Psychologists are also flesh and blood people

This article is inspired by the many times that I have been told a somewhat peculiar comment regarding my profession. And not only to me, but many of those who read this text and dedicate themselves to psychology must be thinking the same thing.

Dismantling some myths about the profession of psychologist

There are many branches of psychology, but not all are popularly known. When someone thinks of a psychologist, he automatically associates him with clinical specialty, that is, the discipline that studies conduct disorders to subsequently subject the patient to therapy to improve her quality of life. Coincidentally, the profession of clinical psychologist is the most exploited by the film industry of Hollywood and is also closely related to the most famous clinical psychologist of the story, Sigmund Freud, the Psychoanalysis and the huge Dream's world.

The couch

For this reason, when someone asks you what is your profession and you answer that you are a psychologist, almost instantly they have already imagined you sitting in a chair with a patient on the couch.

“Divan: armchair / bed to lie down and

closely related to psychoanalysis ”.

Self-psychology

Once it is assumed that you dedicate yourself to psychology, and although no one knows that yours is not the clinical specialty, one of the phrases that we have heard the most since we began to talk, usually arises in the minds of the interlocutors. study the fantastic career of Psychology.

Leaving aside other well-known recurring questions such as: guess what I think, are you psychoanalyzing me? Or have I dreamed of a castle tonight, does that mean something to you? Here is the phrase that they repeat to us until we are exhausted !:

"Psychologists study that career because they have a problem and want to heal themselves (commonly called" crazy "or" deranged ").

Let's reflect on this sentence. As in all races, there are peculiar, strange, conflicting people and even with serious behavior problems. As in the psychology career, this also happens in all disciplines, as in all jobs and especially as in life.

There are people with more or less serious problems in all corners of our society, and also some in the faculty. I vouch for it, because I have had the "pleasure" of meeting several "peculiarities" that come from the same guild.

But this does not mean that we should make the exception the rule. There are also people who study this career to better understand why they are the way they are. Although we have all had such thoughts in our heads at some time, simply for the mere fact of being human and thoughtful beings. But my advice for people who are considering studying psychology with the sole interest of trying to solve their problems, it is preferable to go to consultation and try to solve your possible "problems" or concerns that way. In the end, you will surely save yourself a lot of time and go straight to the goal.

Psychologists have emotions, although it is incredible

As the title of the article says, psychologists are people. We don't do everything right, nor can we surely "heal" ourselves, as many believe. We have tools to manage some situations more easily, but we don't do magic.

We make mistakes, we fall, we hurt ourselves and we also suffer. We have difficulties, complicated circumstances and less bearable moments, like everyone else. We have the right to be wrong, like all other people and that is not why we are less professional. We have to bear in mind that our attitudes, emotions and situations affect us subjectively, so we have to discern very well what affects us on a personal or professional level. If what happens to us is really inescapable, it is necessary to solve that problem and that situation in order to do our work in the best possible way.

Psychologists attending consultation

Psychologists often also need to go to a consultation to solve certain issues that affect them. Does it sound strange for a psychologist to go to another psychologist? Well, it shouldn't be.

For example, a psychologist may need to go to therapy because he cannot work out mourning the death of a family member or loved one. It may happen that this person comes for a consultation so that another professional can help him / her in accompanying this process called grief.

The duel has different phases, and it does not always pass quickly from one state to another, but rather we can stay in one of those phases more or less time or even get stuck in one of they. Especially in this society in which we are not taught to go through a normal duel, it seems that we have very little time to overcome a grief and not all of us need the same time to assimilate the loss of that person who now no longer this.

Each person faces bad times in their own way

Many people even get stuck for years in a phase, which does not allow them to advance in their life normally. In other cultures and / or countries, such as Mexico, the loss or death of a person is faced in a very different way. Examples such as the day of the dead in Mexico when everyone goes out to the streets to remember the deceased with songs and customized with skulls painted on their faces. On the other hand, in the United States a kind of catering is carried out at home so that everyone can say goodbye to the deceased and offer condolences to the family.

They are different ways of facing the same reality. Psychologists, as human persons, are also different when it comes to going through a moment like this. We are not immune to sadness, no one is.

In short: a psychologist is neither a robot nor a magician

So then and going back to the thesis of the article, I hope that after reading this text, when you come back To coincide with a psychologist, think differently about how it is or what it can contribute to you. Do not forget that we are people, first of all, people. With defects and with virtues, with fears and with illusions.

Sincerely,

A psychologist.