Busting Myths on Psychology

What is Psychology?

Heyloz Vanilla peopleJ Time for some en-lighten-ment!!

Well, it’s been a while since I have been thinking of writing a post that should have been written long time back. But when it has to be- it has to be! So here it goes…

After having spent some 6 years in the field of Psychology, and some more to go..I would like to clear some airs as to what Psychology is and is ‘not’!

MYTH

  1. People in the profession of Psychology or psychologists can read YOUR MIND:

FACT: Let’s start with the students. We, as novices are in no position to read your minds. And when I say that -I’m VERY VERY SERIOUS! We are no psychics (psychics are people who can see the future, so next time you use this word for us, just be a lil enlightened!;) Also, while we do deal with overt ( outer) and covert (inner) behaviour of an individual, it takes years of practice before we can actually understand what is there in the person’s mind. READ –  I use the word “understand” not that we can begin to see through the other’s mind! So in short, we are no mind readers, we are no x-ray machines who can look through your skull, then through your brain and then tell you “Woaa!! Don’t you idiot lie to me, I know what’s going in your mind” – (This even non- Psychology people can do :D!!)

To be honest that would be the last thing I would ever want to happen to me! Simply coz my own myriads of thoughts are crazy enough, and I would not want a million others to come haunting me!

MYTH

2.      Psychology is about ‘only’ mind.

FACT: No doubt Psychology is about mind, and precisely I won’t call it a myth, but it is important to know that just like everything in this world is inter-connected, similarly mind being the centre of everything is linked to many aspects. So, in Psychology we study everything about human behaviour. Hence, many fields like- social psychology       ( where we study the individual in social situations), forensic psychology, criminal psychology ( here are all the cases of ‘Plea for insanity’ and the likes dealt, so the movie Silence of the Lambs, and Sydney Sheldon’s book ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’ fall under this category), then we have sports psychology, Organisational Behavioral Psychology            ( where we have professionals in Psychology dealing in the HR departments of MNC’S trying to work on areas like work motivation, leadership, team building activities etc.), Indian Psychology ( An upcoming area where we study Yoga, Vedas, Spirituality, Meditation and how they affect the human) and many more..

There is no end to it, precisely coz human behaviour is complex, and so even a zillion kinds of Psychology wouldn’t suffice to understand it.

MYTH

3.      Psychologists are of NO VALUE

 FACT: Now this is one serious accusation on the millions of people working in the area of Psychology, researching on the various ways a child learns something or for that matter how neurons respond similarly to emotions like anger and fear.

 Just like any other profession which has a value, Psychology contributes immensely to almost all spheres of life.

F.Y.I. the parents of Psychology are – Philosophy and Physiology. Philosophy Yup, the mom and dad are indeed big shots in themselves!!;) Thus the wide influence of Psychology!

MYTH

4.      Psychologists are same as Psychiatrists

 FACT: Door door tak nahi!! Kadapi nahiii!! These are two different professions. So here is the gyaan: Psychologists are people who do their Bachelors, Masters, M.Phil or Phd. in fields related to Psychology. Yes. There is a field called “Clinical Psychology” which deals with mental illnesses. Psychologists precisely deal with giving therapies to clients and patients from the normal everyday problems to the gravest illnesses. (More on this some other timeJ )

Psychiatrists are people who have done their MBBS and then their MD in Psychiatry. These are doctors by professions and have the authority to prescribe medicines to the patients unlike Psychologists.

In the contemporary times, a combination of psychiatry and psychology works best in favour of the patient, where along with taking the medicine, the patient also undergoes therapy so as to help him her overcome his/ her illness.

MYTH

5.      Girls studying Psychology are very ‘chant’ (to translate: clever) so one should BE-WARE of them, and people studying Psychology are NOT liable to make any mistakes!!

 Again…I beg people not to think that we cannot make mistakes. So, more often than not I hear people starting their sentences like “You being a Psychology student should know this…or that…” and then “Psychology padh rahi ho, doosron ki psychology ko samjhs karo!) { Yes! Sure..As you say! Don’t you know I’m free of all the emotions and thoughts which the Lord only bestowed upon non- psychology people!}.

As far as being clever goes, I really don’t know what to say on this. To consider temporally, times have changed, gone are the days when people would be innocent and honest. I guess, unfortunately, the 21^st century and the  years to come will be about self, and only self, snatch, cheat, betray, stab, unless wise people like us go beyond them and cherish the values which our forefathers had bestowed upon us, through the generations!

This much basic should suffice for now. If you have any other questions, feel free to throw them at me, and I shall try and catch them and send the ball rolling back to you, that which glows;) with a better understanding!

Be enlightened. Be Blessed.

Aakriti 


P.S.:  To share with you all Vanilla ppl..me and my frnd got so frustrated by the constant comments we would get as Psychology students that we made a grp on FB which said "Studying Psychology doesn't makes me a mind reader" :P...;)