Monday, September 19, 2011

Let A General Psychology Course Introduce You To This Fascinating Field

Many students enjoy the idea of learning about how their fellow humans act and why people do the behaviors they do. After all, this is the reason that many of them choose to major in the field of psychology. Psychology is the study of the workings of the human mind. There are many different fields within this arena, as well as many different theorists who have left their mark on the study of the human mind. Introduction to Psychology is a course designed to teach students all the basics of this fascinating field.

There are many different theories within the realm of the study of behavior and thought. Many of these theories will be covered in the Intro to Psychology class as students will learn the basics of all that is covered. Quite a few of these theories govern the development of the mind, and in this case there are many psychologists doing work on an area called nature versus nurture. Another area of great interest to budding psychologists in the psychology introductory course is abnormal psychology.

The great debate on nature versus nurture centers on the question, "Are we who we are because we are born that way or because we are raised that way?" There are no true answers to this question as both sides have found ways to debunk the other side. Chiefly, nature proponents say who we are is encoded into our DNA, while nurture advocates say that a child's home life is what will create a functional or dysfunctional individual.

There are many different forms of psychological dysfunction. This area of psychological study is called abnormal psychology. Many of the disorders profiled such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, autism and dissociative disorder will be talked about with Intro students. Many leave the class quite interested in this area of the field.

There are many people who have greatly shaped the study of psychology. This survey course introduces students to a whole host of people who are responsible for the development and advancement of the study of psychology. None of these individuals will receive a complete biography, but there are many who are worth noting. Two of the most famous individuals within the Introduction to Psychology curriculum are Philip Zimbardo and Sigmund Freud.

Besides being credited with writing many of the textbooks used in psychology classes, Philip Zimbardo is the author of one of the most famous psychological studies conducted on American soil, the Stanford Prison study. In this study, students will learn about what happened when Zimbardo had some students act as prison guards while others acted as prisoners and the psychology department of Stanford was turned into a prison block.

Sigmund Freud is considered the "Father of Modern Psychology" due to his numerous contributions in the field. Freud is credited with pioneering ideas in dream analysis. He is also most famous for his ideas concerning the Id, the Ego and the Superego, as well as the Oedipal Complex.

What this general psychology course does is allow students to experience some of the wonder and fascination the field as a whole provides. One way students can undertake this study is via an online college for free class offering. Intro to Psych is a required course and taking it online and at no cost may just give students the impetus they need to pursue a full program.

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