Why do you want to study psychology?

I just had a debate with my friend over why teenagers decide they want to study psychology.

I believe it's because many teenagers want to learn more about themselves and understand some of the problems they face. So essentially they have a desire to learn psychology for introspection.

My friend disagrees and thinks its simply because people want to understand behaviour.

What do you think?

Reply 1

NSW

Yes, when i first chose to study pscyhology when i was 15 it was definitely to learn more about myself.

But having studied it for 2 years at A level it has gone beyond that, and it's not my reason for wanting to study it at uni. Basically i am interested in learning about how behaviour is studied scientifically, as i haven't done biology to a high level i want to learn more about that side of it. I'm also keen to learn more about research and statistics. And pretty much all the topics that seem to be covered. Not just ones that relate to my personal experience.

Reply 2

Lolly-88

Doing psychology JUST to learn more about yourself is a slightly self absorbed reason but I think it's different for everyone. I chose to study psychology because i have an interest in behaviour and the mind and I love human sciences. Also because a psychology degree gives you so many skills that many other subjects don't. I didn't do it to learn more about myself.....quite frankly i don't think there's much for me to learn about myself.

Reply 3

Melana

I didn't do it for myself - like Lolly-88 said, I'm very open with myself, and there's no part of me I want to try to psychoanalyse. I'm doing it because you can change people's lives with it, it can help you understand so much about treating and controlling behaviour and I want to be part of that!

Reply 4

shewantstobeme

If I wanted to learn Psychology to study the problems I'd face in late life I'd probably be scared out of my mind by now!

I was going to do Maths, Geog, Chem and Further Maths.
Then I decided I didn't want to do further maths, and Psychology was the only subject I was a bit interested in over further maths.

And then after my third Psychology lesson I realised that it was what I wanted to do as a profession. I love the way that you can analyse the behaviour of people!
I love it when you get taught something new, and the penny drops when you realise that the theory you have just learnt explains that memory you have from being about young - and why you acted how you did (clearly because you weren't in the concrete-operational stage yet)!

I guess the reason I am studying it is because I love the way that it does explain why people do things in life! It explains how I feel and how I act and I love applying it. But that is the point of Psychology... to discover why people do things.

...And I want to have a job which helps people who are ill, to recover. :smile:

Reply 5

jvsaunders

I am looking at apply to do a psychology conversion course MSc, and i was wondering whether this is a stepping stone course, bridging the gap between my former unrelated undergraduate degree and a possible Psychology Masters, or whether it is actually considered in the same ranking as a Psychology Masters? Some universities make it seem that as soon as you have completed this conversion MSc you are likely to jump straight into a start up psychologist job while others make it appear as though you have to complete a further masters qualification? So i am wondering which one is accurate and does this also apply if the Psychology conversion courses are accredited by the BPS??

Reply 6

scrawlx101

i want to do psychology because i find alot of the results in famous studies interesting plus i like the biology component within it aswell since i admitedlly wanted to do biology at uni but i dont have the subjects but psychology just really interests me...im better at eng lit but i feel like the career net with psychology is alot wider plus i dont think id like how restrictive the eng lit course is...

Reply 7

em_nicole

I want to study psychology because I think that it changes lives, well I know it does, everyone gets ill or struggles at one point or another and being able to effectively help to improve or cure someones life is an opportunity that im not going to pass on. People take psychology in schools because they aren't sure what else to take, but a minority are actually serious about it as a subject and a profession and want to understand in order to help, and by understanding I am enhancing knowledge of both others around me and myself. Personally I think it'd be difficult to learn about psychology and not learn something new about yourself, not matter how small it is :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

LenniesRabbit

I want to study Psychology because it is provides something for me that other subjects just don't. Since year 7 i've been stuck on Psychology and have never once though of it as a way to delve deeper into my own mind, but instead a way to understand other individual behaviour. I'm in sixth-form now (year 12) and I still love it so much, and I see a lot more teenagers who desire to learn Psychology for introspective reasons. It is one of the most unappreciated subjects due to its spoilt reputation and high drop-out rate of people who realise that they though Psych was going to be all "mind reading" etc.

Psychology focuses on human behaviour and the reasons behind this. Surely in our ever evolving society that is one of the most interesting topics to be discussed. Whether its memory, social psychology, cognitive, biological or whatever, the amount of newly found illnesses and syndromes popping up from everywhere needs more attention. Psychologies broad adaptability makes it one of the best subjects to me, as i feel that if you're not able to understand an individual in this society so many more problems can arise.

In terms of the reasons why teens pick it, it may be due to the slightly naive focus on themselves, but I also believe that those who are really serious about it know that behaviour of the individual, not just themselves or a specific person, is one of the greatest reasons to study the topic.

Reply 9

pixeluniverse

Original post by Lolly-88

I get what you're saying, but how is it self absorbed? Some young people really do want to understand more about the way they feel and why they behave in the way they do. I want to study it because I want to understand about behavior and because I want to use it later in my life but I do want to learn more about why I think, feel and behave the way I do. Don't judge people for their own reasons just because it is different to your reason.