5 Myths about Psychology Students

5 Myths about Psychology Students

Some of the Myths which everyone think about the psychology students

1. We are mind-readers. No, we do not possess telepathy or the ability to read what is going on in your mind without you hinting or directly telling us. Even though we do have a greater knowledge base about human thought processes and behaviors, we do not necessarily pick up on things beyond what the average human being with common sense would pick up. For example, if you’re depressed, we are not going to know why unless you tell us. If you are trying to hint something to us, our chance of picking up those hints are only as good as our common sense.

2. Everyone studying psychology is more caring. While this may be true for the majority, there are people studying psychology to benefit themselves. For example, a business student may study psychology so they can get better understanding on how to land a contract or sales with a client or potential business partner.

3. We give better advice and can help you with your problems. While many students study psychology with the intention to help others,  the field of helping is actually in counseling. When I studied psychology, psychology was more about teaching you about research, theories of personality or cognition. Psychology was just about giving you knowledge related to the understanding of human behaviors. It had nothing really to do with teaching you how to help someone (aka. giving better advice). To learn how to help someone, that would be in counseling psychology. Furthermore, you will learn that unsolicited advice is not recommended when trying to help others.

4. It doesn’t get you a job. While the statistics indicate that having a bachelor degree in psychology alone doesn’t get you a decent job, the skills and knowledge you gain from studying psychology can help you in many aspects of your life. These other aspects of your life can then improve your ability to build up your own career or use towards another career you’re working on. Furthermore, if you choose to go graduate school, you can get really good jobs. There are positions that pay you more than doctors.

5. You need to be good at math or writing. While knowing statistics and having excellent writing skills are important towards getting your bachelor degree, the major determinant of your success is based more on your personality and drive to succeed. If you are truly passionate about psychology, you will be motivated enough to improve those skills or work on other core aspects.

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