Psychology

Introduction:

Psychology is a branch of science that deals with mental processes and behaviour. 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 counselings 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 endeavours, including human services, management, education, law and sports.

Psychology Personal Skills :

In order to be successful in the field of psychology, one must have:

A very analytical mind for diagnosis
Excellent communication skills to effectively counsel patients who suffer from mental/behavioral issues
A lot of patience, which grants the psychologist the ability to remain cool under pressure when dealing with a particularly difficult case or challenging patient
A genuine passion for helping people overcome their own mental/behavioral challenges
compassion combined with drive are the two most important personality traits for a psychologist

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.

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 specialised branches. Good at science, math, critical reading and writing.

Institutes:

Lady Shri Ram College for Women. ( Delhi, India )
Jesus and Mary College. ( Delhi, India )
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. ( Mumbai, Maharashtra, India )
Presidency College, Chennai.
Christ University (Christ College) .
Sophia College for Women. .
Kamala Nehru College for Women.
Mithibai College of Arts.
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA

Job Prospects & Career Options

The nature of work of a psychologist is influenced most by the areas of specialisation in the subject. They work in a number of different settings, including universities and colleges, primary and secondary schools, government agencies, private industry, hospitals, clinics, and private practices. They are also employed in social welfare organisations, research establishments, rehabilitation centres, prisons, child/ youth guidance centres, advertising industry and in a variety of other set-ups.

Psychologist with master's degree, work under the supervision of one or more doctoral level psychologists. Those with bachelor's degree are eligible for jobs in community health centers and vocational rehabilitations and as administrative assistants.

Career Options

Career prospects in Psychology depend on the area of specialisation. There are variety of options for psychologists. They can specialise in various areas such as

Clinical Psychologists - Clinical Psychologists work in counseling centers, independent or group practices, hospitals, community health centers or clinics. They help mentally and emotionally disturbed clients adjust to life and may help medical and surgical patients deal with illnesses or injuries. Areas of specialisation within clinical psychology include health psychology, neuro psychology, and gero psychology.

Counseling Psychologists - Counseling is the skill of helping normal people, through discussion, to decide how best to cope in specific situations. Counseling psychologists deals with people who have serious emotional and personal problems. They use various techniques, including interviewing and testing, to advise people on how to deal with problems of everyday living.

Social Psychologists - Social psychologists work with social organisations and institutions in research, systems design or other applied psychology fields. They seek to understand the nature and causes of individual behaviour with others and with the social environment.

Educational Psychologists - They work in schools and colleges with teachers, students, parents and administrators to resolve students learning and behaviour problems. They may evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs, behaviour management procedures, and other services provided in the school setting.

Industrial Psychologists - Industrial psychologists work for business, industry or government. They apply psychological principles and research methods to the workplace to improve the working conditions and productivity of employees. They also advise companies on ways of getting consumers interested in products and services.

Research psychologists -As researchers, psychologists proceed like scientists. They investigate the physical, cognitive, emotional, or social aspects of human behaviour. They use laboratory experiments and various kinds of tests, interviews, questionnaires and surveys. Prominent areas of study in experimental research include motivation, thought, attention, learning and memory, sensory and perceptual processes, effects of substance abuse, and genetic and neurological factors affecting behaviour.

Developmental psychologists - They study the physiological, cognitive, and social development that takes place throughout life. Some specialise in behaviour during infancy, childhood, and adolescence, or changes that occur during maturity or old age.

Criminal Psychologist - A large part of what a criminal psychologist does is studying why people commit crimes. However, they may also be asked to assess criminals in order to evaluate the risk of recidivism (how likely the person is to re-offend in the future) or make educated guesses about the actions that a criminal may have taken after committing a crime.

Challenges:

1. Dealing with clients can be stressful and draining.

The biggest reward of being a psychologist is often the biggest challenge of being a psychologist – helping people overcome and deal with their mental and emotional struggles. The fact of the matter is, dealing other people's problems on a daily basis is difficult. Most of us have a hard enough time wrapping our mind around our own problems, let alone everyone elses. Psychologists have to learn how to help their clients find effective and productive methods for dealing with their struggles without taking them on themselves. Successful psychologists must learn to separate their work life and personal life and practice effective stress management techniques.

2. Not on is your schedules flexible, it can also be quite erractic.

One of the advantages of being a psychologist is that your schedule can be quite flexible, especially if you run your own practice. At the same time, psychologists are often on call and must deal with client issues that arise at the most inconvenient times. It's not uncommon for psychologists to meet in evenings with clients who work all day and can't meet during normal business hours, or be called out of bed to help a client that's facing a crisis situation.

3. Having to set up your own practice.

Over a third of psychologists are self employed. Many of these own and operate their own practices. Launching a psychology practice is a daunting task, and keeping it going is also challenging. In addition to finding an office, acquiring necessary equipment and finding clients, psychologists must also purchase malpractice insurance, deal with business taxes, set up a reliable document management system, and deal with never ending billing issues.

4. Dealing with billing issues.

All psychologists, regardless of whether they work as employee of an organization or run their own practice, have to deal with billing issues. These include processing and collecting payments from insurance companies, dealing with piles of paperwork, the unpleasant experience of sending clients who don't pay their bills to collections, and various other billing issues. Dealing with insurance companies in and of itself can be a very trying process, especially if you have your own practice.

Remuneration

The work of a professional psychologist is challenging and highly remunerative. In this field, your starting salary can vary between Rs.6,000-15,000 per month. In India, a psychologist earns between Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1,200,000 depending on specialty, location and popularity. In a private hospital, a fresh clinical psychologist with an MPhil degree can draw about Rs. 30,000 a month. However, much depends on your expertise.

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