5 Things to Know Before Taking Psychology Courses

So, you want to take a psychology class? Whether it be an elective you want to take before deciding on your degree or you just want to take it for fun to learn more, there are a few things you should know before you sign up for a psychology class.

General

Number one: It's going to be general. There are different subfields of psychology. Usually psychology is referred to as the relationship between brain functions and behavior or environment. The different types of fields are forensic psychology, child psychology, development, media, military... The list goes on. If you want to take a basic introduction to psychology, you will most likely be taught a general view of all the subfields.

Number two: When you take a psychology course and begin to learn the different disorders people have, it may make you obligated to self-diagnose either yourself or your friends or family. You have to be careful with this though. You may start to agree with the symptoms of certain disorders. If you find this happening, you should seek a professional opinion. Even though you are learning about psychology, you are far from professional and it's good to seek help if you need it.

Number three: You do not learn therapy techniques. You will learn about different disorders and what influences them but you do not learn how to treat them or diagnose them. Being a psychology student gives you an advantage though to seek professional help for those people in need. It is important to not take a professional role when there is a lot more that you have to learn beyond that one psychology class.

Number four: Do not try to analyze people. Taking one psychology class will not make you able to read people's minds. Psychology is the study of the human mind to improve one's health which benefits the world. Analyzing someone's mental illness without their consent should not be done for the satisfaction that you will receive.

Number five: Remember that psychology is a science. It thrives on research and experiments like any other science field. It's important to back up your knowledge and facts and properly cite it. A lot of what you learn in an introductory psychology course is how good or bad a study or experiment was. Most of the research in psychology comes from correlational research which means the relationship between two variables. But you'll learn that during your course.

Do you feel like you're ready to sign up for the psychology course now? We sure hope so. Psychology is a great field of study and very interesting to learn. I myself will be starting my Bachelor of Arts in psychology degree program in September. We hope these tips will help you make your decision.