia, depression, bulimia, anorexia, etc. People who work in this field study the causes of these disorders, and help patients to deal with the disorders they are suffering from. A person who makes a career in this field can work in hospitals, schools, prisons, NGOs, etc.

2. Counseling Psychology - This sub-field is similar to Abnormal Psychology, but is also different because it focuses on emotional and lifestyle problems like dealing with loss, marital conflict, academic problems, etc. People who work in this field study the problems with adjustment and lifestyle, and help clients to deal with these problems more easily. A person who makes a career in this field can work in schools, hospitals, NGOs, prisons, etc.

3.Biological Psychology - This sub-field is also called 'Neuropsychology.' People working in this field study people's brain and behaviour. They study thoughts, emotions, actions, etc. A person who makes a career generally works as a researcher.

4. Industrial - Organizational Psychology - This sub-field focuses on different jobs, and how people work in the job, cope with the job, experience job satisfaction, etc. A person who makes a career in this field can work in offices, industries - especially in the human resources department or as a counselor, etc.

5. Social Psychology- This sub-field involves studying social factors like the community, government, educational system, etc. and their impact on individual human beings. People who make a career in this field work in research settings, communities, NGOs, state agencies, etc.

The above listed sub-fields are the major sub-fields of psychology in which students can choose to make a career.

A good answer, one that deserves the highest credit:

-Many different psychologists have given their own definitions of what Psychology is. Generally, it is agreed that Psychology is, 'the science of behaviour and mental processes.'

There are three important concepts in the above definition, which can be described as follows:

1. Science- Psychology is the systematic study of animal and human behaviour that is based on empirical (observational) evidence. Hence, it is defined as a science.

2. Behaviour- Psychology studies directly observable human actions like talking, eating, walking, etc. in accordance with the fact that it is an empirical science.

3. Mental Processes- Psychology also studies the internal subjective experiences like feelings and thoughts of an individual that can be inferred from his directly observable actions.

-Since the study and practice of Psychology involves a vast range of knowledge from many different domains of human life, it has been divided into many specialties, and therefore, many important sub-fields have emerged. Among these, the most prominent ones are the following:

 1. Abnormal Psychology - Also referred to as 'Clinical Psychology' when applied in practice, abnormal psychology deals with the study of the nature of, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Some examples of psychological disorders studied in this sub-field are depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Professionals in this area are found to work in settings like hospitals, state agencies like judiciary, non-governmental organizations, independent practice and in universities as researchers.

2.  Counseling Psychology - Counseling psychology is concerned with the resolution of problems related to adjustment that most individuals face in the course of everyday living. Examples of these problems are career dissatisfaction, marital conflict, academic stress, etc. Professionals working in this area are commonly found in settings like schools, community health centers, rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics, etc.

3. Biological Psychology - Biological psychology involves the study of animal and human physiology - mainly, the study of the structure and functioning of the brain; and the application of the findings of these studies in the treatment of psychological disorders. In today's times, with the focus on cognition, biological psychology is a term used interchangeably with cognitive neuroscience. Professionals in this area are found to work in settings like universities, mental health centers, hospitals, etc. in the capacity of research assistants, therapists, diagnosticians, etc.

4. Industrial-Organizational Psychology (I/O Psychology) - I/O psychology studies the relationship between people and organizational structures; and applies its principles to the workplace. Important areas of study in this field include consumer behaviour, organizational change, job satisfaction, leadership and management, etc. Professionals working in this area are found in the workplace, helping organizations with staffing, training, client relationships, consumer management, etc.

5. Social Psychology- Social psychology deals with the interaction of individuals with others in their immediate surroundings, and with the larger social environment. Important areas of study in this field include individual and group decision making, attraction in relationships, violence and aggression, etc. The application of the principles in this field are done in settings like academic settings, advertising agencies, corporations, etc. where professionals work in the capacity of market researchers, probation officers, correctional therapists, etc.

      The above sub-fields combine theory and practice of different principles of psychology, and provide students with an opportunity to pursue psychology as per their interests and capacities.

(As a hint, use the following guide points to compare the answers and check how they differ:

1. Clarity or Display of Knowledge

2. Language quality

3. Organization or Ease of Presentation

4. Scope or Coverage

5. Precision

6. Flow or Narrative

*Length is ideally no criterion of judgment)