This paper explores the general perspective and personal perspective of why it is important to study psychology. This paper examines the general perspective that Gregory Fiest and Erika
Rosenberg establish in the book, Psychology- Perspectives and Connections (2015). It will also examine my personal perspective of why it is important to study psychology.
Countless studies in psychology have determined the importance of understanding the mind, and behavior. In fact, if it were not for the study of psychology, we humans would not understand ourselves as we do today. The science of psychology occurs in everyone’s mind naturally, and subconsciously. We may not realize we are practicing the science, but every one of us is in fact doing that on a daily basis. When we notice a small child’s tamper tantrum in the grocery aisle, when we hear a couple arguing in public, when we see people’s emotions changing depending on circumstances we are observing the human emotions and behaviors. The study of psychology has given us so much more than just tests and studies proving this science is essential. It has been able to explain these behaviors, and with the attained knowledge from such observations, psychology gives us the ability to predict certain behavior.
According to Fiest and Rosenberg, there are five steps in the research process. It begins with observing the subject for behavior traits. Next the researcher predicts a hypothesis based on the observed data. Then tests are made to ensure the hypothesis is correct and accurate. Following is an interpretation of the tested data to confirm the hypothesis. Lastly, communicating the discovered information. This process is called the scientific method, and according to the text, “Research begins with observation, but it doesn’t end with communication. Publishing the results of a study allows other researchers to repeat the procedure and confirm the results” (Fiest, Rosenberg, 39). This standardized process allows the psychologist to properly determine the cause of a behavior, and predict it in the future. This process allows psychologists to diagnose and learn more about the human mind, and thus giving insight to the rest of the world through their discoveries.
Psychology is a useful tool in everyday real-world scenarios. Psychology can assist in diagnosing applications such as stress, social interaction, mental and physical health and illness, and personal development. According to the Anglia Ruskin University article Why Study Psychology? “Psychology offers good career prospects, but the skills you learn will also readily transfer to many other roles.
These skills include oral and written communication, computer literacy, numeracy, problem solving and the ability to carry out independent research” (Anglia Ruskin University). It is important to study psychology because with it we can better understand ourselves. This, in turn, gives us (as scientists in the field) the ability to pursue treatments and options for people that suffer from psychological and behavioral conditions. In circumstances such as anxiety, depression, personality changes, and even Alzheimer’s disease, psychology can be used as a science to observe a patient, monitor physical and mental symptoms, (and with the use of advanced technologies) monitor brain signals and structure changes.
The scientific side of psychology entitles that with its broad scope, “psychology investigates an enormous range of phenomena: learning and memory, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, thinking and language, personality and social behavior, intelligence, child development, mental illness, and many more” (McLeod). The scientific side of psychology has been extremely beneficial to doctors and other scientists because it has helped them develop drugs and medicines that can be used to help a patient. The study of psychology as a whole is essential to finding useful strategies and practices that can help a patient.
In my personal perspective, psychology is an essential tool for learning about the human mind, and how it operates. Without the study of psychology, I do not think I would have the capability to understand myself and others, build relationships, or improve my communication skills. In fact, I believe the science has improved my verbal and non-verbal communication. I personally believe I am good at reading people’s emotions and thoughts, especially when it comes to people I am close to. For example, I can look into my girlfriends eyes and know what she is feeling, what she is thinking of in that exact moment because I think I truly understand how her mind works, and she will always call me out on it! Just the other day, she was telling me about her day and as she spoke, I watched her body language, and her facial expressions, and as I was observing her behavior, I could tell her brain was hard at work trying to cover up why her day was bad instead of good, and my hunch was correct. I am an observer.
I enjoy watching people’s faces change as they tell a story, or when they watch a dramatic movie, or listen to an inspirational piece of music. Emotion triggers behavior. Just like watching a sad movie can make someone feel depressed for the rest of the day, and listening to an inspirational piece of music can physically make someone feel like they can reach for the stars and achieve anything, even someone who has been down in the dumps for weeks. I do not think emotion triggers all behavior. Circumstances, experiences, changes in one’s life all affect behavior. However, the trigger that I can see unfold the most is emotion.
In my past, I have struggled with many issues. Depression, self-hard, I was even addicted to pornography for a very long time. I feel like all of these experiences, specifically those related to depression and self-harm, I have grown extremely aware of emotion, as I experienced a lot of it. God used my experiences and myself to help other people that struggled with the same things that I did. While I was in high school, I saw the terrible use of self-harm happen before my eyes, and I began mentoring a few freshmen that I knew suffered from the same problems I did. I know God used my struggles to bring peace in these students’ hearts, because God brings beauty from pain. I was thankfully able to watch these students grow out of their depression, and their desire to turn to self-harm.
All of this is to say that I believe I was blessed with the gift of reading emotion, and how it affects behavior. The study of psychology (and my limited knowledge of the scientific aspects of it), has also taught me to communicate better, which in turn has helped me develop stronger relationships with loved ones. Psychology has taught me how important it is to consider others’ thoughts, and feelings. From observing how others react and behave in specific scenarios, I have learned the importance of communicating a direct and honest message. I have also learned the importance of communicating a message with the specific goal to influence one’s behavior (through emotion). This is especially useful when handling situations that are delicate, for instance in my job where my producer can become very upset if he misinterprets what I am communicating to him. Being able to control how one will behave solely on the re- ordering of my words, and the tone of my voice is a skill and a tool that is invaluable to anyone in any field of work.
In conclusion, the study of psychology is extremely important in any situation because it gives the psychologist, and eventually the rest of the world the ability to understand, interpret, study, and predict behavior and how the human mind works. This science is a priceless tool to being able to understand ourselves as much as we would like to understand other people.
