Overview of Psychology for Beginners

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Table of Contents

What Is Psychology?

Why Study Psychology?

What Can a Person Do With a Psychology Degree?

What Do Psychologists Do?

Individuals who are new to the study of psychology can have quite a few questions. Among these:

Let’s tackle some of these all-important questions in this quick introduction to the subject. This overview of psychology for beginners provides a brief look at this topic, also potentially providing areas to look into more for individuals interested in studying this fascinating subject.

Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. While explorations of these two subjects date back thousands of years, the formal science of psychology is actually quite young.

During the late 1800s,Wilhelm Wundtformed the first experimental laboratory devoted to the study of psychology, officially marking its beginning as a discipline separate from philosophy and physiology.

Although we often refer to psychology as one broad field, there are many subtypes orbranches of psychologya person can study. Some of the main branches include:

There are lots of great reasons to study psychology! For many people, their first real experiencelearning about psychologyhappens when they take an introductory class in college to fulfill a general education requirement.

Some young students are also fortunate to have the opportunity to takeAP Psychologyclasses in high school, which can be a great way to become more familiar with the subject. They might then choose to study psychology in much greater depth and opt to either major or minor in the subject in college.

What about people who don’t plan on entering some sort of social science field after they graduate? Even if an individual has no intention of becoming a psychology major, they can still benefit a great deal from learning more about this topic.

Great reasons to study psychology include:

Even for individuals who don’t plan on becoming a psychology major, learning about topics such as personality, social behavior, love, and development can help them better understand themselves and others in their lives.

The Basics of Human Factors Psychology

Psychology delves into virtually every aspect of how people think and behave. Have you ever wondered why some people are outspoken while others are quiet, or why people seem to behave differently in large groups than when they are alone? These are just a few of the questions that psychologists explore.

It might also be surprising for psychology beginners to learn that there are many, many different types of psychologists. That said, most can be categorized into three main types:

Each individual branch of psychology is also devoted to the study of a specific topic.Developmental psychology, for example, centers on the study of how people develop throughout the lifespan. This enables psychologists the ability to study the topic that interests them most.

Other areas of study within this field includesocial psychology,cognitive psychology, personality psychology,health psychology, andforensic psychology.

Earning abachelor’s degree in psychologyis a popular option, ranking third on the list of most popular college majors.For those interested in working in this field, there are a number of different entry-level careers they might want to consider.

For example, those with an undergraduate degree can hold positions as caseworkers or psychiatric technicians. Others might choose to use their knowledge of the mind and behavior in other fields, such as sales, marketing, or human resources.

Key Facts About Psychology DegreesAn undergraduate degree is required tobecome a licensed psychologist.The term psychologist is a protected term, meaning that someone cannot legally call themselves a psychologist unless they meet specific educational and training requirements.Earning a master’s or doctorate degree opens up a wide range ofcareer optionsand can pave the way to a higher salary.

Key Facts About Psychology Degrees

An undergraduate degree is required tobecome a licensed psychologist.The term psychologist is a protected term, meaning that someone cannot legally call themselves a psychologist unless they meet specific educational and training requirements.Earning a master’s or doctorate degree opens up a wide range ofcareer optionsand can pave the way to a higher salary.

We can’t delve into psychology for beginners without discussing what someone might do when working in this field. This can be somewhat challenging to explain since there is an enormous variety in the work that psychologists perform.

For example, some work in the field of mental health where they assess, diagnose, and treat psychological conditions. Others devote their time to researching psychological topics in order to add to our existing understanding of how people think and act. Still, others investigate specific real-world problems and come up with solutions to resolve these issues.

The day-to-day realities of what psychologists do depends on a number of different factors, including:

This helps highlight the sheer number of options for someone who pursues psychology as a career. Work settings and duties can vary dramatically, enabling individuals to choose the ones that fit them best.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Britannica.Wilhelm Wundt.Harvard Summer School.Why choose psychology as your college major?U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Education pays.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Britannica.Wilhelm Wundt.Harvard Summer School.Why choose psychology as your college major?U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Education pays.

Britannica.Wilhelm Wundt.Harvard Summer School.Why choose psychology as your college major?U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Education pays.

Britannica.Wilhelm Wundt.

Harvard Summer School.Why choose psychology as your college major?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Education pays.

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Key Facts About Psychology Degrees#

Key Facts About Psychology Degrees