When I first got to college I had no clue what I wanted to do or even what the next four years had in store for me, but the truth is that at the end of the day it didn't really matter what I thought was right for me because when I found the major that was the "best fit" for me it turned out to be just that.
Psychology is something I love and am passionate about, just as I am sure every other psych major is, and while there are countless different disciplines within the field of psychology itself there are ten things that we can all agree on to be true for every single psych major.
1. Over analyzing everything has become second nature to you
I can't even begin to tell you the number of times a day I overthink even the smallest of details, like what to wear in the morning or whether or not I look presentable.
2. You’re tired of people assuming you’re going to listen to people on a couch talk all day
Yes, a lot of psychology involves therapy but that doesn't mean that all we do is spend every waking second listening to people's problems. There's more to the job description than just that.
3. You’re also tired of people assuming all you do is research
There's a multitude of things that research is good for, but I am definitely not the person who wants to sit there and transcribe thousands of results hoping to find a statistically significant relationship between two variables. I'll read up on it to keep myself informed, but I'll pass on having to conduct research myself.
4. You’re probably more judgmental than most people
It isn't necessarily that we are always judging people in a bad way, but when you spend a good portion of your day learning how to read people it just becomes second nature even when you're off the clock.
5. You can’t watch a show or movie without analyzing the characters behaviors or moods
At this point I'm just waiting for the BAU to call so I can join the team and give my opinion on the forensic psychology behind crime.
6. You learn the EXACT SAME THING in every class
At this point if I could probably tell you the name's of Pavlov's dogs I've learned about them so much.
7. You’ve learned to be really good at hiding your own problems
We are going into a field where we listen and take on other people's struggles every single day. At some point we have to be able to push our feelings down so that we aren't completely getting bogged down in the wait of the world.
8. You’re friends generally think you have pretty killer advice
It's not necessarily that psychologists give out advice for a living, but being able to listen and respond to other people's problems helps you build your repertoire of decent advise.
9. You don't actually have the answers to everyone's questions
We are only human, we may know a lot but there are still a lot of unknowns that even we can't possibly have all of the answers to, sorry.
10. You actually really do love helping people
In psychology you spend copious hours a day working with tons of different people, if you don't enjoy social interaction then this may not be the right field for you.
So there ya have it folks, if you think you know everything there is to know about psychology or psych majors themselves well maybe you do. Here are just a few of the things that as a psych major that I've seemed to notice not only in myself but in others that I know that are also psych majors.
