Insights into your course – The value it adds

Life through eyes of a Psychology student

Being a student pursuing Psychology as the main subject of study, it is amusing to see how beautifully the little concepts help in understanding human anatomy. It is a privilege that I have the opportunity to study this subject that helps in conceptualizing the rational motive of an organism. In day to day life, the concepts I learn help me to understand social behavioral patterns.

“Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.” -William James

The term Psychology was derived from the Greek word ‘psyche’ and ‘logos’. Psyche means soul or mind and logos means science or study. Philosophers defined Psychology as ‘Science of Mind’. On a more basic level it means manipulating human mind to adapt to a prosocial or more acceptable behavior. Let us take the concept of ‘Effects of Framing’ for instance. How will the parent ensure that the child cleans the room before dinner? In Case One let’s say the parent says, “No dinner for you until you don’t clean the room.” However in Case Two the parent says, “You’re invited to the dinner table as soon as you clean your room.” Now, in both the cases, the primary goal stays the same but a little manipulation of words changes the essence and the attitude of the sentence. The Case Two parenting attitude would help in the development of healthy parent-child relationship. Another example can be – supposedly, a child is Hyperactive, instead of calling him so, he can be called as a Super Energetic child or if a child is Lazy, he can be called as an overly thoughtful child.

Improved Communication Skills

Mere learning this subject, a drastic improvement in communication skills can be seen. By developing an understanding of these findings of every individual, we can attain better intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills. Understanding the psychology of human interactions also makes it possible to avoid potential pitfalls that can lead to communication breakdown. For instance; Eye contact, body gestures, can have a strong influence on the opposite person. Hitler was a very strong orator and had a huge following because of his powerful style of communication. So is the reach of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His style of communication has helped him win hearts and accolades.

Better Understanding of Self

Psychology can help you understand how and why you feel as you do. It enables us to understand the connectivity between thoughts and actions. For example; Introspection is a powerful way of self-analysis and self-improvement. I personally take out at least 7-10 minutes in the entire day to evaluate – How better could I have dealt with the situation? What were the things I shouldn’t have done? How could I improve myself?

Enhanced Understanding of Others

Psychology opens the window into the actions of others. It enables us to understand human drives behind human actions which can make it easy to comprehend seemingly incomprehensible behavior. It improves the ability to assist others in dealing with emotional hardships or empathize with those struggling with a dilemma. For example; let us consider a situation where two kids are colouring a picture. Just when the first child was about to take a blue colour the other child takes it. The first child continues to believe that the other child took the colour (purposely) just when he wanted it and thus behaves aggressively with the other child. Where in the reality might paint a very different picture. The other child took the colour because he was colouring the river. Similarly if we pay a close conscious attention to our surrounding we will better understand another’s situation.

Stronger Conflict Resolution

By knowing the reasons behind people’s action, it becomes easy to solve conflict. When we are already aware as to how a person is going to react in a particular situation, we can be prepared well in advance, to deal with it. For example; two friends decide to go out for a vacation. One friend wants to go to Switzerland and the other friend chooses Hawaii. Now there is a conflict between them. But detailed observation would show that this problem can be easily solved. The reason behind going to Switzerland was mountains and that of Hawaii’s beaches. They could thus pick a destination which has both mountains and beaches say Greece. They could go to Greece and enjoy mountains, beaches and islands.

“Psychology is the science of human behavior and the things that happen in the mind to create it. It’s a subject that fascinates almost everyone because we all have notions of what’s normal and what’s not.” -David Watson

In primary form Psychology studies people – who and what they are. Everything a person does is connected to the subject they study. Psychology allows people to understand more about how body and mind work together – as a whole. This insight can help in decision making and avoiding stressful situations. For instances: Aggression. It was a general tendency for me to aggress, if things did not work out the way I wanted them to. But after understanding the causes of aggression, the psyche of the other person involved in the conflict; it helped me to deal with such situations in a matured manner. I wouldn’t say that I don’t get angry at all, but now definitely with constant introspection I’m sure I don’t make a chaos (which I earlier did). I’m at peace with myself. I try to evaluate what the other person might be going through.

“Studying Psychology is fun because you’re always looking for the same things I think the writer should be looking for, which is the story behind the story.”  -Chris Cleave

I can personally testify to the importance of the subject. Psychology has helped me as a writer because I have become determined to write on the topics I like. I can understand who I am and look at events in a more positive aspect. It has kept me motivated. It has helped me become a better communicator. In crisis, I can handle any situation better. Psychology helps me take better rational decisions in my own life. It has enhanced the person in me. It has changed my perspective in life, perspective of life. It has kept me grounded and surrounded me by vibes of positivity. It has helped me create a life that is good not only outside but inside. After all, it all depends on how we look at things.

“It’s all in the mind”  -George Harrison

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