What I Learned As A Psych Major

I was a psychology major for about 6 months. During that time, I have taken three classes, not including the one I took in high school. I dedicate this entry to my teachers who I've had over the past six months for my psychology major experience. You guys really taught me a lot, and the following blog entry wouldn't be possible if it weren't for you.

As a psychology major, I learned a lot. Being in classes for the past two months that literally had nothing to do with what I actually wanted to do with was kind of weird. However, I believe that it wasn't for nothing. Being in those classes taught me about how to relate to humans, how to understand them, in addition to learning a bunch of interesting facts about the human brain. 

My favorite part about being in these classes though was learning about how mental disorders can truly affect one's overall functioning. I think having a mental disorder is even sadder than having a physical one because once you lose your mind, it doesn't matter how healthy your body is. I mean it does to some level, but if you can't function mentally, so much more is lost. The human mind, I've learned, is a complicated matter. We have thoughts, processes, and emotions. We have the capacity to do things that other species can not do. 

One of the things that I learned in psychology was to understand people. I will always carry that with me, no matter what field I am. I feel like that would help me as a writer because it's helped me see the world through a magnifying glass. It makes us look at human nature in a different way. Being in those two  psychology classes, particularly my introduction to mental health one, has taught me to never to judge unless I got the full story. As a journalist, I think it would be helpful because no matter how much a story breaks, sometimes I may never get to understand the people who are behind that breaking story. As a journalist this would make me become less biased. I also think that more journalists need to develop empathy, and therefore having that extra insight would help me understand the people that I interview as well. 

 It's helpful in real life because it helps me to be curious about people, and not just write them off. There are so many different kinds of people in the world. American culture is known as the melting pot, and I believe that it's true. I've developed more empathy, and understanding, which are two things that are important in relating to humans. I will take that to all aspects of my life, not just my professional side.
Learning about people and the way that they work is something that will always fascinate me. Discovering someone's behavior patterns and the way that they react is something that will interest me. 

I see the world through a broader range, and I thank my classes in psychology for that. I will never be able to say that I am a mental health professional, and that's fine. However, my attempt in psychology didn't leave me empty handed. As I walk into the English side of things, I can say that my experience as a psychology major taught me great lessons. I can honestly say that I got something more than facts out of the classes. I will always be grateful for the experience I've had, and the friends that I've made. And, at the end of the day isn't that what school is about?