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.