This is a question for practicing psychologists of all ages and experiences.?

Question

What's it like being a psychologist?

I've read that it's a huge field, what exactly are all the different types/levels of psychology?

What're some of the challenges you've faced as a psychologist and how have you overcome them?

What are the positives and negatives of pursuing a career in this field?

What qualities do you think a psychologist should have?

How much studying is required to become a psychologist?

What makes this a worthy career to pursue? Rewards/benefits?

Any other information I should know that I didn't ask about?

I know I have a lot of questions, but I'd REALLY appreciate it if you would take the time to answer all the ones you can! It'd be a lot of help to a confused freshman in high school. I'm really interested in psychology and my friends say that I sound like one sometimes. Thanks for your time and I wish you all the best for a happy new year! ^_^

Also I was thinking about being a middle school or high school psychologist, how is that different and what's it like?

Answer 1

Wow, this is a great question....so i'll try my best to answer as many of them as i can =o)

1) you can pretty much do anything you want with a psych degree because psychologists because psychology is pretty much the study of mental processes and behavior. The different fields that you can go into for research psychology are:

Abnormal psychology- the study of abnormal behavior

Cognitive psychology - studies cognition, the mental processes underlying behavior

Comparative psychology - the study of the behavior and mental life of animals other than human beings

Developmental psychology - Mainly focusing on the development of the human mind through the life span

Personality psychology studies enduring psychological patterns of behavior, thought and emotion, commonly called an individual's personality

Psychometrics- study of differences between individuals. Like the difference between intelligence, abilities, attitude, etc...

Social psychology is the study of the nature and causes of human social behavior, with an emphasis on how people think towards each other and how they relate to each other (one of my favorites)

Applied psychology - psychological research that is designed to help individuals overcome practical problems

Clinical psychology is the application of abnormal psychology research to the understanding, treatment, and assessment of psychopathology (the field that I'm going into)

Counseling psychology - dealing with personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span with a focus on emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related, developmental, and organizational concerns. They differ from clinical psychs because they focus more on the 'nomral' developmental patterns and everyday stress.

Educational psychology - the study of how humans learn in educational settings

Forensic psychology is the area concerned with the application of psychological methods and principles to the legal arena (another one of my favorites)

Health psychology -the application of psychological theory and research to health, illness and health care

Industrial and organizational psychology (I/O) - Industrial Psychology focuses on improving, evaluating, and predicting job performance while Organizational Psychology focuses on how organizations impact and interact with individuals

Human factors psychology - the study of how cognitive and psychological processes affect our interaction with tools and objects in the environment

So...yea you can pretty much do everything with a psychology degree- however, it is a very very difficult subject and it does require a LOT of time. Psychologists are pretty much like medical doctors (psychiatrists actually have to go to medical school) in the sense that they have to know EVERYTHING about human behavior. It does require a lot of schooling because wll, you're dealing with the lives and minds of humans. If you do decide to go into the psychological field, you need to be extreamly dedicated.

There are 3 downfall that I can think of, but they apply to me personally, 1) is the school time required to get a degree, both research psychologists and clinical psych/psychiatrists are Doctors. You can either go for you're M.D, PhD, or Psych D. and 2) Sitting in an office and listening to the amounts of hurt and gony that people have been through can really mess you up personally, psychologists sometimes dont have a very good home/family life (now i said SOMETIMES, not all the time). and 3) if you decide to go into the clinical parts of psychology, you do deal with a LOT of mentally disturbed individuals and some sue happy people. Some of the positive aspects, for me anyway, are the fact that you get to help people who have lost all hope and will to go on.

The rewards and benefits are well, if you're materialistic and money oriented, psychiatrists get paid $250 for every patient they see. Psychologists get paid between $100-150 for every patient they see. Other rewards are like i said, the ability to help an individual turn their lives around.

All in all, because it's a highly popular field, it's also very competative, not everyone can be a good psychologist, I personally think that in order to be a good therapist, you really need to have an extramly good intuative personality as well as good judgement calls.

I dont think I answered all of your questions, but i hope I helped at least a little bit.

Answer 2

i'm undecided how the united kingdom operates in terms of what standards one ought to fulfill before they are able to open a custom. even nonetheless, in u.s., especially manhattan, a masters degree is needed, yet having a doctorate is much greater effectual. in case you in basic terms have a a masters you in all possibility could nonetheless ought to artwork under the supervision of a scientific psychologist. you ought to hold a job as a psychological wellness counselor, drug/alcohol counselor... There are 2 varieties of doctorates a million.PhD, a examine based doctoral application 2. PsyD, a scientific based doctoral application. the two courses take 5-7 years to end. In manhattan you will no longer additionally be looked at for a job in case you have not got a doctoral degree. yet another decision to look into is pursuing a masters degree in social artwork. you could maximum incredibly open your own practice with a MSW. it is likewise much less time in school. the varieties of training you could assume are: psychopathology,examine strategies,developmental, information, background of psychology, psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, and many greater. additionally psychiatrists are required to pass to scientific college.

Answer 3

psychologist are known for fools to be understanding the worlds of human mind.... they previously study it mainly on human behavior and reactions towards others and other things such as patterns. Neccessairly they are just there to pretty much listen and give past experiences advice. Being a psychologist is a great idea in cosoling others but also can be a very dangerous role in also getting the cosolidator psycho!!!!!!!

Answer 4

I'm no psychologist, but I'll tell you, psychologists are just fools who think they can truly understand how the mind of each individual works. I'm the living proof that it's wrong.