Psychology in the Real World 'Synthesis Post'

      Psychology is a vast field full of research and exploration of multiple sub fields. The overall theme of psychology is the study of how people think, behave, and interact. Since the subject is so general, it includes a wide range of topics to explore. Psychology involves everything from human behavior, to hormones, brain, stress, business, family, mental disorders, and much more. These topics captured my attention from an early age. Growing up I never knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I did know that whatever it was, that I wanted to be able to incorporate psychology into my career. I choose psychology to be the focus of my blog because it was the only subject I had any interest in. I wanted to learn about the different careers out there to try and figure out what career I want to pursue. This led me to a wide range of options of possible choices. Psychology is used every day in the real world, and my blog is helping me to find my place within it.

     The great thing about Psychology is the fact that it is so broad. This became very clear after doing my research. This makes it possible for everyone to find their passion. It is a great minor for any field because most jobs involve working with people, and psychology is all about understanding people. It’s also a great career choice for people, like me, who had no idea what they wanted to do. This is because it can be related to every job out there. Each sub field focuses on different parts of human life and processes. If you’re a person who likes science and math, then the research part of psychology is a great option. People who empathize well with people would excel as a psychiatrist or psychologist. For those people who love to be around a ton of people, they could pursue a career as a professor. The options are endless, and my blog helps to explore those options.

     Another thing that I learned from conducting research was that the majority of jobs in psychology are generally doing research and studies. I think this would be very interesting to do, but it would leave for a lot of ambiguity. There does not seem to be much direction within this part of psychology, so I feel like it would be hard for me to feel fulfilled. Plus all of this research would include a massive amount of paperwork. It seems like there is a lot of writing in this part of psychology, and the writing is very technical and bleak. This would be a challenge for me if I decided to conduct research. However, the research that psychologists conduct is usually very interesting and relatable. I used several news articles in my blog when I talked about the mental health of soldiers, and about how psychiatrists are so helpful for people affected. The news articles and publications that come out of it are so cool to read because most of the time the results can affect you as a person, and tell you a little more about yourself. Although this is true, I still cannot see myself doing research, and I am glad that my blog made me aware of that aspect.

     I did find myself pretty interesting in the business part of psychology. It is called Industrial-Organizational Psych, and is all about psychology of the workplace. I think it would be cool to do this because business and marketing is another interest of mine, so incorporating the two together would be perfect. I learned a ton about this field since I am taking a class on it currently. I reported a few things from it to my blog, and figured out that it caught my attention. This is just one option though. Another part I enjoy is learning about psychiatrists and the work they do. I really like to talk to people and help with their problems, so this could be another choice for me. I also like learning about mental illnesses and the effects of them. Both are possibilities that I still need to consider further.

      The point of my blog was to find my passion in psychology. However, even after all of the research and blog posts, I still find myself unsure. It did not help me to find my exact specialty, but it did help me to narrow down some options. I still know that I want psychology to be a part of my job, I just still don’t know if I want it to be my whole job. I still have more exploration and thinking to do, but after starting this blog, I am definitely more educated on my options. Psychology is all around us every day, but it’s up to us to determine where we fit in it.

Prompted Post #10: Remixing Knowledge

Classical conditioning is one of the biggest advances in psychology till this day. It was found accidentally by the famous Psychologist, Ivan Pavlov. He noticed that his dogs would salivate whenever they saw food. His dogs would even salivate every time he entered the room whether he was feeding them or not. Later on he realized that this salivation was their response to the expectation that he was about to fed them. This lead him to conduct an experiments on his dogs, which gave us the basic knowledge of  how we learn; through the associations that our brain makes with a stimulus and a response. 

There are four steps to this learning process. There is a neutral stimulus (NS), which in this case is the bell. This sound naturally does not lead to any response. Then there is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which would be the food. The food leads to an unconditioned response (UCR), the salivation, which does not need to be learned. After several times of hearing the bell (NS) immediately followed by the food (UCS), which naturally leads to salivation (UCR), something amazing happens. After this association occurs time and time again, the Bell will then trigger the salivation, even when there is no food present. This is because the dogs learned to associate the Bell (Now the Conditioned Stimulus) with the expectation of food which means automatic salivation (Now the Conditioned Response)

After searching on the internet for this information, I found a really cool remix project that was made on Ivan Pavlov's classical conditioning. As you can see, the author organized all of the information that I just told you, on this simple, easy to read flow chart. This remix project was created for those people who are searching the internet for quick information. It is aimed at those who don't want to spend a bunch of time reading. They just want simple information, or an overview. This project's audience is also directed for those visual learners who learn better with pictures then words. The purpose of this project was to help the audience understand the topic of classical conditioning in a simple, straight to the point manner. It also adds a lot to the writing because if the audience member gets hooked with this chart, they may be more likely to read on.

I think this remix of classical conditioning was very successful. It organized the information in a clear and systematic way and made it a lot easier to understand. The rhetorical strategies do what they are suppose to by complimenting the writing and keeping things clear and interesting.

Sources:

Stangor, Charles. "Chapter 7 Learning." Learning. Unnamed Publisher, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Free Post: #10: The Psychology Behind Addictions

      In the previous prompted post, I touched on mental disorders and why it is so important to have psychiatrists to help people affected. Many people don't realize, but addictions are also a form of a mental disorder. Since addictions are both psychological and psychological, there has been much research done on it to learn more, and to hopefully prevent these mental impairments from happening in the future.

 Many of us know someone or has heard of someone who has an addiction. An addiction is a serious condition that results in the need to consume a substance (usually narcotics) or engage in a risky activity. It is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, and memory. When a person is addicted to something, they feel the constant urge or need to engage in this behavior, without any control. Addictions are serious and can be crippling. They are be life-altering by taking away from a person’s happiness, freedom, and daily functioning. They take over body and mind until the affected person has no choice but to give in.

 The consequences of addictions are serious and without treatment, It can lead to a disability or even death. Since addiction is all about mental and psychical processes, it is a big focus in the psychology world. Psychologists study the exact regions of the brain affected and do research to learn more about what causes addictions.

Neurobiology tells us that addiction takes over the frontal cortex of the brain, and takes over the connections between the cortex and the circuits of reward motivation and memory. The frontal cortex is also in charge of impulse control and judgment. These are key areas of the brain that give us control of our actions. Without these parts functioning properly, It is easy for an addiction to take over.

Certain people are more at a risk to obtain an addiction. Certain personality characteristics might be one underlying factor. This includes people who deny problems, have emotional trouble, and those who are impulsive. There are also genetic factors that can contribute, as well as culture.

Addiction is dysfunctional emotional state and should be taken seriously. It is important to know that it is a form of a mental illnesses, and anyone who is addicted should receive immediate treatment. Always keep your eyes out for friends and family who may have an addiction, If you or someone you know has an addiction and needs help, they can find a trained psychologist to help them on the path to recovery by Clicking this link. Mental awareness is important, and I think that addiction awareness is a key part of that.

  Sources:
"Addiction Alcoholism, Substance Abuse." Addiction. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
ASAM Board of Directors. "Definition of Addiction." Definition of Addiction. American Society of Addiction Medicine, 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

Prompted Post #9: Recognizing Significance

Mental health is a current day issue that our society has not fully accepted yet. There are still stigmas out
there that judge the people who are affected by them. Some people believe that mental illnesses are just made up problems and that people who suffer from them are weak. However, this is not the case at all.

Mental Illnesses are medical conditions that disrupts a persons thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to function normally. To cope with these illnesses, affected people can go to a Psychiatrist to talk about their problems. Once the Psychiatrist identifies the problem, he/she can prescribe medication to the person to help them cope with the illness.

 I found an article about mental illness and the importance of the Psychiatry in treating them.  1 in 4 people are living with a mental illness. Since their aren't identified cures for most of these illnesses, Psychiatrists are their only hope in living a semi-normal life. The article talks about the changes to the DSM-5, this past December. For those of you who don't know, the DSM-5 is the newest version of the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual', which is the guide for diagnosing a mental illness. The mental illnesses are sorted into categories based on their type. Then underneath are the symptoms and criteria that a patient affected by the illness would have, and how many are needed to be present in order to be diagnosed. This manual is a helpful tool and guideline for Psychiatrists.

One of the changes that the DSM-5 has had in the past year includes changes to the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia, mood, and anxiety disorders. A new categorization of 'substance use-disorders' was made separate from substance related disorders. Plus the age of diagnosing ADHD was increased to before age 12.However, he biggest change that occurred was the the diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders (like depression and substance use) have been relaxed so that more individuals will be qualified for this and can get the necessary treatment. They talked about how this two issues are rising and that some people done show all of the symptoms like they thought before.

The only issue will loosening the criteria is the issue of over-diagnosing. We don't want to spend unnecessary money on people who aren't in need of the treatment. Psychiatrists will keep a close eye on this but they believe that this change will benefit many people.

Without Psychiatrists or the DSM-5, 25% of people in the United States would not know what is wrong with them, and would have no way of coping with their problems. This is the most significant part of psychology and our society benefits greatly from it.

Sources:
George, Tony P. "Psychiatry 2013 and DSM-5." Psychiatric Times. UBM Media, LCC, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. 

Free Post #9: Dream Interpertation

Dreams are mysterious things. No one knows the real reason of why we dream or the true meaning behind them, but there are many theories out there. Some say they are our unconscious thoughts represented through symbols, while others believe that they are meaningless. Theres also a theory that says they are just your random thoughts throughout the day made into a random story.

No matter what the real meaning behind them are, they still are interesting to try to decipher. I recently became interested in dream interpretation because just this morning my mom called me and told me that she had a dream about me during the previous night. I remembered learning learning about this in a previous psych class so i used my knowledge to try and decipher her dream.

To refresh my memory, I decided to look more into the meaning of dreams by searching on the internet. I found some descriptions and more background info on each theory, that many people may find helpful when trying to interpret their own dreams.

Theories:

Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreams

This is Psychologist Sigmund Freud's dream theory. He believed that dreams are a "representation of unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations". He believes that they are motivated by our aggressive and sexual instincts and desires. He wrote a book called the 'Interpretations of Dreams' which is full of all his ideas and symbols. Here he goes over what each symbol means and what the images could possibly represent. This is done through the manifest content (actual images and symbols) to determine the latent content (hidden meaning behind the manifest content).

Activation- Synthesis Model of Dreaming

This theory is all about the biology behind dreams. It explains the physical processes behind them and what goes on in your body when they occur. The theory says that there are circuits in your brain that become activate when you are in REM (dream sleep). Areas in the limbic system (amygdala and hippocampus) especially which are the areas in your brain are involved in emotions, sensations, and memory. The brain the tries to interpret the meaning behind these symbols. The founder behind this theory, Hobson, does not completely believe that dreams are meaningless like some people think. He believes they are a part of our creative conscious state.

Others
There are many other theories behind dreams. Like that we are just trying to interpret external stimuli, that your brain is just trying to clean up the clutter that fills in, or even that they are just a summary of all of your thoughts and ideas throughout  the day.

All of these theories could possible be true, and different ones could be used to interpret different dreams in different situations. Dream interpretations are an interesting study in psychology that I love to learn about.

Sources:
Cherry, Kendra. "Why Do We Dream? - Top Dream Theories." About.com Psychology. About.com, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Prompted Post #8: Practicing Your Knowledge

Hands-on learning in the real world is drastically different from learning in a classroom. Out in the real world

you have to face real situations and apply the knowledge you learned to that situation. The reason it is so different is because you are actually experiencing the full effect and emerging yourself into something that you have only read about in books or heard in a lecture. You actually get to be involved and the knowledge you learned suddenly becomes much more personal and something you can relate to.

Hands-on learning is a great way to really get the most out of the knowledge you are learning because you become actively involved. I recently got the opportunity to do hands-on learning by participating in an actual experiment conducted by real psychologists.

Conducting experiments for research is a big part of psychology. Many of the careers available within the field involve research and experiments.  That is why in every psychology class I have ever been in, the first thing we always learn about are the steps and procedures to conducting these research experiments. But to see this process go on in person was much different then I imagined.

I always imagined that research was conducted by psychologists in white lab coats, and in bright white rooms. That idea always intimidating to me because I thought they the research would be very "sciencey" and unpersonal. However this was not the case; the researchers were very friendly and tried to make me feel comfortable. They simply sat down and talked to me about the experiment. They had to make sure I was given 'informed consent' which means that I knew exactly what is going on in the experiment.  They got really extensive into explaining everything to make sure that I really understood. I was then asked to fill out a ton of paper work for legal reasons.  Once that was over they simply gave me each section of the experiment which included a short survey, a listening test, then another short survey. I thought they would be staring over my shoulder the entire time and that there would be a ton of pressure, but that wasn't the case at all. They simply monitored through a video feed while they waited in another room. It all seemed very laid back but very professional at the same time. 

I'm sure that actually being the subject is a lot different from being behind the scenes, but I still got to get a good sense of how things work. Of course I didn't get to see any of their preparations or lab work, but I did get to see how the actual experiment is conducted. It gave me a better understanding of the types of experiments as well. The one I participated in is a lab experiment as well as the most common type, survey. I finally could remember the difference between the dependent and independent variables, which I always struggled with, but since they clearly explained it to be and I was personally involved, It really made the knowledge stick.

 It was a lot different then I expected because when I think of research I think of bio and chem. But from this experiment I learned that psychology experiments are actually fun and interesting, and that the actual experiment it self is the simple part; the prep work is the most extensive part. Overall I still think it was a great experience, and it definitely made me a lot more interested in pursing a career in research.

Sources:

Heffner, Dr. Christopher L. "Research Methods in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online."Research Methods in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online. Heffner Media Group, Inc., 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Free Post #8: Mental Health Information

1 out of every 4 adults in the United States suffers with a mental health disorder; that's 57.7 million people! 25%  is a pretty hefty chunk of our population. That being said I think that It is important for people to be informed on these disorders so they can be  more aware and sensitive to the people who suffer.

Anxiety Disorders:
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, but a anxiety disorder causes this feeling of uncertainty to be excessive. It is difficult to control while it also causes you to look at life in a negative light. There are a wide range of types of anxiety disorders.

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Creates a feeling of being on edge all the time, or even feeling     anxious for no reason at all
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Obsessing over little rituals and feeling the need to repeat certain rituals over and over again. The main focus is different for everyone affected and can be anything from counting objects over and over, to repeating words or actions. The person feels an overwhelming sense of anxiety until the ritual is completed.
• Panic disorder: A sudden panic attack consisting of intense anxiety, shortness of breath and hyperventilation. The cause of the attack usually for an unknown reason, but certain people also have certain triggers.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Caused by a traumatic event. The person may randomly feel stressed or threatened and go into their fight or flight response when no danger is present.
• Social phobia (or social anxiety disorder): A strong fear of being judged negatively by others. They may feel anxious or embarrassed to meet a person or speak to people. They cannot control their fear and usually stays away from situations where multiple people are involved

Mood Disorders:

A strong feeling of a certain mood without any control from the individual. It takes a toll on the individual's mood and mind.

• Depressive Disorder: When feelings of sadness last for an extended period of time, and it feels like there is no escaping it. The sadness is accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. The symptoms also commonly interfere with daily life functioning.
• Bipolar Disorder: Known as a manic-depressive illness. It causes shifts in one extreme of a mood to the other extreme within a short period of time. When its an manic episode the person feels extremely happy, like they can accomplish the world; they usually work excessively. During the depressive state the person feels overwhelming sadness and is unable to function.  

Other Disorders:

•  Schizophrenia: is a chronic, crippling brain disorder. People affected hear voices in their head plotting to harm them or telling them other irrational things. The voices are almost constant, which makes it difficult to focus, or to do anything else but sit and listen to the thoughts. It is difficult for a person with this disorder to hold a job or live normally.
• Autism: A pervasive developmental disorder, inhibiting the person from developing in a normal way. There is a cognitive impairment which leads to unusual actions and behaviors, as well as a different way of thinking and learning.
• Eating Disorders: Is a mental disorder that is caused by a person not seeing themselves the way they really are. They want to strive for perfection by making themselves beautiful and skinny. Anorexia Nervosa is one type which is starving ones self.  Bulimia Nervosa is another type in which a person eats normally but then makes themselves throw up the food. Binge-eating disorder is the last type which is periods of starving ones self followed by periods of excessive overeating.
• Borderline Personality Disorder: A pattern of instability in relationships, self image, and impulsiveness.

There are many more disorders and sub-disorders out there, but I think it is important for people to have at least a little background information of these disorders due to the commonality of them.

Sources:

Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates by Demographic Characteristics. Table 2: Annual Estimates of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004 (NC-EST2004-02) Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Release Date: June 9, 2005.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, 1994.

Free Post #7: The Mental Health of Soldiers

 Most people these days either have a loved one in the military or know someone who does. That being said, we all can understand the mental struggles that these men and women go through. It is tough to be a part of the armed services, and it can take a toll on the physical and mental health of the soldiers.

A new study was found that an increasing percentage of American Soldiers are experiencing mental health issues. The rate of major depression is 5 times higher and the rate of Post Traumatic Stress disorder is 6 times higher in soldiers then the regular population.

Other mental health issues in soldiers include serve anxiety, eating disorders, panic disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as excessive drug and alcohol use.

A study by Kessler found that one quarter of active duty non-deployed soldiers were found to have at least one of these mental health issues. Having 1/4th of the US military with a mental problem is pretty concerning. Another study found that 14% of soldiers have had suicidal thoughts, 5.3% have planned suicide, and 2.4% have attempted it. These are very scary numbers and since I have a loved one in the military, this makes me even more concerned.

After reading this article and learning all about the dangers and struggles that the US soldier face, I can't help but to feel uneasy. Something needs to be done to help these soldiers with their mental struggles and challenges. I wonder if there are counselors and psychologists who could help them out. Either way I believe that something needs to be done and that we should raise awareness for this issue. The men and women who are risking their lives for our country should be given a way to help cope with the stress or to deal with their mental health. Many people don't realize how important the mental health of individuals is. It is over looked many times, however I think that needs to change. The mental health of the soldiers defending our country is way to important to overlook and longer; something needs to be done.

Citations:
Mundell, E.J. "Psychiatric Ills Widespread Among U.S. Soldiers." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

Prompted Post #6: Evaluating Sources; The Negative Side of Postive Psychology

Positive Psychology is used to make normal life more fulfilling. It uses
research and intervention techniques to understand the positive, adaptive, creative and emotionally fulfilling aspects of human behavior. Its goal is to ultimately study how looking at the bright side of things and staying positive can lead to a happier and more fulfilled life; sounds great, doesn't it? Well not everyone agrees that this is the best way to go about things. An article by Barbara S. Held  called "The Negative Side to Positive Psychology" from the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, argues the reasons she believes there's a dark side to Positive Psychology.

Point 1) The Negative Side Effects
Barbara believes that "our professional culture is saturated with the view that we must think positive thoughts, we must cultivate positive emotions and attitudes, and we must play to our strengths to be happy, healthy, and wise." She believes that these thoughts are clouding our judgment, and that we are ultimately lying to ourselves. The reason for this is that this method of psychology is like a "one size fits all" when really it is not for everyone. Some people may not be able to get over their sadness, no matter how hard they try, and they will think something is wrong with them for it. Also she believes that this is a way of ignoring your problems so they can just get worse.

Point 2) The Negativity of Positive Psychologists
In this section she talks about how negativity is a normal part of human life and functioning. She says that it is impossible to be completely positive all the time because negativity is in our human nature. Therefore Barbara comes to the conclusion that Positive Psychologists are negative about being negative; they think its a horrible thing to be negative. When really we need to use pessimism at necessary times  in our life. Psychologists have done research on this and came to the conclusion that you need to have the correct balance of positive and negative thoughts to live a healthier life. Also that positive emotions can sometimes be a negative rather then a positive.

Point 3) The Wisdom of William James
William James devoted 2 lectures to positive psychology and healthy mindedness. He says that healthy minds are blind to evil and deny negative things with positive illusions. He has come to realize that he has found virtue in negative events and has learned from them. He could accept it for what it was without masking it with positivity. Life lessons come with negative things so its in your best interest to not try and sugar coat it with positive thoughts.

I think that Barbara makes a very solid argument. There were times in my life when I couldn't help but look at an event and see the negativity in it. I would think something was wrong with me because I couldn't just pretend like it didn't happen. But from being able to see the situation as a negative one, I was able to accept it and move on with my life. I think it is good to have a good balance of positive and negative thoughts because it is exhausting to be completely positive all the time. I think that there are necessary times for both and that it is just part of human nature. However i do disagree on the fact that Positive Psychology is a bad thing; I think that it is good to look at things through a positive light and to be able to see the best in everything. I just think that you shouldn't take it took far, and you should only use the necessary amount to positivity, but to still be able to accept the bad things that happen in life.




Sources:
Held, Barbara S. "The Negative Side of Positive Psychology." Journal of Humanistic Psychology 44.1 (2004): 9-46. Print.

"Positive Psychology." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

Prompted Post #7: Contemplating Controversy; Nature vs. Nurture

      In psychology, there are many age-old debates that stretches back to the very first founding fathers of the science. One of the original and most controversial topics in psychology is the long debate over Nature v. Nurture. It is the topic of how humans were developed. Were are our traits inherited through our genes, or were they learned and acquired from the environment?

The supporters of the Nature side argue that everything from our personality traits, to our physical traits, illnesses, and IQ are strictly innate. That everything we are has been passed down through our genes. They say that humans are strictly formed on a 'biological clock' and 'pre-programmed' to develop in a certain manner. The examples that the nature side uses to argue their case are the stores of identical twins who were separated at birth, grew up in different environments, and were surprised  at what they found when they were reunited. They had the exact same personality traits, interests, and IQ; they both developed into pretty much the same person, even though they had been raised in different environments.

However, the Nurture side says this simply a coincidence, and argue they must have grew up in similar environments, which for this example, turns out to be true as well. The way that the Nurture side looks at development, is that everything is learned from the environment around us. They say we learn through 'schemas' or representations of how we should act, based on the schema of a male or female. This then shapes how we think, dress, and act. Mostly everything that forms us is through social influences, and how we were raised by our parents. Our behavior and attitudes are learned from conditioning and what we learn is right from wrong. Peer pressure is a great example that the nurture side loves to use. They say that influence from those around you is the biggest factor of how a child develops. It starts from parental influence, and moves to friend influences in the teenage years, and this ultimately shapes the type of person that you become.

I believe that both arguments are very plausible. I can clearly see where each side is coming from and why they believe what they do. However, the nature-nurture debate will never be truly resolved, as both sides continue come out with new evidence that supports their case. There really is not a right answer when it comes to this debate, it strictly comes down to personal opinion.

Source:

     McLeod, Saul. "Nature Nurture in Psychology." Simply Psychology. SimplyPsychlogy, 2007. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.

Free Post #6: Psychology Careers

Psychology does not have a very good reputation. Many people out there believe that everything you learn in psychology is just common sense, and that a degree in psychology is completely useless. While a psychology degree will not land you an super high paying job, there are still many well paying career paths and options available for psych majors

1. Psychiatrist

Average Salary: $167,610 per year
Educational Requirements:  After earning a bachelor's degree, to be a psychiatrist, you must complete to medical school and a four-year residency in a hospital or clinic. After these requirements are met, psychiatrists can help patients with psychological issues and are able to prescribe them medication.

 2. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

 Average Salary: $97,820 per year
 Educational Requirements: With a masters degree, an I-O psychologists can earn an average or $55,000. However, with a doctoral degree, I-Oers can conduct research and make significantly more money then those working in the field.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology is  psychology of the business work. The field work includes selection, appraisal, and training of employees in the work place. The research consists of studying these things and how they effect the workers.

3. Neuropsychologist

Average Salary: $90,460 per year
Educational Requirements: A doctorate degree in neuropsychology or clinical neuropsychology is required, and the degree needs to have a specialty in cognitive or neuroscience.

This field entitles performing cognitive tests, run brain scans, assess people suffering from brain injury, and study how drugs impact the nervous system. This can be done in hospitals and clinics.

4. Engineering Psychologist 

Average Salary: $79,818 per year 
Educational Requirements: Entry-level positions require a master's degree, but a doctoral degree will lead to higher paying jobs.

Engineering psychology is an applied sub-field that focuses on improving and adapting technology equipment, and work environments to enhance human behavior and capabilities.

 5. Clinical Psychologist

 Average Salary: $72,540 per year
 Educational Requirements:  A doctoral degree is required to be a clinical psychologist in most states.

Clinical psychologists are trained in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness.



I think that all in all, there are some very good jobs in the psychology profession. Most of them require a doctoral degree but there are still some great options to make a great living. I'm leaning the most towards a criminal psychologist or the industrial and organizational one. I think any choice would be a good one though.

sources:
Cherry, Kendra. "Highest Paying Psychology Careers." About.com Psychology. About.com, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.

Free Post #5: Criminal Minds vs. Real Criminal Psychologists

Criminal minds is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It is about a behavioral analysis unit in the FBI who hunts down the biggest and baddest pathological criminals before they can strike again. They 'profile' criminals and determine the specific traits they possess based on their analysis of every little detail of a crime scene. The team then narrows down their search to a pool of suspects who possess certain traits, based on the crime committed.

As I started to watch several episodes of this show a couple of days ago, I realized that I would love to have a job like the characters in the show. That's when I started to wonder if their actually was a job out there like this and if there was, how accurate the show was to the real life thing?

After I did some research on the topic, I came to some interesting conclusions. It turns out that the real life profession the show is trying to portray are 'Criminal Psychologists.' But not all criminal psychologists are like the characters in the show. There are a vast number of jobs for criminal psychologists; everything from investigating online fraud, to interviewing past criminals, to working in a court, to doing actual criminal profiling just like in the show.

However, when comparing the 'profilers' in the show to the 'profilers' in real life, there are some differences.  The show portrays the criminal psychologists to have a more active role in the investigation then they actually do, like showing them help arrest the suspect after a intense, wild chase. This is done in an artistic manner to make the show more suspenseful. In real life the psychologists aren't there for the apprehension of the suspect, they leave that to the real law enforcement. All they do is examine the crime scene, determine what type of person they are looking for, help to narrow down the suspects and to locate them.  Another difference is that the cases in real life are usually take weeks or months to solve, and they are never as easy to piece together as the show makes it seem.

Although criminal profiling is a really exciting path to take for a criminal psychologist, there are only a handful of jobs out there. The profilers are employed by the FBI and only investigate serial killer cases, so there is no need to have a ton of profilers. They are better off sending the rest of the criminal psychologists to other needy areas where they would be of better use.

The life of a Criminal Psychologist may not be as glamorous or exciting as the show makes it seem, but it is still an interesting career none the less. I think its really cool that there are actual people out there in the real world who do the same thing as the characters in the show. Even though its unlikely to happen, being a criminal profiler will always be one of my dream jobs. Doing this research also opened my eyes up to the other jobs and opportunities in criminal psychology. It will definitely be a possibility for me to pursue a career in this field, in the future.


Sources:
Rosevear, Paul D. "Https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/documentstore/kudocs/pressroom/real.pdf." America Online. Classes, USA Inc., 2006. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Renee. "Criminal Minds Recap 10/2/13 – “The Inspired”." HaveUHeard. HaveUHeard, 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

Prompted Post #5: Defining Ethics

In every field or organization, it is important to establish a set of guidelines for the behavior expected of the employees. These guidelines are most often know as a code of ethics. Ethics describe the behavior that is expected as well as the mindset that every person involved should have. It is a way of molding its employees so everyone follows the same principles for the same reason, and acts accordingly in their job.

In Psychology, the ethical code is called the "Five General Principles of Ethics for Psychologists." They were created by the American Psychological Association (APA). The ethical code is non-enforceable so it won't limit psychologists, but it was created to “guide and inspire psychologists toward the very highest ethical ideals of the profession” (p. 3).  They were created so that psychologists could strive to reach ethical standards.

The Five Principles of Ethics:

1) Principle A: Beneficence and Non maleficence, "strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm." In other words, try not to hurt the people they work with.

2) Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility, encourages psychologists to do what is needed, to follow all direction and protocol, and to make responsible judgements and actions when necessary.

3) Principle C: Integrity, "promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness." and to take responsibility when responsible.

4) Principle D: Justice,  encourages Psychologists to be fair in all of their judgements, decisions and actions.

5) Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity, which entitles not forcing them to partake in anything they don't agree too, to not violate any of their rights, and no not harm them in any manner.


These codes correspond to my own ethics in many ways. I try to follow similar principles in my daily life. Three ways that I apply and practice these ethics in college are:

1. I follow Principle A when I help my friends with their homework and studying. I want to benefit those people around me so I try to help them out the best that I can. While striving to benefit my friends, I also strive to not harm them. I do this by always supporting them and being as friendly as possible.

2. I follow Principle B of responsibility the most out of them all. Being in college takes a ton of responsibility. I need to always make sure I am keeping up on my homework, going to class, studying enough for exams, going to work, getting enough sleep, and not spending too much money. I have a ton of responsibility I must attend to and must make judgements on what is more important at a given time.

3. The 3rd principle I follow is Principle C, Integrity. I do this by always being honest and truthful to those around me, especially those people in authority. I have the honestly to take my own exams, to not cheat, to do my own homework and to not steal at work. I use integrity quite a lot because it is an important trait for a person to have.

By following these ethical principles in college, I believe that they will prepare me for using these ethical principles in the future, as a psychologist.

Sources: 
 American Psychological Association. (2010). American Psychological Association ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. 12 February 2014.

 Mayer, John D. "The American Psychological Association's Guidelines on Media Presentations." Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Free Post #4: Psychological Persuasion Techniques Used in Sales

Psychology truly is everywhere. It is a big part of our lives and we are influenced by it every day. Stores, businesses, and charities use the psychological persuasion techniques to persuade us to buy their products or comply to their requests.

I learned this in my Social Psychology class last semester, and it was my favorite unit that we studied because it occurs all the time in business and sales. What I learned has definitely impacted me ever since. It is amazing to realize how often we are influenced by these techniques and tricks. I learned there are 3 main types of persuasion techniques that really do work if you aren't paying attention or realize its happening. They are Low Balling, Foot in the Door, and Door in the Face.

This cartoon is an example of two of the persuasion techniques, Door in the Face and Low Balling. When the salesman gives the opening price of $4500, he gets turned down immediately. This offer resulted in the 'door in the face' which is supposed to happen with door in the face technique. You first give a high offer which most likely would be turned down. You then come back with a lower offer, which in this case was $4000. The target feels bad about turning you down the first offer, so he agrees to the 2nd, lower price. 

However, it turns out that the 2nd offer was low balled at $4000. The salesman gave a price of $4000 which seems reasonable in order to get the target to agree and commit to buying the product. Once the target is committed to the product, he cant go back. All the salesman has to do is talk about the extra charges or costs which will get the price back to the original one that the salesmen wanted. Low balling is a method that tricks you into thinking your getting a product for a super low price, but there ends up being extra fees and costs that raises the price above the agreed upon cost.

The above cartoon is an example of the foot in the door persuasion technique. The orange cartoon wants $2 dollars. The first time he asks the purple cartoon, it does not go so well, so he decides to use a new approach. The orange cartoon first asks the purple cartoon what time its. This is a very small request that the orange cartoon can easily get the purple one to comply too. By doing this the orange cartoon gets his 'foot in the door.' This means that once someone complies to a small request, they get sucked in and are more likely to comply to a second, larger request. Next, the orange cartoon asks for a large request of $2. The purple cartoon then feels like since he agreed to the first request he should agree to the 2nd one as well.

These techniques are used on customers all the time. Social Psychologists have studied these and found they are extremely effective. They are something that everyone needs to be aware of when they are shopping. Don't get sucked in and tricked by these persuasion techniques. They are only meant to get you to spend more, unnecessary money. 

Citation:

 Ly, Vinh. "Low Ball – The Mouse Trap Offer." Vinhly. WordPress, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.

 Ly, Vinh. "Foot-in-the-door – Start Small for Big Results." Vinhly. WordPress, 29 Dec. 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.

Prompted Post #4: Observing Community

      The campus organization that I got involved with was the Michigan State Psychology Club. The community is a bunch of students who are interested in and love learning about the various fields of psychology. Most of them happen to be psychology majors, but there were a good amount of students who weren't. It doesn't matter who you are or what you study; the club is open to anybody! There are general members who attend, as well as executive board members who plan out the meetings, lead them, and arrange for guest speakers to come. The sponsor or the head of this club is one of the psychology departments advisers at MSU. 

         From attending one of the meetings this year I can tell that the community is a bunch of passionate students who want to learn about psychology. They all are so intrigued by the subject that they are willing to meet and learn more separate from their classes. They are all interested in how people interact, and want to learn about the possible fields so they can either choose one for their own career path, or just to be informed.

    The beliefs of the group is to learn about people for the good of people. They want to know how the world works a lot with the people in it. They believe in excelling as students, getting a head from the rest of their class, learning, and forming connections with psychologists and professors. They also believe in doing good for others. The group does some volunteering and fundraisers to benefit the community.

    The group values psychology along with the theories and topics within it. They value learning as well as their interest in psychology. They value the opportunities they have here at MSU as well as discussing interesting topics.

   The methods of communication with in this group consisted if a leader conducting the meeting. Then, for most meetings, a guest speaker comes up and discusses their area or field of psychology. They discuss what they do and the certain things that go on, as well as information about that field. Then they start a discussion with all the members about certain topics and theories in psychology, and the members are able to ask questions and discuss their point of view on things. The meeting was a good combination of listening and learning from one speaker, to then discussing and debating as an entire group.

 It was a really good experience to participate and sit in at on of these Psychology Club meeting. I was very interested the entire time and I will definitely come back and attend several more meetings for my remaining years of college.

Prompted Post #3: Exploring Writing Processes

The prompted post for this week was to interview someone who works in the profession that you are interested in going into. Since I am interested in Psychology as a whole, and still don't know what I want to do exactly, I decided to interview my Industrial and Organizational Psychology professor to get some information on her career.

I will go through the series of questions that I asked Professor Chang, an I/O Psychologist at Michigan State University, about her career, as well as the writing processes and types of communication that her job requires.

Q: 1) What made you want to become an I/O Psychologist?

A: Professor Chang told me that she knew she wanted to go into psychology because she was always interested in the interactions and relationships between people. She first tried shadowing a clinical psychologist in a hospital, but she quickly learned that that sort of work just wasn't for her. She couldn't handle the mental patients who where too far gone to make any progress with, and didn't like the environment. That's when she decided she wanted to pursue a career that was applicable to the general population of people. Since the general population of people are involved in the workplace, she decided that I/O psychology was the perfect fit for her.

Q: 2) What type of work and research do you conduct?

A: She not only is a professor of I/O psychology courses, she also conducts and publishes her own research. The main focus of her work is on occupational health. She studies how an individuals work life and experiences in the workplace relate and interact with their family and home life. She wants to find out how certain stressors in one area of a persons life can affect the other parts of their life.

Q: 3) What are some benefits to your job, are you rewarded in any way?

A: Her favorite part of her job is teaching students about I/O psychology. Its quite a feeling to be able to benefit kids like that and help them grow. She loves to introduce new students to the field and get them interested in it, not only to benefit them, but to benefit and expand the new and emerging field of psychology. She also likes to interact with graduate students and work on research with them.

Q: 4) What are your primary methods of communication?

A: Since she is a professor, her biggest type of communication is oral. Most of her time is spent lecturing, in meetings, or discussing research with her colleagues. She like to meet and discuss things with her students as well. Another big part of her communication is emailing students and other researchers in her profession. The third type of communication she uses is summarizing her data and publishing it in psychology magazines.

Q: 5) How have you learned to communicate in your field, was there anything you had to adapt to?

A: The one type of communication she had to learn was the technical and professional writing of APA (American Psychological Association). The research she publishes is in a different, technical type of language. She said that the language and writing in this field changes frequently and its difficult to stay updated and adapt.

Q: 6) What are your personal long term goals and plans for the future?

A: She plans on further pursuing her research while teaching more courses at MSU. In her research she wants to further investigate the health and wellness of employees in the workplace, as well as the stress and issues they face both in their work and home lives. Something else she plans on doing is conducting interventions with the topic of stress and work on family life so she can help to solve the many issues that workers face.


I learned a lot of new things from this interview with Professor Chang. I just want to thank her again for her time to sit down and talk with me. I feel like I am in the same position that she was in when she decided this career was for her, and I feel like I have the same passions that she does. I'm starting to thing I would enjoy this career since I also enjoy learning about the interactions of people and how their health, wellness, and stress in some parts of their life can carry over to other parts. The work place is such a applicable field because much of the general population is involved in it. I am excited to finish her I/O class and get to learn more about this field. It wasn't surprising that much of her communication is oral since she is a professor, but I was surprised when she told me the only type of writing she does is her publications. Overall, I think this was a rewarding experience to get to talk with her and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me in this field.

Free Post #3: How Psychologists Are Depicted in Film

Many times when film producers try to represent careers in the movies, they represent them completely different from the truth. When it comes to representing psychologists in movies, just how accurate are they?

I started wondering about this when I started my Industrial and Organizational Psychology class this semester. I didn't know what Industrial and Organizational psychology, but from this class, I've learned a lot. The very first day of the class my professor showed us a clip from Office Space. We discussed how Industrial and Organizational Psychologists were reenacted in much of the movie, and we concluded that they were pretty accurate in doing so.

I was very curious about this because It is one of the many psychology based jobs that I am considering on pursuing. Many people have no clue what I/O psychologists even do. Here is a clip from the movie 'Office Space', which can give you an idea.

I/O Psychologists are a very unique type of psychology. It is the psychology of the business world. The two men who you just saw interviewing the worker are I/O psychologists. They are hired by companies, to identify the effectiveness of the companies workers.

The workers go through job evaluations where they get interviewed. The Psychologists do this to get an idea of what each worker actually does for the company, and how valuable they are to the company. They can then calculate and determine whether the company is over or under hiring workers, and if they are over hiring they can help the company identify which employees to keep as well as the ones they should let go. This decision is all based on the I/O's data of how effective and valuable each employee is to the company.

The goal is to save the company money by getting the most effective use of their employees. That is why the primary areas of  I/O Psychology are selection, training, organizational development, performance management, quality of work life, and human factors.

In conclusion, it is clear that the movie 'Office Space' did a pretty good job at giving the audience an inside look at I/O psychologists. I am excited to learn more about Industrial and Organizational Psychology when I interview my Professor this Friday. Stay tuned and by next week I will go through the interview with her so we can get an even closer look and real life look into the world of I/O or Business Psychology.

Sources:
 Cornhol24. "People Skills Office Space the Bobs." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Dec. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Chang, C. "Lectures #1-7." Industrial and Organizational Psychology Class (PSY 255). North Kendze Hall, East Lansing, MI. Jan. 2014. Lecture.

Free Post #2: Psychology in Sports

Anyone who has played a competitive sport knows that it is a mental game just as much as it is physical. As an athlete, you cant just go out there mentally unprepared and expect to play your best.  It takes a lot of mental preparation before the game in order to compete.

After the recent MSU Rose Bowl Victory, I was curious as to whether or not there was a field of psychology behind this. Turns out there is. The people who study this mental preparation are called Sports Psychologists. They research and test different mental preparation techniques to see what best helps athletes get ready to play.

Some athletes have rituals and other techniques to get them ready to play. But for those who are unaware or are struggling to get themselves in the game, I found a list of methods from various websites, that are discovered by sports psychologists and are proven to help get athletes past mental barriers so they can be psychologically to the right place.These techniques help to build confidence in athletes, which has a positive correlation with actual performance.

1. Goal Setting :
 It is important to identify what specific goals you have before you go out on the field, court, or rink. Whether it is to score a hat trick, get the most assists, or not let anything past you, when you can give your mind some type of focus, you will be more likely to achieve that goal. It gives the mind a direction and you will be more motivated and determined to follow through with the goal when you identify it before hand.

2. Relaxation/ Increasing Intensity :
Depending on the sport and each persons preferences, some athletes like to get them selves relaxed before games, whiles others like to pump themselves up. Its whatever physiological state you preform better in. No matter which one you choose, it is still important to learn how to regulate the anxiety with relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. In order to get yourself pumped up, a great way is by moving your body to heart pumping, intensity key words such as 'Charge' and 'Hustle'. These words will generate positive thoughts and emotions. And of course music is a great way to generate energy, excitement and intensity in an athlete.

3. Self Talk :
Your thoughts control everything you do. They influence feelings and behaviors without us even being aware. Therefore it is important for the athlete to identify if these thoughts are positive or negative. The goal is to harness the negative thoughts and counteract them by replacing them with positive ones, or even re framing the negative thoughts so you can them from a different perspective and in a new light. When you can self talk your mind into thinking positively, you will be way more likely to reflect those positive thoughts through your actions on the field.

4. Imagery :
Personally, I think imagery is the most effective technique to get an athlete mentally prepared. It allows you to  retreat to a place that is calm. When you imagine what you are going to do in the game, you can mentally push your self to become stronger and better, way further then you can in actual life. You can allow yourself to visualize the game, the sounds, and the smells. When visualizing you can control every play, movement, and outcome, to end the way that you want. This can mentally get yourself to a place where you are ready to go out there and play just like you pictured yourself in your head. When athletes can visualize them coming out on top and performing how they want, confidence is built and they will be more confident to do this in the actual game.

5. Intrinsic Motivation :
An individual who is intrinsically motivated will be likely to perform the task for only the inner satisfaction of accomplishing it. When the only reason the athlete wants to go out there is for himself, and nothing else, he is more like to be more motivated, and will seek out challenges. They will more likely be maximally engaged. A good way to intrinsically motivate yourself is by identifying the reasons why you started playing the sport, and why you continue to do it. As an athlete when you recognize you are passionate about the game and that's why you play, you will be more likely to preform at your peak.

These Psychology techniques are powerful enough to determine an athletes performance in a game.
I have concluded that different methods work for different people; they just have to find what fits the best. For example, I used to play soccer, and the things that most benefited me were imagery, music, intrinsic motivation , and self talk. Sports are a mental game, and psychology can help any athlete ready to play.

Sources:

USTA. "Sports Psychology: Mental Skills for Achieving Optimum Performance | USTA."Sports Psychology: Mental Skills for Achieving Optimum Performance. United States Tennis Association, 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

Prompted Post #2: Comparing a Psychology Blog to a Scholarly Article on Psychology

Lets face it; no matter what type of source is being used, reading about Psychology is fascinating. We get to learn all about ourselves as human beings and what could be more interesting than that!

But, have you ever stopped and noticed what source this information is coming from? Was it a scholarly article written by a professional? Or was it just some blog that a random person created for your entertainment.
If you did stop and notice, you may have noticed several differences in the delivery and style of the two pieces.

I recently read an article written by a psychology professional from the American Psychological Association Website, a online database full of articles and publications by psychologists. It was an article about how to reduce anxiety by telling yourself to get excited as opposed to telling yourself to calm down. When I started reading the article, the first thing I noticed was how professional of a manner it was written in. It was strictly to the point. The tone was serious, showing no emotion or voice whatsoever. When talking about the studies that were done, the word choice was precise, using complicated language.

It is obvious that the purpose of the article is to educate with true facts and real information. It is also clear that the intended audience are other professionals, scholars, students, and the educated public.
I still learned a ton from this article, and wouldn't let the professionalism stop you from checking it out. It was very fascinating and filled with a ton of quality information.

I also happened to stumble upon a psychology blog called PsyBlog. It is an awesome website full of interesting articles about psychology. The topics they touch on in the blog are everything from how comedians have psychotic personality traits to how falling in love only takes a fifth of a second. The article I read was about how attractive students tend to get higher grades. The first difference you can notice is how the topics in the blog are much more interesting then the topics on the APA website. The next thing I noticed was that the layout, font, and word choice of the article was much more relaxed than the first one. The article in the blog did not use such complicated language either. Everything was kept more simple and easy to understand. Its written more journalistic which kept my attention much longer.

It is clear that the purpose of this article is the entertain, while also providing some facts and reasoning. The intended audience is the general public and people with minimal background in psychology, who just want to be entertained.

Both were interesting articles and I encourage you to check them out!

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/12/performance-anxiety.aspx
http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/12/attractive-students-get-higher-grades.php

Sources:
Brooks, Allison Wood. "Getting Excited Helps with Performance Anxiety More Than Trying to Calm Down, Study Finds." APA. American Psychological Association, 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. <http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/12/performance-anxiety.aspx>.

(“Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement,” Alison Wood Brooks, PhD, Harvard Business School; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, online)

Dean, Jeremy. "Attractive Students Get Higher Grades." Web log post. PsyBlog. Hostgator, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.

Free Post #1: How The Media Uses Psychology

We are influenced by the people around us. Their actions and behaviors are partially what determines ours. This is known by many different names, but they all social influence techniques.The media does a great job to take advantage of these social influence techniques in commercials and advertisements. They use the techniques to persuade the audience and to make them think that they need to buy a product.

An example of one of the social influence techniques used in the media is a a Pepsi Max commercial from a couple of years ago that I found at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGM4ZCwemo



As you can see, the yawn sets off a chain reaction, which influences everyone else in the commercial to yawn. They are thinking about yawning until they see someone else do it, and this triggers an yawn in them. The examples of social influence in the commercial was mirroring and conformity. Mirroring is mimicking the gestures, facial expressions, words, and behaviors of a person they are interacting with. In the commercial, everyone is mirroring each other because they are influenced to do so.

Another reason that the people in the video are influenced to yawn could be because of social empathy. When the people around us feel a certain way, we tend to feel the same way as well. Their mood rubs off on us. In this case the people are feeling tired because the people around them are too. The tiredness rubs off on them and they end up yawning because they feel the same way the other people feel.

This is an effective commercial because it uses 'priming' of the audience. When watching the commercial you are also likely to yawn. You then feel tired just like everyone else in the commercial. Then when the Pepsi Max comes on, the viewer of the commercial is more likely to go purchase it because they feel tired and need energy. The commercial primes the viewer to be tired so they need energy. This is a every effective social psychology technique and is the reason this commercial was such a success.


Source of video:
 “Diet Pepsi Max “Yawn”.” YouTube. YouTube, 9 Mar 2012. Web. 21 January 2014
Cesario, Professor J. "Social Psychology (PSY 235)." Course Lecture. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Fall 2013. Lecture.

Prompted Post #1: 10 Questions

There are 10 questions I have about the Psychology in the Professional world. I found the answers to these questions in the books and places cited at the bottom.

      1.    What jobs are there in psychology?

Many of the students who take psychology don’t go on to study it professionally. They just apply the principles they learn to their own profession. Therefore there are many career opportunities when it comes to psychology since it can relate to virtually any profession. The jobs within psychology vary as well. There are laboratory jobs, which the psychologists spend their day conducting experiments and students. There are also psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors who spend their time talking with people to help them to solve their problems. However, I am going to focus on a variety of jobs that use psychology theories within their jobs.

      2.    What is the main goal that social psychologists have
      To explain the motives and behaviors of people in everyday life. The main goal is to find the reason behind why people do what they do, which then allows them to predict what the person will do when faced in a given situations.

      3.   What types of departments are there within psychology?

The different departments in psychology each focus of their own specialty. Social psychology is the study of the interactions of people in the social world. Industrial and organizational psychology is the study of the workplace. Behavioral psychology is the study of the behaviors or people and predicting how they will act. Neuroscience psychology is the study of the chemical processes in the brain. All of these can be related to the real world.

    4.    What types of obstacles do psychologists face?

Social Psychology, as well as every other department in psychology has a lot obscurity, vagueness, and confusion. There is no set nature of elements or laws that exist. Everything is to be taken for interpretation. It is based on a classification of intellectual processes of comparison and the relationships between people. There is no right or wrong answer in psychology, everything is simply assumed which makes it difficult for psychologists to be taken seriously.

    5.    What are the qualifications in psychology?
       To just simply use psychology with your professions only takes a couple of basic psych courses, or even a minor in psychology. However, to be a psychologist it is necessary to receive a degree in psychology. The higher degree, the more money that can be made. To be a psychiatrist who prescribes medicine requires a doctoral degree in psychology.

      6.    Why is psychology useful in everyday life?

It helps us to make sense of the world around us. Without it we would have no way to explain people, their interactions or behaviors. It is useful because it can relate to so many aspects of life and it is used multiple times a day in multiple situations. 

      7.    How has psychology been used in history?

During the World War a group of psychologists from the American Psychological association developed standardized tests in order to place men in the best given job. The aptitude test identified a man’s special ability and where he should be placed in the army. These are also called vocational tests which are still used to this day.

      8.    What important qualities must you have to be a psychologist?

To be a psychologist it is important to be an understanding person. You have to be good at perspective taking in order to see things from another person’s point of view in order to understand why they did what they did. You must also have self-awareness and be able to understand yourself.

9.     Is psychology a competitive field?
Yes, psychology is a growing field. There is a high demand to explain the behaviors behind people because of the shocking events that take place in our country and around the world. There has been multiple random school shootings and terrorists attacks so people want to do know the reasoning behind why someone would do something like that.

10.   How long has the science of psychology been around for?
Psychology didn't emerge until the late 1800's. It is one of the newest sciences out there. It grew out of Philosophy since both studies are based on human thought and behavior. The first type of psychology was structuralism. This grew into several other thoughts and specialties, and has grown all the way to technological psychology in the present day of computers.


Sources:

• Evans, Richard I, and Richard M. Rozelle. Social Psychology in Life. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1970. 
• Varnum, Walter C. Psychology In Everyday Life. New York: McGraw-Hill book company, inc., 1938.
• Cherry, Kendra. "The Origins of Psychology." About.com Psychology. About.com, 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.
• Cesario, Professor J. "Social Psychology (PSY 235)." Course Lecture. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Fall 2013. Lecture.