Reasons To Study Psychology
Written and verified bythe psychologist.
15 November, 2021
We could give you a thousand reasons why we think its worth studying Psychology. However, there is one that sums them all up its exciting! Few disciplines go beyond mere professional development and enrich us as people, allowing us to grow and have a much broader vision of our reality. Although its not an easy subject to study, it is an adventure that is definitely worthwhile.
When you attend your first class at university and find out what a wide range of subjects make up the Psychology degree, you might ask yourself whether or not you have made the right choice in studying Psychology. You might experience quite a shock when you have dozens of books to read, all with different theories and approaches that you have to understand and know how to differentiate.
You are what you do, not what you say you will do
-C.G. Jung
Some people feel tension and even despair when they come face to face with the always complex, but interesting, world of statistics, and of experimental designs. A world in which mathematics is still necessary bad news for those who have bad memories of this particular subject. However, it is the daily work, and contact with each of the fields that make up this science which finally awakens us to its fascinating universe and helps to set us on our way.
Can Teachers Use Behaviorism To Help Students Master Skills
Because behaviorism suggests that learning happens primarily via conditioning, behavioral approaches to teaching make use of rewards and punishments in order to reinforce desired concepts and behaviors. Such techniques may prove useful for simple behaviors or learning rooted in repetition however, it is not thought to be effective in helping students master more complex concepts or engage in critical thinking.
The Process Of Scientific Research
Scientific knowledge is advanced through a process known as the scientific method. Basically, ideas are tested against the real world , and those empirical observations lead to more ideas that are tested against the real world, and so on. In this sense, the scientific process is circular. The types of reasoning within the circle are called deductive and inductive. In deductive reasoning, ideas are tested against the empirical world in inductive reasoning, empirical observations lead to new ideas . These processes are inseparable, like inhaling and exhaling, but different research approaches place different emphasis on the deductive and inductive aspects.
Psychological research relies on both inductive and deductive reasoning.
For example, case studies, which you will read about in the next section, are heavily weighted on the side of empirical observations. Thus, case studies are closely associated with inductive processes as researchers gather massive amounts of observations and seek interesting patterns in the data. Experimental research, on the other hand, puts great emphasis on deductive reasoning.
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The Basics Of Behaviorism
Behaviorism emerged in the early 1900s, largely in response to other popular schools of thought at the timeincluding Freudian psychology, which emphasized the importance of unconscious thoughts and urges. Early behaviorists aimed to transform psychology into a more objective scientific discipline that, like biology or chemistry, focused on measurable, observable phenomenon, rather than the unobservable internal phenomena that Freud and his contemporaries prioritized. Classical behaviorists did not deny that humans have thoughts and emotions rather, they argued that because such internal cognitions could not be measured or documented, they were not relevant for the study of human behavior. Though such theories have been largely discounted, some elements of behaviorismparticularly those related to radical behaviorism, a theory promoted by noted psychologist B.F. Skinnerremain in use today
Educational Psychology Is A Career Path That Is In Demand
Not only is our access to information and the desire for knowledge growing, but so is the number of people that want to learn. All over the world, the population is growing at a rate that has never been seen before and what that means is that over the next couple of decades, the educational system is going to be under even more stress. One of the best ways to ensure that everyone receives the education that they deserve is by finding more effective ways of teaching. More people learning and a greater desire for knowledge means that the demand for educational psychologists will likely continue to grow well into the future.
Educational psychology boils down to one thing â helping others learn. You must be good at working with people, have an expert eye for detail and be able to think cleverly and outside of the box. If these are qualities that you possess, then perhaps choosing a career in the continuously growing field of educational psychology might just be the best decision that you ever make.
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What Are The Criticisms Of Applied Behavior Analysis
ABA remains a popular approach to treating autism. Some autism advocates, however, argue that ABA uses punishment and/or negative reinforcement to force autistic individuals to behave in neurotypical ways, even when it does not benefit them. They also argue that it does not address the underlying reasons for autistic behaviorsusing reinforcement to get an autistic person to stop hand-flapping, for example, does not target his motivation for doing so in the first place, and thus leaves him with an unmet internal need.
Learning Through Classical Conditioning
Learning through association is one of the most fundamental ways that people learn new things. Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov discovered one method of learning during his experiments on the digestive systems of dogs. He noted that the dogs would naturally salivate at the sight of food, but that eventually the dogs also began to salivate whenever they spotted the experimenters white lab coat.
Later experiments involve pairing the sight of food with the sound of a bell tone. After multiple pairings, the dogs eventually began to salivate to the sound of the bell alone.
Classical conditioning is a type of learning that takes place through the formation of associations.
A neutral stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response is paired with a neutral stimulus. Eventually, an association forms and the previously neutral stimulus becomes known as a conditioned stimulus that then triggers a conditioned response.
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Lecture : How Do We Communicate
One of the most uniquely human abilities is the capacity for creating and understanding language. This lecture introduces students to the major topics within the study of language: phonology, morphology, syntax and recursion. This lecture also describes theories of language acquisition, arguments for the specialization of language, and the commonalities observed in different languages across cultures.
Business Is All About Psychology
Psychology affects everything in our everyday lives but it especially affects business. Business is really about relationships its about being able to sell to other people, to persuade other people and to work well with them. If you study psychology and understand how other peoples minds work, then you will be able to get your point across and ensure that your colleagues, clients and business partners respect you. Youll be able to make people more likely to buy a product and generally youll find you have the skills you need to really excel in business. Studying psychology can give you a better understanding of the people around you. The next time someone behaves in a certain way, you might be better able to understand the influences and motivations behind their actions.
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Three Effective Strategies To Improve Your Grade In College Subjects
The manner of education in college is quite different from high school. A lot of college professors give lessons to student in a different approach. Often time they just provide a list of reference where students can read lessons about the subject. College professors, most of the time impose personal research and study to students than an in depth teaching class. This is one of the major reasons why a student flunk to some college subjects like Anatomy & Physiology.
Some students would find it hard to adjust from a high school spoon-feed method of learning, to a highly independent college instruction strategy. Passing or getting a good grade in a college subject can be very difficult to an unadjusted student. Its best that a college student adapt to a more independent teaching method. Here are other three effective strategies to help a student achieve a high grade in difficult college subjects:
Create a Habit to Study Your Lessons in AdvancePreparing for the next days lessons would be the wisest thing to do. Read and study the lessons in advance. Studying in advance will provide you more time to deeply learn the lesson. This will also allow you to coup up with the professors lesson for the next day.
You Will Appreciate Human Development In Its Stages
Understanding how we develop, and how we as people change throughout our lives doesnt only give us valuable knowledge. As a rule, it also makes us more sensitive and open to the problems of others and to their suffering or doubts also.
There is also the fact that Psychology reveals particularities associated with certain stages of our development, such as childhood or old age. We may also become passionate about those stages of life, and decide to devote our time to a particular group.
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You Learn About Mental Disorders And Treatment Options
Many psychologists also deal with mental disorders and options for their treatment. Mental disorders are many and can have a debilitating effect on people’s lives. Fortunately, various psychological treatments have been developed for many mental issues. Best practices have been written down in treatment and diagnosis protocols.
The prospect of being able to help others in their struggle to live a “normal” life appeals to many students.
The benefits of learning about mental disorders
Psychology A Perfect Complement To Other Disciplines
Not many areas of study complement other disciplines as much as Psychology does. We can have, for example, a degree in journalism, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, philology, anthropology, art or economics and at the same time decide to start a degree in Psychology in order to acquire a much richer and more complete training, and a fascinating one at the same time.
Even when it is not completely achievable, we become better at trying to pursue a higher goal
-Viktor Frankl-
Much more than having a good curriculum, studying Psychology enriches us by understanding human behavior much better, with all its social interaction, language, communication, motivation, emotions, and decision making. These processes are often essential in order to have a more complete vision of the other sciences.
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Why We All Can Learn From Studying Psychology
Why should you study psychology? There are plenty of great reasons to learn about psychology, even if you don’t plan to become a psychology major or work in a psychology-related profession. Psychology is all around you and touches on every aspect of your life! 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.
Develop The Ability To Research
The ability to research a topic or issue is often overlooked as a workplace skill, but it is a valuable tool for both managers and employees. Through assignments and projects, a psychology degree will help you to develop your ability to find sources, evaluate their effectiveness and present your findings clearly and accurately.
Whatever role or industry you choose to pursue after your psychology degree, this skill will allow you to review tenders, investigate potential projects and much more.
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Lecture 1: Emotions Part 1
This lecture is an introduction to the evolutionary analysis of human emotions, how they work, why they exist, and what they communicate. In particular, this lecture discusses three interesting case studies, that of happiness , fear and the emotions we feel towards our relatives. Finally, this lecture ends with a brief discussion of babies’ emotional responses to their caregivers.
Psychology Promotes The Understanding Of Wellbeing
Although studying psychology doesnt necessarily make you psychologically healthier , psychology graduates do have this knowledge at their fingertips and should be more aware of the fact that good interpersonal and family relationships require attention and work. They will also know where people family, friends, co-workers to go when they need counselling, psychotherapy or any psychological intervention. While some students may branch off into the and become 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.
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To Get A Better Understanding Of The People Around You
A psychologist is someone who seeks to understand and explain peoples thoughts, feelings, and patterns of behavior, in order to help them lead happier, healthier and more productive lives.
Within a clinical setting, psychologists assess and diagnose individuals with major mental illnesses and psychological problems, and design and implement evidence-based psychological treatment while utilising a range of techniques and strategies.
In an educational setting, psychologists may address students learning, socio-emotional coping and behavioral difficulties by assessing intellectual ability and academic performance, designing and implementing individual academic learning plans, and providing counselling to students and families.
In a sports setting, psychologists may help athletes better cope with the mental pressure of competition and provide support and counselling to athletes over issues related to recovering from sports injuries.
The Surprising Psychology Behind Why We Rewatch Shows And Movies
If you find yourself amid a sea of new TV series and popular movies, but still keep going back to The Office or to that old rom-com, youre not alone. Especially now, as the world increasingly spirals in turmoil, there are increasing numbers of people going back to rewatch things theyve already seen.
It turns out theres a surprising amount of research behind this phenomenon that extends far beyond the simple fact of liking something. Click through to learn all about the various psychological reasons behind why you’re neglecting your watchlist in favor of rewatches.
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Insights From The Theory Of Reward Prediction Error
Suppose youre at a vending machine and you insert a dollar bill to get a candy bar. But instead of one candy, as you would expect, you receive two candies. You think: This is a pleasant surprise, better than I expected. As a result, your dopamine response goes up. If you receive one candy, as expected, there is no change in the dopamine. On the other hand, dopamine neurons show depressed activity when you get no candy.
The basic idea in this example is that neurons release dopamine in proportion to the difference between the expected and realized rewards of a particular event. Unpredictable rewards cause more dopamine release than predictable ones. And more dopamine means more pleasure.
Part of the appeal of live sporting events is their inherent unpredictability. People keep coming back as if addicted to the joy of experiencing unexpected rewards. In fact, gambling is designed to produce surprising rewards. The gambler is buying the prospect of a positive surprise. The anticipation of an uncertain reward, as well as the reward itself, causes intense excitement. The habituated pursuit of that excitement can lead to addiction.
The pleasant surprise is the positive reward prediction error. Schultz explains that a prediction error exists when the perceived reward that is received is different from what is predicted. The error is the difference between what is expected and what actually occurs. We desire positive prediction errors and hate negative prediction errors.
Psychology Touches Everything In Our Lives Hence The Tv Shows
Psychology is one topic with the very broadest of impacts in our lives. When you sign up for a psychology degree then you are really studying human nature which impacts everything else in life. It can help you navigate your relationships more effectively your relationships in business, with friends and with partners and with family. Plus youll be an interesting conversationalist at social gatherings, not to mention if you go on to become an academic psychologist given their profile in todays media world.
Jobs directly related to a psychology degree include:
- Clinical psychologist
- Primary care graduate mental health worker
- Psychological wellbeing practitioner
- UX analyst
Here are some of the highest paying jobs you one can get in the USA per year with a psychology degree.
- Child psychiatrist $189,301 P.A
- A child psychiatrist requires the psychiatrist to treat mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders in children. An advanced degree in psychology is required and students then need eight years of specialised training four at a psychiatric residency and the other four in medical school.
- Engineering Psychologist $108,348P.A
- Forensic Psychologist $117,470 for top 10% P.A
- Forensic psychologists need a doctorate degree before taking on years of specialised clinical experience. Federal government roles have the highest demands for forensic psychologists employing over 5,000 of them with an average starting salary of $85,000.
- Be Dr. Phil $80 million P.A
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Can Behaviorism Be Useful During Therapy
Many modern therapies, such as behavior therapy or exposure therapy, rely in part on behaviorist techniques. Behavior therapy, for example, makes use of positive and negative consequences to modify a childs behavior such therapy has been shown to be effective for developmental disorders such as ADHD.