PG2B007 General Psychology

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Denisa Denglerová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Denisa Denglerová, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. et Mgr. Adéla Zajíčková
Supplier department: Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract
The main goal of the course is to provide students with basic knowledge about psychology as a science. The goal is to provide students with the basic concepts of general psychology, introduce the system of psychological sciences, selected psychological approaches and theories. The goal is also to connect psychological knowledge with the everyday life and experiences of students. Another goal is to motivate students to be interested in the functioning of the human psyche, connect psychological knowledge with pedagogical disciplines and use knowledge from psychology in future practice. This course is followed by the psychology of lifelong development (ontogenetic psychology), social and pedagogical psychology.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will - be familiar with general psychological terminology, - be able to define and discuss the subject of psychology as a science from various perspectives (approaches) and methods of knowledge, - understand the position of psychology in relation to pedagogy, - become aware of the biological and social determination of the psyche, - be able to discuss basic psychological phenomena (processes, states and properties), - be able to discuss psychological trends and selected theories of personality, - be able to give some examples from their own experience and pedagogical practice and explain them based on psychological knowledge, - became aware of the importance and limits of psychology.
Key topics
1. Subject of psychology and main concepts: psyche. Psychical phenomena and states, consciousness and unconsciousness. 2. Psychological disciplines. What is scientific and unscientific, psychological myths. Methods of psychology and requirements for psychological tests, their connection with psychodiagnostics. Limits of psychodiagnostics. 3. History of psychology, psychological directions and main representatives (reflexology and behaviorism, depth directions - individual, analytical psychology and psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, cognitive directions, etc.). Connection of psychological directions with psychotherapy and counseling and their possible use in pedagogical practice. 4. Cognitive processes (sensing, perception, memory, attention, thinking and speech) and their importance for learning processes. 5. Emotional states and processes. Division and properties of emotions. Perception of emotions. Management and modeling of emotions. 6. Emotions as the basis of motivation, selected theories of motivation, performance motivation. 7. Frustration and stress. Health psychology and psychohygiene - selected concepts (vulnerability, resilience...). Application to pedagogical practice. 8. Voluntary processes. Self-regulation. Locus of Control. 9. The concept of personality. How it is possible to approach the description of personality (lexical analysis, factors). 10. Selected theories of personality - their importance for counseling and psychotherapy. 11. Basics of psychopathology.
Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • PLHÁKOVÁ, Alena. Učebnice obecné psychologie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2004, 472 s. ISBN 9788020014993. info
  • DRAPELA, Victor J. Přehled teorií osobnosti. Translated by Karel Balcar. 4. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2003, 175 s. ISBN 8071787663. info
    recommended literature
  • SMÉKAL, Vladimír. Pozvání do psychologie osobnosti : člověk v zrcadle vědomí a jednání. Druhé, opravené vydání. Brno: Barrister & Principal, 2004, 523 stran. ISBN 8086598659. info
  • BARRETT, Lisa Feldman. Jak se tvoří emoce. Translated by Věra Klásková. Vydání první. Voznice: Leda, 2022, 559 stran. ISBN 9788073356620. info
  • NAKONEČNÝ, Milan. Motivace lidského chování. 3rd ed. Praha: Academia, 2014. info
  • KERN, Hans. Přehled psychologie. Translated by Magdalena Valášková. Vyd. 4. Praha: Portál, 2012, 287 s. ISBN 9788026201052. info
  • ATKINSON, Rita L. Psychologie. Translated by Erik Herman - Miroslav Petržela. 1. vyd. Praha: Victoria Publishing, 1995, 863 s. ISBN 808560535X. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Lectures, discussions, flipped learning.

The course workload is estimated at 150 hours (6 ECTS credits):
30 hours – class attendance
30 hours – reading professional literature, studying videos, self-study of study materials in the IS, preparation for seminars
50 hours – completion of 5 ongoing assignments during the semester (see IS for detailed instructions)
40 hours – preparation for a written test during the exam period (early date possible)
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Regular preparation for classes (reading assigned texts, watching videos, etc.), 70% attendance, participation in class.
Individual and group work on assigned tasks during the semester (maximum 5, tasks are specified in detail in the teaching materials).
Final test. The test is a combination of closed questions (choice of 5 options, only one correct) and open questions. The maximum possible score for the test is 40 points. To receive an E grade, you must answer 60% of the questions correctly (60-67% E, 68-75% D, 76-84% C, 85-92% B, 93-100% A).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2026/PG2B007