Why Psychology?

         I have always been fascinated by people and the way they behave, but as I have grown older and become more aware of psychology I have begun to question why people are the way they are, why they interact differently with other people, and why we all take a different approach to certain situations. I also find it interesting how society, culture, and the attitudes and opinions of other people can have such an impact on a person's behavior. For example, how can someone intentionally harm or abuse another and feel no remorse or guilt at all, whereas another may feel extremely guilty for even just pushing someone down? I am also extremely interested in developmental psychology. I love learning about how children learn to do things as they grown up. The way babies learn language is so fascinating to me. Another subject in psychology that I believe is very intriguing is abnormal psychology. Rare case studies- such as Genie’s story- are exciting to me, because it is not something that can be studied or recreated. Her story is so different that I think it is important to see what happens when people do not learn and develop like a normally functioning human being.

           My love for psychology started my freshman year at Michigan State. I had never taken a psychology course in high school because we did not offer it after my junior year and we could only take it as a senior. I was so excited to take psychology as a freshman, but I was worried that my inexperience would affect my grades. I had to work really hard in my Introduction to Psychology class, but I loved it and I knew that I wanted to do something with psychology in the future. I continued to take psychology courses and discovered that my heart was in the field of school psychology. Since I had always wanted to be a teacher growing up, I figured school psychology would be the perfect fit for me. I decided I would still get my teaching certificate and minor in psychology so that I could still teach as I went to graduate school for my Ed.S. in School Psychology. I have taken such a wide range of psychology courses throughout my college career such as developmental, social, brain and behavior, and child and family psychopathology. I have thoroughly enjoyed almost every single one.

           I agree with all of the standards that are outlined although I think it may be difficult to teach all of them in the one semester of psychology that most schools offer. I particularly like the standards on memory, emotion, personality, and social interactions because I feel that those areas are applicable to many students. The students would probably be most interested in the psychological disorders standards; however, if I had to focus on one standard, I believe the most important one to teach a student while they are in high school is the standard area of learning. I think it is vital for students to understand the different ways learning takes place. It is important for students to understand that everyone learns differently and that having a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset can drastically affect how they will do in school. Someone with a fixed mindset might think that they are just not good at school and give up if they get a bad grade on a test. They would attribute it to their ability and not to how hard they studied or if they took their time. A student with a growth mindset would think that they could practice and do better on the next test. I believe that it is important to teach students about these things so that I might be able to help them change their mindset and possibly be more successful in their learning endeavors after high school.

          I was surprised that there was nothing in the standards about developmental psychology. I think that the students should have at least a general idea about the stages of developmental psychology such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, etc. Learning more about how children develop and grow can provide additional insight into why we have become the way we are today. Studying development can also help students to learn more about their future. By understanding the aging process, they could be better prepared when facing issues associated with growing older. It is also important if they plan on having children or working with them at some point. Studying human development can greatly improve their ability to interact with kids and they will also be able to recognize developmental patterns that may be abnormal.

          I think psychology is very important for students to study. Psychology can help students to understand who they are and why they are that way. I think psychology hits on all of the major issues in today’s society and helps to explain why things happen. I feel as if many people, not just students, are looking for the answers to the why questions and I believe that study psychology can help to answer them. It can help to answer questions about learning disabilities, psychological illnesses, familial issues, and even social issues. I feel that psychology can help students in any field they decide to go into after high school whether it is teaching, criminal justice, human resources, law, business, or even just being a good parent.