Psychology
Most Popular Psychology Jobs
April 2, 2011 | 
Author The American Psychological Association lists many kinds of psychology jobs and specialties that can be pursued with a psychology degree to suit a wide variety of interests and needs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics Employee Outlook Handbook, psychology jobs are expected to increase 12 percent from 2008 to 2018.
The American Psychological Association lists a number of popular psychology jobs, mostly involving research and counseling. Beyond the typical notion of psychological counseling that helps people identify and work through their problems, the APA lists a number of intriguing specialties.
Cognitive and perceptual psychologists study “human perception, thinking and memory.”
Development psychologists look at how people develop through age, looking at childhood or adolescent development, and as lifespans increase, psychologists study aging and the elderly.
Engineering psychologists study how people work with machinery and how design might be improved.
Sports psychologists work with athletes to maintain motivation and improve performance.
Health psychologists look at the relation to people and health, and attempt to determine why some people follow or don’t follow health advice, or why others may engage in behaviors they know are unhealthy.
School psychologists work directly with schools to counsel students.
The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics predicts that school psychologists are among the psychology jobs that will be in high demand in the future, as more research is performed about how psychological issues such as bullying, development and behavioral problems affect learning. The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics also predicts that there will be a high demand for psychology jobs regarding the treatment and prevention unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, alcoholism and obesity that drive insurance costs up.
Argosy University Psychology Program
Perhaps you are a kind and caring person who helps others with no thought of compensation. Your joy comes from seeing lives improved. You like listening to people’s problems and are available when someone needed a friend. Yet beyond your intimate cluster of friends and family lies a world of people who can greatly benefit from you using your skills to pursue a career in psychology.
One of these important beneficiaries is yourself. But maybe you feel it’s too late to pursue your own self-actualization because you already have family responsibilities, and you worry that attending college would make you less available to your children. At Argosy University, you can have the flexibility to craft the educational plan that’s best suited to your unique life situation.
As well as having 19 locations across the United States, Argosy University offers several online programs, taught by faculty who are specially-trained in providing online education. Argosy University’s online students receive a student advisor, a faculty mentor and interactive instruction with many opportunities to participate in the online community. Students can also attend classes at any hour of the day or night, on any day of the week, from their own home or any place where they have internet access.
A Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Argosy University equips graduates with a general, foundational ability to utilize the social sciences theory to solve problems in entry-level positions such as counseling, case management or human resources. Social sciences theory applies scientific method to the study of human relationships and behavior.
Students in Argosy University’s psychology programs build their communication skills and study ethics, learn to understand and respect diversity, learn effective research methods, and fine-tune their critical thinking skills.
Forensic Psychology : Choosing the Right Graduate Program
Forensic psychology is a relatively new discipline, having only been formally recognized as a specialization within psychology by the American Psychological Association in 2001. Recently, many specialty schools and universities have started offering forensic psychology bachelor degrees, master’s degrees and doctorate degrees that are tailored to students’ specific career goals. One such institution is Argosy University.
As forensic psychology is a dual discipline incorporating psychology and law, many professionals have doctorate degrees in psychology and certified are as forensic psychologist by the American Board of Forensic Psychology. A practitioner in this field is normally appointed as an expert witness by a court in a certain jurisdiction based on his or her specialization and experience. For example, a forensic psychologist can be called in as an expert witness in a family court, civil court or criminal court.
Choosing the right graduate program in forensic psychology can be confusing considering the many programs available and the numerous areas of specialization offered. The choice of graduate program depends primarily on a student’s career choice. Master’s degree programs are suitable for those who want to pursue a career in criminal investigation or law enforcement.
Students who want to practice as a forensic psychologist should pursue a doctorate degree. Some universities offer master’s programs in psychology specializing in legal systems or criminal justice, and some institutions offer degrees in forensic psychology specializing in counseling or family law. The options are limitless, depending on a student’s interest and career choice.
Many institutions offer online classes in forensic psychology, which is very attractive to those who are working or not able to physically attend classes due to extenuating circumstances. Argosy University offers online programs designed for optimal interaction and learning, taught by teachers with real-world experience.
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The Study of Religion Psychology
Religion psychology is the psychological study of religious experiences defined scientifically. Historically, religion psychology focused on a belief system that drove a way of life, usually of entire societies. But in the last couple of decades, religion is becoming less a way of believing and more a way of living. Simply put, it is impossible to understand how people think without also understanding their religious beliefs.
The fields of religion and psychology both enter realms of the unseen and until now, have done so in entirely different scopes of academia. Psychology began as a formal, scientific field of study approximately 100 years ago with Sigmund Freud, who realized that behavior is primarily driven by the subconscious. Religion psychology has been in existence in one form or another for a long time and has been studied as theology.
The psychological study of religion, or religion psychology, is a significant area of psychology and relevant to the understanding of people as a whole and as individuals. Religion psychology offers material for the array of attitudes, coping mechanisms and other phenomena of interest to the field of psychology. It also challenges the field to find ways to conduct research that is scientific and meaningful. Thinking more abstractly, the undeniable link between psychology and religion continues to more strongly define psychology with philosophy through history.
There are several degree programs that are available that will prepare psychologists to specialize in this field. Because it is a rare specialty, degree programs are more broad. The most important focus when choosing a degree program is the accreditation of the program, whether or not the program meets your career goals and the long-term value of the program. You can tailor your degree plan to include religion psychology, even if you are pursuing a basic psychology degree.
The Psychology of a Confident Child
Raising a confident child is key to ensuring a successful transition into adulthood. Enhancing a child’s self confidence is undoubtedly tantamount to creating healthy, stable adults. The experiences and lessons of childhood stay with us into adulthood. A confident child who is valued will feel valued throughout life. A child who feels bad and incompetent will continue to live with those feelings as an adult.
To boost a child’s confidence, it is important that they receive constant positive feedback. A few simple words such as, “That’s a lovely drawing” go far in raising self esteem. A child hearing positive reinforcement will keep trying harder. A confident child who doesn’t receive positive feedback will soon wonder if it can do anything right and if any effort is really worth it.
Children thrive on encouragement. The world is filled with so many things that to a child seem impossible to accomplish or understand. Encouraging a youngster leads to the realization that he or she can do things and solve problems. Such a realization is a tremendous confidence-enhancer.
Confident children are permitted to stretch their limits. If a parent rigidly chooses what a child wears every day, the child will reach the conclusion that it is incapable of making such a decision. A child that is allowed to make some of its own choices learns that it can be in control of its life. With a growing sense of control the child learns to rely on itself rather than an adult world.
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Psychology Based Stress Relievers
In a month dedicated to all things lovely and beautiful, the last thing you need is to be suffering from beaucoup amounts of stress. Stress can put a damper on your love life, not to mention your health and career. Stress embodies both psychological and physical ailments and can be treated using a variety of tried and true psychotherapy techniques.
Everyone knows that working is stressful and probably the number one source of worry in life, especially with the current state of things. Economic downturn anyone? Remember that learning to prioritize your deadlines and work load can drastically relieve some pressure. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also a viable treatment for work stress as it solves problems concerning negative emotions, thoughts and behavior patterns using a goal-oriented process. A psychologist, for example, may implement time-management training to help you more effectively manage your work flow, which he or she may then combine with mental relaxation techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven effective in treating anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders on a grand scale, so a little work stress is nothing to stress about. Pun intended.
Now moving on to the next most stressful life occurrence, which is relationships, big shock, especially those involving the opposite sex. Most of the time your happiness hinges on what those close to you are saying and doing. Have a spat with your honey one morning? More than likely your whole day is shot. Despite the stigma surrounding this time-honored stress management technique, couples therapy is a great way to learn how to relate to your loved one. But people hear the word therapy and immediately think “only crazy people need therapy.” Not true. Couples therapy involves solving the problems between two people by identifying the conflict in a relationship. A series of discussion questions will likely be asked by a licensed counselor or psychologist aimed at starting a dialogue to help you determine what changes are needed.
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