Psych majors...

[oakraiderz2]

I know there are some here, theres gotta be. I just wanna know what year you are, if you wanna go to grad school, what youre interested in and anything else interesting.

 

[Wyldfire]

I'm currently working on a 2 year Social and Human Services Degree and then will be transferring to another college in town and will be finishing a Bachelor's in either Psychology or Sociology...not entirely sure yet. I intend to get a Doctorate whichever one I choose. I am in my first year with a 4.0 GPA that I hope to maintain throughout the whole process. I absolutely LOVE it. I want to go into Substance Abuse counseling initially and then develop a new Substance Abuse Program and open a FREE treatment facility directed at poor and homeless addicts who are at a higher risk of dying before getting into a program. I want to have something where there is no wait for at least outpatient and day programs and advocacy.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I'm in a PhD program. I teach and consult. I'll eventually end up in western Europe to practice, teach and write.

 

[Potbelly]

You mean who here is getting a degree in having common sense? Like if someone is sad...what does it mean? Hmm...they're depressed maybe...

Not me, I chose a real major.

 

[seanchai]

You mean who here is getting a degree in having common sense? Like if someone is sad...what does it mean? Hmm...they're depressed maybe...

Not me, I chose a real major.

Please tell us what your real major is.

 

[Potbelly]

Please tell us what your real major is.

I was joking man...did you not read the sarcasm? My real major is in economics and biology (double major). I might have to minor in one of those though....dunno how it looks right now.

 

[oakraiderz2]

I was joking man...did you not read the sarcasm? My real major is in economics and biology (double major). I might have to minor in one of those though....dunno how it looks right now.

I didnt see any sarcasm in it either...interesting combo you got there.

Anyway i just transferred to CSU last semester, and im going to be a junior. Im interested in cognitive psych/neuroscience and physiological psych. I would like to go to grad school for cognitive or behavioral neuroscience. Right now im tryin to do some undergrad research with a grad student or member of the faculty. I also have a minor in spanish.

 

[seanchai]

Cool, didn't see it but that's ok. I'm an International Studies major focusing on ethnicity and nationality and might do a graduate program in group psychology as it relates to ethnic conflict and resolution.

 

[doctoroxygen]

I'm graduating with a degree in psychology this summer. I just presented my research on interactions between sexual history and situational factors on automatic sexual perceptions at a research symposium at my school yesterday.

Next year I'm going to be a paid research assistant in the psych department at my university while applying to Ph.D. programs in clinical psych with an emphasis on positive psychology interventions.

That is, of course, if I don't decide on medicine instead

 

[Wyldfire]

I'm graduating with a degree in psychology this summer. I just presented my research on interactions between sexual history and situational factors on automatic sexual perceptions at a research symposium at my school yesterday.

Next year I'm going to be a paid research assistant in the psych department at my university while applying to Ph.D. programs in clinical psych with an emphasis on positive psychology interventions.

That is, of course, if I don't decide on medicine instead

My favorite professor, who teaches most of the classes I take, loves Seligman. He's also very big on Erik Erikson, whose Developmental Stages are forever etched into my brain as a result. Last MOD we essentially focused entirely on Positive Psychology and counseling using the Skilled Helper Model...from Egan's "Essentials of Skilled Helping". That text is geared heavily towards Positive Psychology. Good stuff...

 

[doctoroxygen]

Seligman is a genius academically, but I hear he's a monster ****. Of course, I wouldn't turn down a spot at Penn's program

The program that interests me in George Mason with Todd Kashdan. He researches both curiosity as a signature strength and social anxiety in veterans.

Are you familiar with positive psychotherapy? If you have access to PSYCInfo look it up. It's in the Nov 2006 "American Psychologist". Fascinating and ground-breaking article, but largely ignored by disease-oriented folks.

 

[Wyldfire]

Seligman is a genius academically, but I hear he's a monster ****. Of course, I wouldn't turn down a spot at Penn's program

The program that interests me in George Mason with Todd Kashdan. He researches both curiosity as a signature strength and social anxiety in veterans.

Are you familiar with positive psychotherapy? If you have access to PSYCInfo look it up. It's in the Nov 2006 "American Psychologist". Fascinating and ground-breaking article, but largely ignored by disease-oriented folks.

lol...it's easier to tolerate people when you want to learn from them.

Signature Strengths is another one of my professor's favorite things to discuss. He announced to our class that he thinks one of my Signature Strengths is Wisdom and that I am very much like him. We've talked a bit about veterans and PTSD but not really social anxiety as of yet...but I'm still in my first year, so I'm sure it will come. It does sound fascinating, though.

I had to come back and edit because I didn't realize that you were talking about an article written by Seligman, lol. I'm saving it to my computer right now. I thought you were talking about something that someone other than Seligman came up with. We discussed the article that was in the millennium issue a bit, but not the 2006 article. We also watched a film with Seligman in it. I can't recall the name, though. So far I've taken Sociology, Spreadsheets and Graphical Presentations, College Composition, Introduction to Social and Human Services (the text I mentioned was for this class) and right now I'm taking Behavioral Health and Aging and Trauma, Sexual Abuse and Recovery. I've been studying Psychology on my own for a LONG ass time, though...because I'm fascinated by it. I'm probably going to continue to take classes for the rest of my life because I am loving it so much.

Right now we're really digging into the Harvard Study on Aging which is absolutely fascinating.

Oh...and I use MARVEL and get access to tons of free journals and such...I'll definitely check out the Nov. 06 copy of "American Psychologist"...thanks for the info!

You can get the article here...for anyone else who is interested:

http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/positivepsychotherapyarticle.pdf

 

[doctoroxygen]

A lot of Psych programs are integrated heavily with Biology and Physiology and in my opinion that is the direction the field of Psych is moving.

That's very true, and a lot of psychology professors think it's a problem. There's a huge amount of "physics envy" in psychology, a real need to focus on making psychology into a "hard science" when that's not what it was intended to be. I say leave the real science to the biologists, chemists, and physicists and let psychology be fascinated by the world without understanding it

You can probably tell that social/clinical is where I'm interested.

 

[Wyldfire]

Psychology becomes a science with Statistics. Ever notice that every psych program requires a stats class? You can prove any theory with t tests, chi square's, confidence intervals, and the 'null hypothesis.' Stats is the course that proves psychology is a real science!

Statistics are only as good as the people gathering them are honest and objective. Statistics are so easily manipulated to show whatever the person wants them to show.

While some aspects of psychology are closely tied to brain chemistry, neurology and physiology...it's still more about thought, theory and exploration of ideas. Psychiatry is more about the medical side of the brain. Personally, I think it's far more challenging and takes a much smarter person to apply the scientific method to psychology than any of the "hard" sciences. When you have the answers available it requires less thought. How fun and engaging would it be to not be challenged to the fullest? I'd find it horribly boring and not very fulfilling. In Psychology, when a new discovery is made it lives on for decades, even centuries while others study your theories. Psychology is so fascinating because the possibilities are endless and there are so many areas that you can focus on...and the possiblity of becoming bored in your work is virtually impossible.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Statistics are only as good as the people gathering them are honest and objective. Statistics are so easily manipulated to show whatever the person wants them to show...

Agreed, a good statistician can prove just about anything.

 

[Wyldfire]

Agreed, a good statistician can prove just about anything.

Only to people who are foolish enough to trust statistics.

 

[Potbelly]

^ words of an idiot.

You trust good statistics you dumbass. Just because it isn't perfect and people cheat doesn't mean you discount the whole field. Do you go discounting all churches because some pervs molest kids?

 

[Wyldfire]

^ words of an idiot.

You trust good statistics you dumbass. Just because it isn't perfect and people cheat doesn't mean you discount the whole field. Do you go discounting all churches because some pervs molest kids?

The fact is...you are foolish if you trust statistics. I've worked for lots of non-profits who only got necessary funding by statistically proving there was a large need for their services. People who gather statistics have already decided prior to gathering them WHAT they want the statistics to show. So...they target populations most likely to provide the statistics they are looking for.

Statistics are used to "prove" something...and are just as easy to manipulate as silly putty. That is a fact...regardless of how much you don't want to believe it.

 

[grinder]

My undergrad was in Psych and Business. I got a masters in Social Work, was a licensed Social Worker. Did that for 14 years.

For about $800 bucks I got the study material to be a certified network engineer. Been doing that 10 years.

The psych field is very fulfilling work it just does not pay well.

Where I live technicians with a certification and only a HS degree start off about the same as a Clinical Psychologist.

Other’s will jump on that and say successful Psychologists make tons of dough: that’s true but it takes years and being in the right place at the right time. Plus, you have to be very dedicated. Kinda rare.

A buddy of mine who’s dumb as a bag of rocks is a controller and makes min 300K. He literally asked his adviser in college “what’s the easiest, highest paying thing to get into….” That was it and they sure were right.

As you can see I am older than most here and have had several careers.

No disrespect to anyone in the psych field but I encountered many working in that field that had their own mental health problems. It’s an undeniable fact that many go into the field for personal psychological reasons.

And I really, really hate to say it but it’s the god’s truth: the psych field is the very fountainhead of the feminization of society.

 

[Wyldfire]

grinder...if a person goes into the psych field expecting to be filthy rich they are doing it fr the wrong reason. For me...helping others is my passion in life and always has been.

What you say about many people going into the field for personal psychological reasons...that's dead on. With some it's really minor...but some of the women in my classes seem to be taking the classes in lieu of MUCH NEEDED therapy. A lot of the people in the course seem to be taking it because they want to help others who are going through the same things they have been through.