Psychology... where does one begin? Psychologists study behaviour. They study the mind. They might be teachers or researchers or they might be therapists or they might be obsessed with Sigmund Freud (but hopefully not too much). This career path is incredibly varied and has a niche for every interest, so as long as human behaviour fascinates you, welcome home!
The three primary historical branches of psychology are: behaviourism, associated with animal behaviour as a whole; psychoanalysis, which focuses on behaviour at the individual level and includes the study of the human consciousness; and humanistic psychology, which applies psychology to overall human betterment. From these branch out many other types of psychology - too many to list really, but here are some of the most popular:
- Clinical psychology
- Abnormal psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Comparative psychology
- Educational psychology
- Counselling psychology
- Biological psychology
- Evolutionary psychology
- Health psychology
- Personality psychology
- Social psychology
- Industrial and organisational psychology
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Child psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Neuropsychology
Let's continue by addressing the elephant in the therapist's office: clinical psychology. That's the kind we're all familiar with, and maybe what a lot of aspiring psychologists expect to end up as. The kind with the talk therapy administered by a distinguished-looking gentleman or gentlewoman while the patient stretches out on a comfy couch and tells all. Clinical psychology is just one single part (for which you need a doctorate) in a world of possibilities.
Let's answer another common question you might have: what is the difference between a psychologist (clinical) and a psychiatrist? Well, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialised in psychology, and is therefore qualified to prescribe medication, whereas a clinical psychologist has a non-medical advanced degree and can't prescribe medication. That's basically it.
One can also become a researcher or lecturer in any of the incredibly varied specialisations in the world of psychology. Evolutionary psychology combines biology and psychology and looks at how
we might have adapted useful traits over the history of our species. Environment psychology looks at how one's environment (noise, heat, crowding etc.) can affect behaviour. And then there are careers that you might not even know exist that are related to psychology. For example, have you heard of a human factor specialist? They study the communication between a person and a machine, or how human behaviour and performance relates to the use of technology
Psychology is truly a field of immense scope and there truly is a specialisation (or combination of specilisations) for every interest and a career for every personality, as long as you're brimming with curiosity and ready to commit.
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