Psychology
is one of the fastest-growing university subjects,
and is quickly becoming more available in schools
and colleges at GCSE and
A-Level. Psychology is the study of people: how
they think, react and interact. It is concerned
with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts,
feelings and motivation underlying such human aspects
as behaviour. Media interest in the subject is mushrooming,
and it regularly finds its way into prime time radio
and television.
The study of people has a long history, with
early observers basting their analysis of human
nature on everyday experience. In contrast, modern
psychology is the science of human behaviour and
experience, and to study psychology you have to
learn scientific methods involving observation,
measurement, hypothesis testing, experimentation,
logical inference, and use of statistics to test
the significance of research findings.
But psychologists do not simply explain people's
behaviour; they use their understanding to help
people with difficulties and bring about changes
for the better. For example, psychologists are
concerned with practical problems such as:
- What effect does their parents' divorce have
on children?
- How do you best train a blind person and a
guide dog to work together?
- How do you learn to cope with stress, or with
particular fears or phobias?
- What are the best shifts for air traffic controllers
to work to minimize the risk of air accidents?
- How should parents deal with a child's tantrums?
- What kinds of people are most attractive to
the opposite sex?
Psychologists have a valuable contribution to
make to all areas of life today, whether it be
with individuals or society as a whole. The subject
also has much to offer to its practitioners.
Careers in Psychology
Psychologists are probably best know for their
work in the health and education services, but
psychology graduates can be found in almost any
area of life. Career fall into three broad bands:
those for which a psychology degree is essential;
those for which it is directly useful, bit for
which other graduates can apply; and careers which
are open to any discipline.
A: Careers for which a psychology
degree is essential
Clinical Psychologists work in various hospital
and community settings with people with health
problems or severe learning difficulties. They
are very active in the mental health field, practising
a wide variety of techniques.
For example, they train people in self-relaxation,
so that they can cope with their anxieties, and
help children with learning difficulties to care
for themselves. They also work with people who
have eating disorders, sexual problems, phobias,
head injuries, strokes, HIV/AIDS and problems
associated with age.
Counselling Psychologists aim to help people
improve their sense of well being, alleviate their
distress, resolve their crises, and increase their
ability to solve problems and make decisions for
themselves. They do this through the application
of psychological theories, research and techniques
to help individuals and groups deal with some
of the inevitable difficulties of normal life.
Educational Psychologists tackle the problems
encountered by young people in education, which
may involve learning difficulties and social or
emotional problems. They work closely with other
professionals, particularly teachers and social
workers.
Forensic Psychologists are concerned with the
application of psychology to the Criminal and
Civil Justice systems. Forensic psychologists
may be found in the Prison Service, NHS, Social
Services and Voluntary Services.
Health Psychologists work in a relatively new
field of applied psychology. They are represented
in a number of settings, such as hospital, academic
health research units, health authorities and
university departments, Psychological principals
are used to promote changes in people's attitudes,
behaviour and thinking about health.
Occupational Psychologists is concerned with
the world of work and training and consequently
has many guises. It may be labelled 'organisational
psychology', 'ergonomics' (human factors, engineering
applications of psychology), 'applied psychology',
'industrial psychology', personnel management',
'time management' of 'management consultancy'.
Occupational psychologists are involved with
issues such as the selection and training of staff,
psychometric tests, communication, the working
environment and effective management.
Psychotherapy covers the psychological treatment
of a wide range of mental and physical ills by
a number of different methods, each developed
in terms of its own theoretical framework. Methods
vary from a long series of discussions, to only
one or two intense interviews.
Research Psychologists work in universities,
government agencies or private companies.
Teachers of Psychology normally work in schools,
colleges or universities, where they teach at
a number of levels.
B: Careers for which psychology
provides a useful training
There are good employment prospects for psychology
graduates in other fields, for which their training
will provide them with relative experience. Market
research, social work, nursing, advertising, sales,
personnel management and career guidance are all
areas for which a psychology degree will provide
a good basis.
Psychology graduates will have knowledge of the
assessment of personality, intelligence and attitudes,
interviewing techniques, questionnaire design
and analysis, child development, and the methods
of teaching and learning.
C: Career open to graduates of
any discipline
The majority of graduate jobs are open to graduates
of any discipline. These include careers in the
Armed Forces, the police, management training
and accountancy. However, employers are usually
looking for good 'transferable' skills, and a
psychology degree provides an arguably unique
combination of these.
Studying Psychology
Psychology can be studied at school of college
as a GCSE, an A/S-level or A-level subject, or
as SCOTVEC modules leading to GNVQ's. University
courses, whether single, joint or combined honours
degrees tend to be general in content, and cover
all the main areas of psychological knowledge
necessary to go into further training.
Even if initially you have no plans to practise
psychology or become a Chartered Psychologist,
you are strongly advised to keep your options
open by talking a degree accredited by The British
Psychological Society (BPS). This is the first
step to becoming a Chartered Psychologist. At
present, it is not necessary to register to work
as a psychologist, but many practitioners find
registration an asset. Employers prefer to appoint
a Chartered Psychologist, because the title is
the public's guarantee that the person is properly
trained and qualified, and is answerable to an
independent professional body.
For More Information,
Please contact:
The British Psychological Association
St Andrews House
48 Princess Road East
Leicester LE1 7DR
United Kingdom
Tel: 0116 254 9568
Fax: 0116 247 0787
Email: student@bps.org.uk
www.bps.org.uk
Author:
British Psychological Society
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