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Psychology was a huge lie.

I was really enthusiastic to take Psychology. The teachers stressed that it would be very sciency and mathsy but that was the biggest lie I've ever been told.
The little maths that is involved can be completed by a 10year old and tbh, I think it is offensive to science to dare call Psychology scientific. It's just a load of bull****.
And whats worse, is the bull**** isn't even interesting!
I thought it would be so so interesting to discover how the memory works but boy I was wrong. Its just copying down a tonne of boring experiments and theories.
Theres no freedom of thought or opinion, no intellectual discussion, just copying down crap that's already been guessed (I can't even be called discovered because everyone just takes a random guess).
The experiments we study are either things that are just obviously wrong or were obviously going to happen.
I am despising the subject and cannot wait to drop it.
Please tell me I am not the only one.

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I found the exact same however I kept it at A2 and it has gotten so much better. More debate, more science (still little maths) but a lot more interesting. I think its because we are studying good topics

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I took Psychology AS (AQA A spec) and almost instantly regretted it, got an A and have dropped it at A2 (I now study English Lit, History and Gov. and Politics). I believe that Psychology as a discipline is a science, but does Psychology the A-Level subject qualify as a 'science'? Like **** it does. I disliked it for the same reasons you do: it's all content. If you learn the studies by heart, if you learn the theories by heart, you'll get the grade you want. There's absolutely no independent thinking (even the evaluation of each theory can be learnt and memorised, no kidding) - it's all just a mark per piece of knowledge you show.

Sorry you're having a boring time with it though, only thing to do it to learn the content, smash the exam and then drop the subject. I do feel for you though, I was in the exact same position last year.
Original post by Gabby2805
I was really enthusiastic to take Psychology. The teachers stressed that it would be very sciency and mathsy but that was the biggest lie I've ever been told.
The little maths that is involved can be completed by a 10year old and tbh, I think it is offensive to science to dare call Psychology scientific. It's just a load of bull****.
And whats worse, is the bull**** isn't even interesting!
I thought it would be so so interesting to discover how the memory works but boy I was wrong. Its just copying down a tonne of boring experiments and theories.
Theres no freedom of thought or opinion, no intellectual discussion, just copying down crap that's already been guessed (I can't even be called discovered because everyone just takes a random guess).
The experiments we study are either things that are just obviously wrong or were obviously going to happen.
I am despising the subject and cannot wait to drop it.
Please tell me I am not the only one.


I'm glad I didn't do A levels, as IMO I think they are all somewhat dull in the way they are presented (did A/S and BTEC).

I can happily say that at degree level, at least, psychology is quite a good subject to go into, and is very scientific, utilisable, and for me interesting.

Though, of course, things like psychoanalysis isn't going to be sciency - psychology is quite a new disclipline as a science relative to the others and you will most likely be looking at very old stuff. Though many parts of psychology have used scientific statistical methods for a rather long time.

I have a feeling you would enjoy neuroscience (my MSc subject) or neuropsychology.

What do you learn about during A level psychology that you find disinteresting? I am curious as to how it differs.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by Gabby2805
tbh, I think it is offensive to science to dare call Psychology scientific. It's just a load of bull****.
Please tell me I am not the only one.


Exactly what my daughter thought -and dropped it after AS. She's stuck to proper sciences at A2.
Reply 5
I agree, A2 is ridiculously worse.
People did not just take random guesses and Psychological experiments are rarely obvious - they may seem obvious now because what was investigated 50 years ago has become common knowledge. Furthermore, you can come up with a common sense explanation of completely opposite observations.

However, you're correct that A-Level Psychology can just come down to memorising.
Reply 7
Original post by FreshGarbage
I found the exact same however I kept it at A2 and it has gotten so much better. More debate, more science (still little maths) but a lot more interesting. I think its because we are studying good topics

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Thank you,

The A2 topics do look a little better...but I'm enjoying all my other subjects (Math, Chemistry and Biology) so definitely won't be doing it at A2
Reply 8
Original post by perflous
I took Psychology AS (AQA A spec) and almost instantly regretted it, got an A and have dropped it at A2 (I now study English Lit, History and Gov. and Politics). I believe that Psychology as a discipline is a science, but does Psychology the A-Level subject qualify as a 'science'? Like **** it does. I disliked it for the same reasons you do: it's all content. If you learn the studies by heart, if you learn the theories by heart, you'll get the grade you want. There's absolutely no independent thinking (even the evaluation of each theory can be learnt and memorised, no kidding) - it's all just a mark per piece of knowledge you show.

Sorry you're having a boring time with it though, only thing to do it to learn the content, smash the exam and then drop the subject. I do feel for you though, I was in the exact same position last year.


Haha! Thank you!
I'm so glad you agree! Its actually quite interesting that we both feel the same even though we've taken completely different subjects - I'm taking Math, Chemistry and Biology.
Thanks for your advice too, all that I can do is get on with it and just look forward to being able to drop it!
Reply 9
Original post by hellodave5
I'm glad I didn't do A levels, as IMO I think they are all somewhat dull in the way they are presented (did A/S and BTEC).

I can happily say that at degree level, at least, psychology is quite a good subject to go into, and is very scientific, utilisable, and for me interesting.

Though, of course, things like psychoanalysis isn't going to be sciency - psychology is quite a new disclipline as a science relative to the others and you will most likely be looking at very old stuff. Though many parts of psychology have used scientific statistical methods for a rather long time.

I have a feeling you would enjoy neuroscience (my MSc subject) or neuropsychology.

What do you learn about during A level psychology that you find disinteresting? I am curious as to how it differs.


Thank you. How interesting.
I can actually see it being a decent degree to take, although career-wise I'm looking to either work in game development or environmental chemistry.
I can understand that proper psychology may indeed be a science, but I am furious they said it would seem that way at Alevel!
At the moment we have only covered Memory and Attachment...
Memory should be interesting..but its really not...I'd have loved to learn about the stimulations happening in the brain, but instead we just write masses and masses about dumb old 'experiments'
And with Attachment..I feel like I'm doing health & social! I honestly think that any minute they'll be like 'remember to wear a condom kids' its really silly and just really obvious things about family life.
Reply 10
Original post by Barlow
I agree, A2 is ridiculously worse.


Wow, and I was expecting it to be better!
No matter, I definitely will not be doing it at A2, even if I get an A in it and an E in all my other subjects!
Reply 11
Original post by Compost
Exactly what my daughter thought -and dropped it after AS. She's stuck to proper sciences at A2.


Thanks!
Thats what I'll be doing - Chemistry, Biology, Math and Computer Science for me!
Reply 12
Original post by PythianLegume
People did not just take random guesses and Psychological experiments are rarely obvious - they may seem obvious now because what was investigated 50 years ago has become common knowledge. Furthermore, you can come up with a common sense explanation of completely opposite observations.

However, you're correct that A-Level Psychology can just come down to memorising.


Ok, fair point.
But it is likely that the ones studied at A-level are not very say..intellectual.
However, I can see degree-level studies being much more fascinating and ground-breaking.
GCSE Psychology isn't so bad...
Original post by Gabby2805
Thank you,

The A2 topics do look a little better...but I'm enjoying all my other subjects (Math, Chemistry and Biology) so definitely won't be doing it at A2


Fair enough haha I dropped chemistry due to low marks, would have preferred to keep it though xD

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Reply 15
Original post by elmosandy
GCSE Psychology isn't so bad...


I never had the option to study it at GCSE
What topics do you do?
Original post by Gabby2805
I never had the option to study it at GCSE
What topics do you do?



Um investigations, body language etc.. I heard its basically like the AS but more 'watered down' I guess? (there's not much point in doing it you could say because for Psychology A-Level you don't need Psychology GCSE appearently there's not that much essay writing in AS but is in A2?


I don't like the investigations bits though...
Original post by elmosandy
Um investigations, body language etc.. I heard its basically like the AS but more 'watered down' I guess? (there's not much point in doing it you could say because for Psychology A-Level you don't need Psychology GCSE appearently there's not that much essay writing in AS but is in A2?


I don't like the investigations bits though...


At gcse i did Perception and Dreaming,the effect on tv and video games on aggression,Phobias and are criminals born or made. I really enjoyed it,but will not pick it for AS as the topics don't seem as interesting
Original post by teenhorrorstory
At gcse i did Perception and Dreaming,the effect on tv and video games on aggression,Phobias and are criminals born or made. I really enjoyed it,but will not pick it for AS as the topics don't seem as interesting



Oh well I am.
Original post by elmosandy
Oh well I am.


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