Why studied psychology

Who you are now, how you will be in the future, how you interact with family, friends, and strangers; these are all things that psychology can help you better understand.

Here are just a few more great reasons why we think everyone should learn at least a little bit about psychology.

As you learn more about how development occurs, how personality forms, and how factors like society and culture impact behavior, you might find yourself gaining a deeper understanding of the many influences that have impacted your own life. Becoming a better-informed consumer of psychology means that you will be equipped to sort out the truth from the fiction surrounding many pop psychology myths.

The next time someone behaves in a certain way, you might be better able to understand the influences and motivations behind their actions. Studying subjects such as emotion , language, and body language can help you fine-tune your interpersonal communication skills.

By learning more about these things, you can gain a greater understanding of other people and what they are trying to say. As you study psychology you will learn more about topics such as the scientific method, decision-making , and problem-solving, all of which might help you hone your ability to think deeply and critically about different issues.

Sure, there are plenty of exciting careers in psychology that you might want to explore, but studying the subject can help you in many other professions as well. Understanding how people change and grow throughout the lifespan can make it easier to understand the children in your life, as well as your aging parents.

It can also shine a light on your own experiences as you encounter different challenges and opportunities as you age. Because different areas of psychology encompass a range of topics including philosophy, biology, and physiology, studying the subject can help you gain a richer understanding of these related areas. While you might not be interested in becoming a psychotherapist, studying psychology can help you better understand how psychological conditions are diagnosed and treated.

You can also discover how mental wellness can be enhanced, how to reduce stress, how to boost memory , and how to live a happier, healthier life. From intriguing optical illusions that reveal the inner workings of the brain to shocking experiments that expose how far people will go to obey an authority figure, there is always something amazing and even downright astonishing to learn about the human mind and behavior.

Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. American Psychological Association. Psychology graduates discover a wide range of new career opportunities following the completion of their psychology degree.

Graduates can apply their skills and abilities in a variety of workplaces such as the education sector, advertising, private clinical practice, marketing, management consulting, academia and research, defense forces, government departments, health and welfare services, non-profit organizations, law enforcement, as well as within employee screening, selection, and training.

This side to human behaviour contributes to climate change, deforestation, pollution, as well as the loss of biodiversity. Having a greater understanding of human behavior will therefore help us mitigate these problems and can help encourage more environmentally sustainable behaviors. The involvement of psychology is critical on a local as well as global scale to address values and beliefs, norms and behaviour, and strategies that can help in promoting a more sustainable environment.

Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency. Regulatory principles endorsed for National Scheme [Press release]. Psychology degrees are either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts. The first year of an undergraduate degree covers the core elements: exploring mental health, childhood and development, plus the required scientific fundamentals. Specialisation occurs in the following years, covering topics like cognitive processes, neuroscience and the psychology of certain groups, such as trauma victims, the elderly and criminals.

The final year requires students to choose their own field of study, carry out original research, collect data and summarise their findings. Most psychology degrees last three to four years and some make a relevant work placement a requirement to pass the course.

Placements could be in a range of establishments, for example in hospitals, prisons and rehabilitation centres. The study of psychology is achieved through a variety of methods; practical sessions, lectures in the relevant theories and the learning of professional software programmes.

Assessment is just as diverse in practice, from timed examinations to essays to lab reports to final project dissertations. Graduates with a degree in Psychology have a wide array of career possibilities before them. While becoming a psychologist is the default career path, many graduates go on to pursue careers in research, education, health care and therapy, and psychotherapy. Create your own personalised rankings today, and compare universities according to what matters most to you.

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