In order to become a clinical psychologist, you must have a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and most states require a minimum of a one-year internship. Most graduate school programs in clinical psychology are fairly competitive. You're a whiz at spotting relationships, connecting the dots and solving complex problems.
You probably also love to watch crime dramas such as CSI and Criminal Minds , so it might come as no surprise that a career as a forensic psychologist might be the perfect choice for you! Forensic psychology involves applying psychology to the field of criminal investigation and the law. Forensic psychologists are often involved in custody disputes, insurance claims and lawsuits.
Some professionals work in family courts and offer psychotherapy services , perform child custody evaluations, investigate reports of child abuse and conduct visitation risk assessments. You have a strong interest in topics such as persuasion and perception, but you also enjoy analyzing behavior with statistics. If you love digging deeper into data, a career in consumer psychology might be perfect for you. Also known as marketing psychology, consumer psychology is a specialty area that studies how our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and perceptions influence how people buy and relate to goods and services.
Consumer psychologists often spend a great deal of time learning more about what makes shoppers tick so that companies can better market to certain demographic groups. If you are interested in becoming a consumer psychologist, focus on taking courses that will build your understanding of human behavior, advertising, marketing, social psychology , personality and culture.
Consumer psychologists also study topics such as social influence , persuasion techniques , compliance and conformity. Helping others, especially those who are the most vulnerable, is a top priority in your life.
Because of your strong sense of compassion , commitment to others and empathy , a career in social work might just be the perfect fit for you. The field of social work utilizes social theories to understand human problems, to help improve people's lives, and to improve society as a whole. Many people specialize in particular areas, such as helping children , assisting those with life-threatening problems or aiding people in overcoming addictions.
You love solving complex problems and you want to work in a job where you always get to tackle new challenges. One career that you might enjoy is industrial-organizational psychology , a field recently listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the single fastest-growing career in the U. It seeks to explain how feelings, behavior, and thoughts are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people. A social psychologist looks at group behavior, social perception, non-verbal behavior, conformity, aggression, prejudice, and leadership.
Social perception and social interaction are seen as key to understanding social behavior. Other branches include military, consumer, educational, cross-cultural, and environmental psychology. The number of branches continues to grow. In a philosophical context, psychology was around thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, Egypt, India, Persia, and China. Avicenna, the famous Muslim doctor, born in AD, studied and treated epilepsy , nightmares, and poor memory.
The first hospitals treating psychiatric conditions were said to have been set up by Islamic doctors in medieval times. In , Philippe Pinel released the first patients with mental health problems from confinement in a move that signalled a move toward more humane treatment. In , Wilhelm Wundt, Germany, founded psychology as an independent experimental field of study.
He set up the first laboratory that carried out psychological research exclusively at Leipzig University. Wundt is known today as the father of psychology. It was discussed by psychologists worldwide for many decades.
In the same year, New York State passed the State Care Act, in which people with mental health problems were to leave poor houses and enter the hospital for treatment. Stanley Hall. Hermann Abbingaus, who lived from , and worked at the University of Berlin, was the first psychologist to study memory extensively. The Austrian Sigmund Freud, who lived from to , introduced the field of psychoanalysis, a type of psychotherapy.
He used interpretive methods, introspection, and clinical observations to gain understanding of the mind. He focused on resolving unconscious conflict, mental distress, and psychopathology. The debate between the functionalists and structuralists led to a rapid growth in interest in psychology in the United States and elsewhere, and the establishment of the first psychology laboratory in the U. In an American psychologist, John B. Watson, founded a new movement that changed the focus of psychology.
Forensic psychologists work within the legal and criminal justice system to help professionals understand the psychological background and aspects of their cases. To complete the American Board of Forensic Psychology certification process, prospective forensic psychologists must have a doctoral degree.
Industrial-organizational psychologists operate by a completely separate set of rules than other psychologists. They study employees and workplaces to promote efficiency and productivity. Internet Explorer is out of date.
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Different Types of Psychologists Psychology is a broad field that can involve providing therapy to patients with behavioral health disorders, performing research and applying psychological concepts in business environments to improve productivity and efficiency. Personality psychologists study the different aspects of personality and how individual traits influence an individual's life and behavior.
Researchers in the field of personality psychology are interested in a wide range of topics that can have applications in everyday life. For example, they might study how personality forms and whether it can be changed. They might also investigate whether certain personality traits are tied to specific illnesses or disorders, how personality influences the decisions people make, and the many factors that contribute to the development of personality. School psychologists help children cope with emotional, academic, social, and behavior problems in school settings.
Professionals who work in this field of psychology play a vital role in the educational system, typically collaborating with parents, teachers, students, and other school staff to ensure that the learning environment is healthy, safe, supportive, and productive.
Children who are struggling with some sort of issue, whether it is behavioral, emotional, or academic in nature, can work with a school psychologist to come up with an effective plan to deal with the difficulty. Social psychologists study the behavior of groups, including how people behave in social settings and how groups influence individual behavior. A social psychologist might investigate a wide range of topics, including attitudes , prejudice , communication, interpersonal relationships, aggression , and persuasion.
For some professionals, this largely involves conducting basic research designed to add to our understanding of social behavior. In other cases, social psychologists utilize their skills and knowledge to influence human behavior in order to foster healthier and more productive groups.
They may make even more if employed in a public or governmental institution. As you can see from these brief descriptions, there are many types of psychology and psychologists that focus on a wide variety of human behaviors. If you are considering a career in psychology, you will need to determine which psychology career option is the best fit for you.
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