Psychology studies:
both normal & abnormal behavior
both humans & other species
all aspects of behavior

Knowing Something About Professionals in the Field
Or “ what qualifies him/her to help me or give me advice?”

Becoming a Psychologist:
Earn the Ph.D.(4-5 years graduate work + completion of major research project)  OR
A smaller number earn the Psy.D. (less emphasis on research) or Ed.D.
Clinical psychologists also need 1 yr. internship & must pass licensing exam
All psychologists specialize (subarea & approach) as they earn their degrees.

Other Degree Options:
M.A. in Psych or Counseling or Social Work (takes ~2 years; more limited job opportunities)
To become a psychiatrist you first attend medical school & earn your M.D., then specialize in clinical psych
A psychoanalyst is a psychologist or psychiatrist with special training in Freud’s approach to the unconscious
A variety of psychology-related jobs are available to those with a B.A. in Psych, as well as jobs where insight into behavior is a plus (sales, management, marketing, education, criminal justice, service jobs)

Where do the 100,000 U.S. psychologists work?
about 49% in clinical settings
about 28% at colleges/universities
about 6% in business, industry settings
about 4% in K-12 school settings
about 13% miscellaneous other settings (government, courts, advertising, consulting, research, etc.)

Research subareas or specializations (learn about these on your own in module 1,G):
Social psych
Personality psych
Developmental psych
Experimental (basic processes) psych
Physiological/biological psych
Cognitive psych
Psychometrics (psych testing)
Clinical psych
Industrial/organizational psych

Different Approaches/Perspectives (learn about each of these as well as the historical approaches and the famous
psychologist(s) associated with the approaches)
Biological
Cognitive
Behavioral
Psychoanalytic
Humanistic
Cross-cultural

Sample test question on today’s lecture
Before she began seeing patients with psychological disorders, Dr. Melfi went to medical school and then specialized in clinical psychology. Dr. Melfi is most likely a
A. psychoanalyst
B. clinical psychologist
C. psychiatrist
D. counselor