Many you enroll in this class not really knowing what psychology is or what they can expect to learn about – in fact this has been one of the most commonly asked questions since I began teaching this class in 2002.  Module A is designed to give you a thorough overview of the many facets of psychology, which will be further explored over the course of the semester.  Although this module is reportedly not the most interesting of the learning modules that you will explore this semester, it is absolutely essential that you have a firm base of knowledge about psychology before delving into more depth.  This week Module A focuses on the emergence of psychological theories and practices.

Who is the first psychologist that comes to your mind?  Some of the most commonly reported theorists include Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov, Abraham Maslow, and even Hermann Rorschach, although they are most commonly known for their last names (Freud, Pavlov, Maslow, and Rorschach).  In Objective #1 you will learn the names of other theorists who have studied psychological principles and you’d probably be surprised to find out that the concepts of psychology, as they deal with the mind and the body, have been discussed as far back as the Greek philosophers such as Aristotle.  It is important to know these names and be able to identify their contributions and perspectives (or “schools of thought”) to the area of psychology.

As you explore the different areas of psychology you’ll discover that there are a variety of perspectives, or “schools of thought”- these serve as the foundation for how a person studying psychology will attempt to uncover the origins and causes of behavior.  If you ascribe to the psychoanalytic perspective you might look for underlying unconscious experiences from childhood; if you ascribe to the humanistic perspective you would probably be looking at the positive factors that explain behavior.   In Objective #4 you’ll learn more about the variety of perspectives used to study psychology.

Most people assume that the only thing you can do with a psychology degree is to be a clinician, but the reality is that there are a whole lot of different specialties that a person interested in psychology can pursue.  Are you interested in the criminal mind?  Then maybe forensic psychology is of interest to you.  Interested in how the brain works?  Then maybe you’d enjoy biological psychology.  Before you pursue a career you get to specialize and Objectives #5 will give you a brief overview of the different specialty areas that we will explore in depth over the course of the semester.  You will find that there are a variety of entry level careers that can be pursued with a psychology degree.

If you do find that you are interested in the Clinical approach then you might want to know what it takes to be a mental health clinician.  Do you need a Master’s degree?  Do you need a license?  Objective #6 will expose you to the educational and experiential requirements for being a mental health clinician.  Should you find yourself working as a mental health clinician it is important to be well versed in the issues that affect the clients that you work with, however even if you decide that this is not the career for you, then you yourself (or someone you know) might be affected by mental illness. Questions you might ask yourself are, “ If you have a mental illness, will you be “locked up” somewhere without your consent?  Will you ever be forced to take medicine if you don’t want to?”  There are a lot of concerns that a person (and their family member) might have when trying to help a loved one and Objective #7 will address some key issues, such as cultural competency, evidence based practices (here is another link on evidence based practices), mental health parity, and involuntary treatment..  Further readings on the issue of cultural competency have been reported by David Matsimoto and Robin Goodwin.