is Psychology EASY?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Xarick, Jun 23, 2006.

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  1. Xarick

    Xarick New Member

    I have been reading up a lot on the most awarded degrees in the US. #2 behind business is Psyc followed by Biology. Engineering does not make the list of the top 10.

    I find this interesting as many have said Psychology is a very technical scientific subject. Yet so many seem to go for this degree. So I began to wonder, is this simply an easy catch all degree that many who don't know what else to do go for?

    Thoughts?
     
  2. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    [color=dark red]Xarick,

    Psychology as an undergraduate is not quite as demanding as many other disciplines. It gets harder when you go for a Masters and a Doctorate. Psychology can get technical depending in which direction you go. For example, if you go heavy into research versus counseling, then it will be more technical. I also have noticed that depending on the personalities of those going into the field professionally, that they end up being more "clinical" as in "anality" or "linearity" or they go into more intuitive based modalities such as psychodynamic/intuitive real-time-fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type applications. In my humble opinion, most who get advanced degrees in counseling disciplines end up being "Okay" to mediocre counselors. I, personally attribute that to the tendency to teach in linear style linear modalites for counseling. I can give more examples to illustrate this but, I realize, that was not your original question.

    Psychology has very technical branches and modalities as well as those that are less so.

    Just my two cents.
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  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    And what is a linear modality in psychology?
     
  4. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    Ted, that is my label to those approaches in psychological methods that are "here and now" only and raw in methodology. One such approach that has these kinds of constructs is strict Cognitive Behavioristic models. Most of trainees in psychology today come out with this emphasis. Hope this helps.
     
  5. Rivers

    Rivers New Member

    In my UG psychology training it completely taught as an empirical science. We were taught the various theories but it ended there, no deep discussions of ego and super-ego and such. I also must say I have taken masters courses much easier than some of my upper level psychology classes as an undergrad.
     
  6. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    You just gave one good example out of many, many that show that psychology is TYPICALLY taught in linear fashion. When I did my preliminary search and studying to see what methodology and topic I would do my dissertation I quickly noticed how stuck the deterministic guys were inside their "empirical" boxes (quantitative) and how they tended to "pooh-pooh" phenomenological type of research (qualitative) and other methods of that nature. Linear types are stuck in the paradigm that unless they can measure it and taste it (irony) it is not valid or exists. There is so much more to the world than these boxes. Most of the healing I see takes place primarily outside these constructs/boxes.
     
  7. Rivers

    Rivers New Member

    I agree completely!
    Ironically I transferred into that school because the psychology program was suppose to be "top notch"it was the biggest department they had and well known in the area. The other school I attended (which was only a 2 year school, so I graduated) was much more qualitative in nature and I had a huge culture shock and never really adjusted all that well.
     

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