Psychology

Course summary

To study Psychology is essentially to study what it is to be human. As a human you feel love, hate, fear, desire, pride, guilt; you think thoughts, plan, dream, imagine, make decisions, have conversations and take actions. Psychology attempts to provide explanations for what makes us who we are and why people behave in the ways they do. It considers development from before birth through to old age, the changes taking place, and how these affect thought and behaviour. Psychology also considers how we affect, and are in turn affected by, the people around us and the society in which we live. It tries to explain why people are so alike in some respects and yet so different in others. You will gain considerable experience in thinking critically, as you will be required to not only understand the theories covered but also evaluate them, taking into consideration evidence for and against, the quality of evidence, and the logical coherence of the theories. You will gain a better understanding of the brain and the biological systems which make up part of who we are, and you will design and carry out research and learn the limitations of different methods. Psychology complements almost every other subject, from Biology to History, Chemistry to Government & Politics, English to Art. It provides a useful perspective on these subjects, as well as being a fascinating subject in its own right.