10 Reasons To Study Psychology
We can give you thousands of reasons why we think it’s valuable to study psychology. But there’s one reason that sums up all the others – it’s exciting! Few fields of study go beyond vocational training and enrich us as people, or allow us to grow and offer us a broader view of our reality. It’s not an easy subject of study, but it’s an adventure well worth it.
When you take your first class at university and discover the wide range of topics that make up an education in psychology, you may wonder whether or not you made the right choice. You may experience quite a shock when you have to read dozens of books, full of different theories and approaches that you have to understand and be able to distinguish.
Some people feel tension and even despair when confronted with the ever complicated but interesting world of statistics or experimental designs. It’s a world where math is still necessary – bad news for those who have bad memories of this particular subject. But it is the daily work and contact with every field of this science that ultimately awaken us to this fascinating universe and help us on our way.
On the other hand, fairness compels us to state that the study of psychology will not really make us rich or even guarantee that we will find a job immediately after graduation. Today’s society and the situation on the labor market are what they are. Sometimes we need to combine talent with ingenuity, motivation with opportunity, and persistence with patience. But we must also say that there are many facets and ramifications within this discipline. If we choose a good specialization, we can build a rich and exceptional professional future.
10 reasons to study psychology
Perhaps we are at a defining moment in our lives and need to choose what work we want to do. Or we think it’s time for a change and to learn something different. Then studying psychology is always a good choice. Obviously, everyone should think about two important things: what are we looking for and what do we want to offer others. Psychology is a subject in which we can grow while in training. Because we want to give the best of ourselves for the benefit of others. Now let’s take a look at the benefits of a degree in psychology.
1. Psychology helps us understand ourselves better
As we delve deeper into all the theories, the different approaches to personality and human development, and discover how culture influences our behavior, we are forced to look at our own lives as well as the lives of other people.
If we study psychology, we will ask ourselves many questions. Those questions will not always be answered. But they will help us to keep exploring and discovering. It will be an adventure where we get to know ourselves and other people a little better every day. We will be able to leave behind certain attitudes and ideas that were once so important to us.
2. We learn to appreciate scientific methods
Psychology has nothing magical. We can’t read minds. There is also no radar in our minds that allows us to understand in five seconds what trauma is causing someone’s suffering, or what they fear or what their strengths are. In addition, friends, relatives, or acquaintances will almost certainly accuse us of “analyzing them.”
We associate many false myths with psychology as we know it. We will have to face them in many contexts, whether we like it or not. But there is one aspect that we need to be clear about – Psychology is a social science based on scientific methods.
To arrive at certain conclusions, data and insights, a lot of labour-intensive, objective and patient work is required. This work always relies on a series of research methods. Because this is the way to be successful as a professional psychologist. On the other side, there is “pop psychology.” The general public is wild about this form. We see it daily in magazines or on social media. But this has little or nothing to do with reality.
3. You develop a critical mindset
The studies in psychology contain a lot of material, theories, approaches and areas, which help us to develop critical thinking. For it is a necessary requirement if we want to be good professionals and if we want to be really useful to others without losing our integrity and honor. Only in this way will we be able to see the forest for the trees. For only then will we see through the clarity of deception, the reality of manipulation.
4. A Greater Understanding of Human Relationships
Studying psychology does not spontaneously make us psychologically healthier, more successful or happier people (not the majority anyway). Psychologists also suffer from depression and anxiety. They are not immune to failures in their emotional relationships and they even have minor phobias and limitations of their own.
But all this knowledge they possess makes them much more aware of what is happening to them and around them. They understand relational dynamics much better. It also helps them know when to ask for help to help themselves or other people the best they can.
5. You will appreciate the different stages of people’s development
Understanding how we develop and how we change as humans during our lives not only provides us with valuable knowledge. Usually it also makes us more sensitive and open to the problems of others and also to their suffering or doubts.
In addition, psychology reveals the specific characteristics associated with certain stages of our development, such as childhood or aging. It can also happen that we become passionate about those phases of life and decide to dedicate our time to a specific group.
6. You develop a new perspective on mental illness
Thanks to the study of psychology, you will be able to break the many myths that people believe about mental illness. For example, you will understand the difference between a syndrome, a disorder and a disease. But you will also realize that medication does not cure certain conditions. It just “treats” them. You will discover for yourself how complicated it is to make a diagnosis. In addition, you get to know the many forms that exist in depression, anxiety disorder or schizophrenia.
7. There is a specialization for every passion
Not all psychologists are psychoanalysts or follow Freud’s principles. In fact, there are many more who do n’t follow them than the people who do. Not every psychologist uses hypnosis or has a clinic. Studying psychology offers us the opportunity to later follow training in a wide range of specializations. So we can choose the specialization that appeals to us the most. There are many possibilities:
- Clinical psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Sports Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Health Psychology
- organizational psychology
- Child Psychology and Psychology of Adolescence
- Social and Community Psychology
8. Psychology – a perfect complement to other disciplines
There are not many fields of study that complement other disciplines as well as psychology. For example, we may have a degree in journalism, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, philology, anthropology, art, or economics. Nevertheless, we can decide to start training in psychology at the same time so that we acquire a much richer and more complete education. Moreover, it is also a fascinating study.
Studying psychology is much more than a good curriculum. Because it enriches us because we better understand human behavior with all its social interaction, language, communication, motivation, emotions and decision-making. These processes are often essential to have a more complete view of other sciences.
9. You learn to communicate much better
This is an aspect we don’t always talk about. The student of psychology discovers this in his daily studies. Acquiring skills in controlling emotions or understanding body language much better, along with all its nuances, gives him greater ability in interpersonal communication.
We’re not just talking about improving your ability to speak in front of an audience. But it’s also about how we communicate better with people. For we will understand the person in front of us by paying attention to his non-verbal communication, the tone of his voice and his facial expressions. In addition, we will be able to have a real conversation with more empathy.
10. Studying psychology can be the first step to the best period of your life
In the beginning, we said we could give you thousands of reasons to study psychology. But one reason trumps all others – it’s a fascinating science that can open up a whole new phase in our lives. We will always discover something that touches us at some point so that we say to ourselves “this is me.” I want to go deeper into this. This is an area where I want to help people.
In some cases it will be neuroscience with its mysteries but in other cases it will be a certain kind of therapy. Sometimes there is a desire to help children or to focus on a more experimental area of research. The world of psychology is vast. Everyone eventually finds a specific aspect in which they want to work. And it is at that moment that everything changes and takes on meaning.
So if you are considering the possibility of studying psychology, we would like to encourage you to embark on this amazing adventure. Because it almost never disappoints.
Bibliographic references
Triglia, A, Regader, Bertrand, and Garcia-Allen Jonnatahn, (2016). Psychological speaking.
Paidos. Sheena Iyengar, (2006). The Art of Choice. Psychology Press.
Pink, Daniel (2010). The amazing truth about what motivates us. Management 2000.
Butler Bowdon, Tom (2004). 50 Psychology Classics: Who We Are, How We Think, What We Do: Insight and Inspiration from 50 Key Books. New York: H. Books.
