1. Psychology means the study of the soul on account of its derivation from the Greek words, psyche (soul) and logos (a rational course of study).
2. The first man to define psychology as the science of behavior was an English psychologist, William Mc Doughal.
3. The term mental process is often used to refer the process like thinking, remembering, perceiving and learning which involve internal mental activities.
4. Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig in Germany established the first psychological laboratory in 1879.
5. The word behavior includes anything a person or animal does that can be observed in some way. Behavior is the total response that man or animal makes to the situation in life with which either is confronted.
6. General psychology is concerned with the study of basic characteristics of behavior in all living organisms like learning, remembering, thinking, motivation, etc. and the laws governing them. Understanding these processes enables us to understand other fields of psychology.
7. In applied psychology the theory generated or principles discussed through pure psychology finds its practical shape.
8. Cognitive psychology deals with how individuals acquire, store, transform, use and communicate information.
9. Environmental psychology focuses on the interaction between the physical world and the human behavior.
10. Physiological psychology is concerned with the interrelationships of the nervous system, receptors, and endocrine glands, and of behavior and the mental processes.

INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY

1. The first psychology department in India was established in 1916 at Calcutta University.
2. Thinking about psychological problems and issues has a rich tradition in various system of Indian thought.
3. Indian view emphasizes the primary role of “chitt” as mind. Indian traditional psychologist emanates from two Indian perspectives on consciousness – Yoga and Vedanta.
4. Yoga is dualistic and has been selected for study because Yoga of Patanjali emphasizes psychological issue so much that it may be considered more a psychological theory than a system of philosophy.
5. Yoga is a system of exercises practiced as part of the Hindu discipline to promote control of the body and mind.
6. Vedanta is the most popular and dominant school of Indian thought. Its concept has been derived from the discourses in Upanishads.
7. The Yogic view of consciousness emphasizes processional aspect (Vriti) while Vedantic emphasizes the state of consciousness – wakefulness (jagriti), dream (swapna), deep sleep (susupta), and trance (Samadhi).
8. The Indian notion of self encompasses the physical, social, mental, as well as spiritual aspects of human existence.
9. The most important distinction between the Indian and western views on self is the way the boundary is drawn between self and environment.
10. In the western mind, the boundaries appear to be relatively fixed. In Indian self boundaries are constantly shifting. Thus, in case of Indian self, the self sometimes expand to fuse with cosmos but at the next moment it completely withdraws itself from it.

PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. Neuron is the basic unit of the nervous system.
2. The brain stem is the center for basic support, breathing, heart beat, walking and sleeping.
3. A nerve is a bundle of elongated axon that belongs to hundreds or thousands of neurons.
4. The pons region that connects to the cerebellum and is involved in dreaming and walking..
5. The cerebellum regulates higher levels of cognitive and emotional functions.
6. Limbic system helps in maintaining internal homeostasis by regulating body temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar level.

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
A software to analyze a large volume of social science data.

Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters.
Social science is the branch of science that studies society and the relationships of individual within a society.
Psychological test is the standerdized instrument consisting a large number of items designed to measure objectively one or more aspects of a total personality by means of samples of verbal or non verbal responses, or by means of other behavior. It is also defined as a test which has number of items, where each item is representing a behavioral situation to which a behavior response is given, which is then quantified. Mental testing is done to find out individual differences. For the purpose of comparison quantification is very important.

Formulas work well with small batches of data, but for information collected for a research project grows volumnous. The statistical analysis of a large data set is practical only if accumulated at high speed. Researchers thus welcome computers, for manipulating great quantities of information.What a computor does is specified by software, a programe of instructions.

Over 82 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot to try to prove a point. You can conclude just about anything if you’re not careful with your data and with your calculations. SPSS watches the performance of the calculations
for you, but the raw data, and which calculations should be performed, is up to you.

At Stanford University in the late 1960s, Norman H. Nie, C. Hadlai (Tex) Hull, and Dale H. Bent developed the original software system named Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

There are four ways to talk to SPSS, which one is best depends on the task to be performed and which interface you prefer.
1.GUI (graphic user interface)
2.Syntax
3.Python
4.Scripts

GUI is a fill-in-the-blanks approach to statistical analysis that guides you through the process of making choices and
selecting values. The advantage of the GUI approach is that, at each step, SPSS will make sure that you enter everything necessary before proceeding to the next step.

Syntax This is the internal language used to command actions from SPSS. It is often referred to as the command language.

Python is a general-purpose language that has a collection of SPSS modules written for it, making it possible to write programs that work inside SPSS. It can be run with the Syntax language to command SPSS to perform statistical functions. One advantage of using Python is the fact that it is a modern language and gives you the power and convenience that come with languages today, including the ability to construct a more readable program.

Script:The items that SPSS calls scripts are actually programs written in BASIC. This language is simple and many people are familiar with it. Also, a BASIC program can be written as an auto script — a script that
executes automatically when SPSS produces certain output.

SPSS works with numbers. A number is assigned to each of the possible answers, and these numbers are fed through the statistical process. SPSS uses the numbers, not the words, so be careful about keeping all your words and numbers straight.

FUNDAMENTAL MECHANICS
#Always begin by defining a set of variables, then you enter data for the variables to create a number of cases.
#After your data is entered into SPSS — your cases are all defined by values stored in the variables — you can run an analysis. To run an analysis, you select the one you want to run from the menu, select appropriate variables, and click the OK button.
#You can instruct SPSS to draw graphs and charts the same way you instruct it to do an analysis.
#SPSS require that you select a sufficient number of variables to produce output, it also requires that you choose the right kinds of variables.
#All output from SPSS goes to the same place — a dialog box named SPSS Viewer. It opens to display the results of whatever you’ve done.

Our input to machine must include both the data and commands specifying the operations that the machine is to perform on the data.
Your most valuable possession is your data. Make sure you make backup copies of your data. Back up your data to memory that does not live in the same building with the computer you are using.

This is just an introduction of SPSS to the beginners.You can dive as deep as you want.

Depression and Creativity
By Wayne J. Cosshall

Summary – Being creative is supposed to be one of the greatest things
in the world. But it is my observation that there is a down side that
is often there, under the surface, depression.

(Usual warning – this article contains personal experience and is no
substitute for professional advice).

If you are a photographer or digital artist you probably think of
yourself as creative. Creativity is a great joy, being able to pull
something wonderful, beautiful or even disturbing out of stimulation
that others do not see. The classic stereotypes of creative people
include being `different’, sometimes self-centered, a bit `floaty or
not nailed down, etc. But what can also go with creativity is a
tendency to depression.

Dictionary definitions of depression define it as severe sadness and
feeling dejected. It covers a broad range from being flat or sad for
an extended period of time through to deep depression where people
can’t get out of bed, feel no enthusiasm at all for pretty much
anything and can lead to suicidal thoughts, etc.

Depression manifests itself in many ways for creative people. Beyond
the severe end, which is completely debilitating to all aspects of
their lives, it is my observation that creative people are prone to
many `low level’ forms. This can be a general sadness when the person
is not working on a creative process. I know my wife, a painter, is
generally a much happier person when she is working on a series than
when she is not. It can also work the other way around. It is
inevitable that a creative person will have creative low periods,
either where they are ready to change a form they have been doing for
some time but have not yet worked out the new approach or perhaps
they are working through technical problems. These normal problems
can become quite a heavy weight for a creative person, driving them
to deeper negative feelings than are warranted from a cool look at
the situation. So a natural flat period can lead to thoughts of
having `lost it’, of the work being no good and then the spiral has
begun.

The spiral of depression is a real phenomenon, where a small issue
becomes bigger and bigger, in the mind of the creative person. So
computer problems come to dominate your thinking, stopping you from
doing, or enjoying, anything else until it is resolved. Or a
rejection from a gallery puts you in a bad mood for a whole week,
affecting your relationships with those around you. I think you get
the idea.

Now no two creative people are alike, not only in the degree to which
they tend to get depressed but also in what triggers it. I, for
example, am badly affected by computer issues and anything that hits
on the finances, such as yet another disappointment from some
organization I am working with, such as my art and photography
teaching, when it impacts on the bottom line, dollars. These things
don’t hit my wife so hard (well she avoids the computer entirely for
art to avoid frustration . She, on the other hand, can get very
down when a technical issue, such as getting hold of the right
materials or figuring out how to use them, holds her up from
creating. This does not bother me, seeing it as a puzzle to solve
(maybe it is a guy thing .

How we behave when depressed also differs enormously. Some get very
short fused. I tend to do several things: dive for comfort food, hide
from the world (not answering emails, the phone, etc) and want to
sleep a lot. It usually doesn’t stop me getting some things done, but
my productivity is far less than when I am ok. Others shut up shop
entirely. And of course there are those who are severely hit, feeling
suicidal, or wanting to self-harm. Thankfully I do not have anyone in
my circle of creative friends and loved ones who does that.

Depression in creative types is far more common in those who have not
yet found their creative outlet. I see this in the creativity
counseling I do. Such people have all this creative energy in them
but no effective outlet. We often think of depression as a lack of
energy, but in such people the problem is too much energy and no
outlet, so it bubbles away, triggering negative thinking, self-
sabotaging behaviors thought overload, etc.

One needs not to be scared to seek professional advice. If you have a
good general practitioner you can talk to (if not, change), talk it
out with them. Go see a counselor or psychologist. In extreme cases a
psychiatrist can be a great idea. Medication can sometimes help. I’ve
taken anti-depressants once in my life, following the death of my
second wife. For about two weeks they really helped me through a
tough time and then I found I worked better off them. I then
substituted exercise (the natural endorphins you can get with heavy
exercise are a great remedy). It is, I believe, important to get to
the bottom of what is going on, especially if depression is a
recurring issue in your life. Sometimes there can be a chemical
imbalance, sometimes it is an accumulation of life experiences, a
reaction to past stress, abuse or trauma or a whole range of other
things. Even just having someone to talk to who is not emotionally
involved can be a huge benefit. Sharing with friends or family can
also be great.

Sometimes the most important thing with depression (and many other
things) is to realize that you are not alone. Various studies that
have been in the local press here in Australia mention that anywhere
from one in eight up to 30% of people will experience depression at
some time in their lives. Personally I think it is higher than that,
it is just that some people have better skills at dealing with it
internally (or denying or hiding it) and so no one else ever knows.

Beyond the knowledge that you are not alone, if you are prone to
recurrent depression, you need to find ways to live with it or fix
it. Professional advice is a key here, as they can offer strategies
or medication. Everyone will be different and so your solution may be
very different to anyone else’s. I find it useful to have several
different creative projects on the go at once, so if I am blocked in
one I still have something else to do that I can feel positive about.
Likewise I also have several non-photographic or art projects that I
can do if I need a complete break. There are also always books,
magazines and journals around so that if I just want to chill out for
awhile I can do so in a way that is uplifting rather than pulling me
down. Also being me, I have a range of spiritual practices that I
undertake, such as meditation, that greatly help me to stay positive.
Sometimes I will channel what I would call negative energy that is
building up into an art piece, exorcising it from me into the paper.
A big assist is having a partner to keep you grounded and to pull you
up when you need it.

And, of course, it can also be ok to feel blue. We are often
convinced we have to be upbeat and happy all the time. Yet sometimes
life can be a real shit. Bad things happen. Unfair things happen.
Things go wrong. People can be horrible, selfish and uncaring.
Sometimes it is, in fact, healthy to acknowledge this, feel the
feelings for a while and then move on. I know I appreciate the great
times better for occasionally knowing the not so great and rather
than brushing it away, actually feeling it. And sometimes, great art
comes out of being depressed.

Like everything to do with people, nothing is black and white. It is
rich and complex and all part of being human. Know thyself, and find
ways to work with yourself.

MY VIEWS ON IT:
It was wonderful reading this interesting article or research study. So I liked sharing it hope readers would like it too.
As Creativity means itself creating something novel, different from
the rest, an individual tends to go away the regular o normal ways
of thinking and problem solvin which the majority is involved in
everyday life.

The more recurrent and habitual it becomes to creat something
different an individual is simultaneously pushed into an isolated
world where there may also exist an urge to relate to the normal
real social world and one may feel satisfied and happy to be
creative ony if one’s work is appreciated or liked. Ironically
creativity varies between the positives and negatives of human life.

Being a social animal human beings have a need for belongingness,
affection and like being liked which is caused due to some mutual
understanding, like mindedness and association in some or the other
way, if this need is not fulfilled definitely social rejection or
neglection makes an individual experience negative emotions hence
depression.

I would conclude it this way- Being Creative is not itself a
contentment but contentment comes from the realization of the same
by feedback from others interms of appreciation or criticism and
just the understanding of the same novel thought as one realy
thought while creating it.

ONLY A CREATIVE MIND KNOWS WHAT IT CREATES!

Phew! But thats how I understood it the link between Depression and
Creativity (Being a Masters in Psychology )