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Why Psychology Matters
Here in this post, we are discussing “Why psychology matters”. You can read more about psychology-related material on our website. Keep visiting Psychology Roots.
In the twenty-five years since I first began instructing students in the field of psychology, a lot has changed (Dr. Glenn Geher).
It used to be thought that studying psychology was interesting, but not very useful. Gainful employment in the field of therapy was difficult to get and sometimes needed a PhD degree. Statistics and behavioural science research experience were seen as excellent transferrable abilities but offered few obvious job options. Studies on the effectiveness of treatment, a prominent focus of psychology majors, were contradictory at the time. It was also difficult to nail down the social ramifications of the work done by behavioural scientists on a big scale.
Since 1994, there have been several shifts in the methods and aims of psychology education. Having worked in the field of behavioural science ever since, I can attest to the growing need for experts trained in both the practical and research strands of psychology. As I describe at length in my book, Own Your Psychology Major!, there is now little debate about the value of a psychology degree.
Here are five examples of why psychological research is crucial right now.
The developed world is experiencing a crisis in mental health.
In the last several decades, there has been a remarkable rise in the percentage of the population in developed countries like the United States who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder of some kind (see Twenge, 2019). For instance, mood disorders including melancholy, anxiety, and irritability have skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade, and they show no signs of slowing down. This is a widespread pattern among young people and teenagers, but it’s an issue for everyone. When it comes to solving this issue, the study of psychology is very crucial.
Therapy is usually quite useful.
In the 1980s and 1990s, when I was a college student studying psychology, there was a lot of debate over whether or not therapy was generally effective for individuals across different communities. Research and effort since then into understanding the effectiveness of different types of treatment have been nothing short of monumental (see Munder et al., 2019).
Summarizing decades’ worth of research, it’s apparent that most forms of psychotherapy are effective in treating depression and other mental health problems. The last several decades have seen tremendous development in the disciplines of clinical psychology, psychiatry, and mental health counselling.
Modern technology sometimes harms psychological well-being.
Ancestral environments surrounding our ancestors’ evolutionary history are significantly incompatible with present, industrialised surroundings, and this has been the subject of much study in the modern behavioural sciences. Social networking platforms are only one example of numerous contemporary technologies that are highly at odds with prehistoric norms and may contribute to a wide range of mental health issues.
As a glaring example, consider cyberbullying, which has increased in prevalence along with the rise of social media platforms and is strongly linked to negative mental health outcomes among today’s adolescents and young adults (for a more in-depth discussion of this topic, see Chapter 9 of Positive Evolutionary Psychology, co-written with Nicole Wedberg).
Experts in the behavioural sciences are necessary in today’s modern internet era.
An postgraduate degree in behavioural science used to be seen as something lovely and theoretically beneficial for someone to pursue. How shockingly fast history is reversing itself.
Products at some of the most popular online destinations (Google, Instagram, Facebook, Tinder, Spotify, etc.) are increasingly grounded on human behavioural research. These businesses have an extreme demand for professionals with expertise in the areas of behavioural science research, namely study design, survey creation, data analysis, interpretation, research translation, and presentation. Instagram, to use just one example, could use the expertise of statisticians and academics with backgrounds in behavioural psychology to figure out the algorithms that determine what you and other users see in your feed after reading this article.
A new era in the study of human behaviour has begun. And its significance will grow with time. It’s no longer cool to have a degree in behavioural science. It’s evolved into a degree in a highly sought-after set of talents by some of the most prestigious businesses and institutions in the world.
The evolution of our psychological makeup is a key to unlocking the mysteries of today’s most pressing issues.
The study of evolutionary psychology, which is closely related to my own research interests, has proven to be a powerful tool for illuminating fundamental questions about human nature and its profound implications for fields as diverse as medicine, philosophy, politics, education, religion, law, warfare, and the arts. in addition (see Geher & Wedberg, 2020). There are far-reaching consequences for the human experience as a whole if we can get a deeper understanding of the evolutionary processes that shape our mind. This vast topic of psychology is hardly explored at this point.
To sum up
Millions of individuals throughout the world devote many years of their lives to become trained psychologists. This is a positive thing for a variety of reasons. Therapy and the helping professions as a whole have benefited greatly from the advances made possible by applied psychology. Some of the most vital sectors of the global economy today rely on expertise in the behavioural sciences. And evolutionary psychology gives us a framework for thinking about the ways in which our ancestors’ experiences have informed and shaped our own.
Right now, at this juncture of human history, psychological study is crucial for a number of reasons. Also, its significance will grow in the future.
Reference
Geher, G. (n.d.). 5 reasons why psychology matters. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/202210/5-reasons-why-psychology-matters
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