Psychology : Introduction

Pin It

Psychology is a branch of science that deals with mental processes and behavior. It is the systematic study of human and animal behaviour, mind and thought. To pursue the career of a psychologist, one should have a genuine desire to help other human beings.

Psychology is mainly concerned with the way the mind works. Psychologists study the processes, motives, reactions, feelings and nature of the human mind. Their treatment is based on changing the behavioural patterns of the patients without medication. They do counceling and help people by bringing about changes in their thought process, thus improving their quality of life.

Psychologists need not have a medical degree. But they have to study several years to specialise in various aspects of psychology. One can pursue Psychology at the plus two level, graduate, post graduate and doctorate level. There are specialisations in many fields of psychology such as social psychology, child psychology, occupational psychology, clinical psychology, educational psychology, experimental psychology, etc.

Psychologists teach, practice and do research or work in one of the many branches of applied psychology. They apply their knowledge and techniques to a wide range of endeavors, including human services, management, education, law and sports.

Eligibility & Course Areas

Psychology is offered as a subject at the Plus Two or equivalent level with a combination of other social sciences and statistics. At the graduate level, one can study psychology as an Honors subject in most universities. After graduation, one can opt for an MA or MSc in Psychology, Social work or Counseling. Specialisations in the subject can be pursued at the post graduate level or at the doctoral level- M.Phil or Ph.D, after post graduation. At the master's and doctoral level, education becomes increasingly specialized.

Post graduate courses in psychology are offered only to students who have graduated with psychology. Post graduate and doctoral degrees in Psychology puts emphasis on research. If your interest is in practice, i.e helping people with problems (counseling ) you could opt for Psychology-related graduate programs such as education and social work

For those who do not wish to put in too many years of study, there are one year Diploma courses in Special Education or Mental Retardation.

Educational :
For Bachelor programme in psychology - 10+2
For Post graduate courses in psychology - Bachelor degree in psychology
For Ph.D./ M.Phil - PG or Diploma in psychology

Duration :
Graduation in psychology is a 3 year programme.
Post graduation is of 2 years duration and during the course, specialization in a special branch of psychology is possible.
M.Phil or Ph.D. is of 2 year duration.

Personal Skills : Good communication skills, patience, ability to work with all kinds of social/ cultural and age groups are the essential qualities of a psychologist. They should have a genuine interest in people, their behaviour and have empathy for their problems. They have to be sensitive and caring and also have the ability to understand people of very different backgrounds and upbringing.

Course area
Study of psychology includes a diverse range of activities such as the processes of thinking, learning and perceiving, remembering, forgetting, physiology of the nervous system, development of children, social relationships and their effect on personality development, mental disorders, applications of psychology to the study of society, industry, education etc., techniques of experimenting and testing, and statistics. There is a wide variety of topics in the professional study of psychology and some overlapping occurs between the different specialized branches. Good at science, math, critical reading and writing.