Psychology

Course summary

Psychology is a science and is the study of brain and behaviour. We all have ideas about people and about ourselves, and psychology relates to those ideas but draws on scientific methods to build a body of knowledge about such issues. Psychology can be theoretical, looking at how the brain works and what drives our behaviour, including issues such as early childhood experiences and what happens to us as we develop. Psychology can be practical, such as in therapy and treatments as well as in the workplace, such as when devising advertisements or advising the police. You might think of psychology as listening to people on a couch and to an extent you would be right. There is much more to it than that, however. The most important quality for anyone wanting to study psychology is to find people fascinating. Are you intrigued by why people act in the way they do? If so, then psychology will capture your imagination. You will need to: ▪ be willing to have your opinions and values challenged ▪ be willing to listen to and take on board new ideas and novel argument ▪ be able to see both sides of an issue not reject one side simply because you believe initially that it is wrong. Psychology provides many opportunities to develop skills in assessing debates and arguments. Psychology is a very useful subject for any career where you interact with people. Occupations such as journalism, nursing and marketing all welcome trainees who have studied psychology.