Psychologist vs. Sociologist vs. Psychiatrist??

Question

I'm considering a career in one of the above careers and want to know what the differences are between them all.

I'd prefer an 'text book' answer...perhaps an answer with examples of the types of clientele would be helpful.....

Thanks all
MrsZZD

Answer 1

A Psychiatrist is a physician (MD) who has specialized training in diagnosing and treating mental health problems. Psychiatrists prescribe medication; they vary in the amount of therapy they provide.

A Clinical Psychologist is a licensed professional with a PhD or PsyD. Clinical Psychologists provide evaluation and therapy for mental health problems. Their theoretical orientation and specialization varies. Unfortunately, PsyDs are becoming more common but IMHO PhDs are preferable.

A Sociologist studies social interactions and institutions.

Psychiatrists and Psychologists focus on individual and interpersonal behavior; Sociologists focus on social behavior.

P.S. I assumed that you were inquiring about Clinical Psychologists. However, there are other Psychologists such as School Psychologists, Organizational and Industrial Psychologists, Social Psychologists, etc.

Answer 2

You're right, a psychiatrist is a doctor and has very good knowledge of the chemicals that cause certain disorders in the brain. While psychotherapists work mostly on emotional reactions and help you learn how to cope with a mental illness that you have (and a psychiatrist can do this, too), a psychiatrist has the capacity to write you a prescription and help you with medication doses, etc. Psychiatrists are very valuable for this reason--a lot of mental illnesses can't be treated with counseling alone--the same goes for medication. A psychiatrist provides the best of both worlds, but for this reason they are more expensive and usually only deal with cases that really need their medical expertise.

Answer 3

Okay, I don't know what a Sociologist is, sorry! However, I do know the difference between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist.

A Psychologist deals with the diagnosis of a patient and the treatment of the patient's state.

A Psychiatrist is one who specializes in the disspersing of the medicine to treat that patient's ailment.

Hope I helped!

Answer 4

A sociologist is a scientist that studies groups of people in different ways, either groups of people over history, OR groups of people in a culture, or country, or groups of people as small as a crowd in a football stadium and they behavior.

A psychologist studies a person's behavior and what triggers that individuals reactions to situations, a therapist for depression or anger management or grief counselors during times of loss.

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who deals with diseases and physical and chemical changes in the brain and the reactions this changes cause.

Answer 5

Psychologist - a person who studies the science of the mind or of mental states and processes.

Sociologist - a person who studies the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc.

Psychiatrist - a person who practices or studies the science of diagnosing and treating mental disorders.

Psychiatrists can give medical perscriptions (they usually have medical degrees) while psychologists can't. (Psychologists are more core-science oriented and less medical oriented)

Answer 6

Take courses in Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology and many of these issues will be cleared up for you.