Application of Psychology in Psychological Operations: The Success Factors and the Modus Operandi

Psychology as a science to study human behavior and mental processes has a lot to do with psychological operations, as the basis of psychological operations is to impact human mind and change his thoughts. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the role and applications of psychology in psychological operations. To fulfill this, psychology of learning, social psychology, psychology of language and thought, and some other relevant theories widely used in psychological operations are dealt with. First, the background and different definitions of psychological operations are presented. Then, those branches of psychology which have wide applications in psychological operations are introduced and explained. The goals and objectives of psychological operations are discussed next. Then, the success factors in psychological operations such as information, communication media, research, and the methods of psychological operations having stronger psychological nature are introduced. Finally, the relevant implications and recommendations are presented.