21 topics you must study to be an excellent psychologist

If you are interested in psychology and you are thinking of studying the career, Not long ago we wrote a post that tried to explain the 10 elementary points to opt for the Bachelor or Degree in Psychology (you can read it clicking here).

If you have already made the decision or would like to know what is studied in the career of psychology, you only have to read the following lines. In today's article, we explain the most important topics studied in the Degree in Psychology.

Psychology is a very broad discipline

Evidently, psychology is a broad field in which there are different specialties (clinical psychology, sports psychology, organizational psychology, etc.), so the educational needs are not always the same, depending, of course, on the field of specialization.

Ultimately, psychology is a discipline that covers many areas; For example, one can talk about the history of psychology, the discoveries that have been made from this field, the relationship that it has with neurosciences, what it teaches us about mental processes and our way of relating and making decisions, etc.

In this article we have collected the most important topics that are studied in the career of psychology in Spain (in Latin American countries there may be differences). In other words, the core and compulsory subjects that it is necessary to take to obtain the title of psychologist. These themes cannot be missing in any introductory manual to psychology.

Topics you must study to be a good psychologist

Below you can find the most important topics that are studied in the career of psychology.

1. Biological bases of behavior

The biological bases of behavior are an essential area of ​​study in the career of psychology, because it allows us to know how mental processes are produced, what is the main unit that propagates the nerve impulse or brain communication or what is the connection between the parts of the brain and our body.

Throughout the career of psychology it is possible to find subjects such as psychobiology or psychophysiology, because, to be a good psychologist, it is It is necessary to know how mental processes occur, whether of memory, learning or sensations, and to know, among other things, how the neurons.

2. Statistics and psychometrics

Although many psychology students do not like numbers, the use of statistics is an important part of science. And psychology, and as a science that it is, makes use of it to achieve its objectives of predicting and intervening in human behavior. In addition, any psychologist must master psychometrics, a discipline that deals with the set of methods, techniques and theories involved in measuring and quantifying psychological variables. The tests are a necessary tool for any psychologist.

• Related article: "Psychology and statistics: the importance of probabilities in behavioral science"

3. History of Psychology

To be a good psychologist, the first thing you need to have is a good theoretical base. For this, it is necessary to know the history of this discipline and be very clear about what psychology is, what is its field of study, what are the main problems that it addresses and which are the main schools that over the years have allowed psychology to consolidate as a science.

Plato, Discards, Freud, Skinner, Watson or Bandura are some of the figures that every good psychologist must know to know the historical contexts in which this discipline has evolved.

4. Social psychology

Social psychology is a branch of psychology that analyzes the psychological processes that influence the way a society functions, the way in which social interactions are carried out and how social processes modulate the personality and characteristics of each person.

In the subject of social psychology, topics such as leadership or prejudices are studied, and important research in this field is reviewed, such as Stanford Prison Experiment by Philip Zimbardo or Milgram's experiment: the danger of obedience to authority.

• You can know more about this branch, visiting our article: "What is social psychology?"

5. Clinical psychology

Since the beginning of psychology, clinical psychology has been one of the most important areas of this discipline. In clinical psychology all the elements involved in mental disorders and, in general, in mental health are studied. Therefore, clinical psychology carries out all the tasks of evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and therapeutic intervention in people with some type of mental impairment or maladaptive behavior, in order to restore psychological balance and improve their wellness.

• Related text: Clinical psychology: definition and functions of the clinical psychologist

6. Developmental psychology

This branch of psychology is responsible for studying the behavioral and psychological changes of people throughout their life cycle, that is, from his birth to his death.

When these changes are analyzed, different fields of study are contemplated: physical, from which stability, biological change and the determinants of physical growth are analyzed; cognitive, from which intellectual capacities and their relationship with the development of the person are analyzed; and social and personality, which focuses on individual differences and social relationships at different stages of life (childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age).

• Related article: "Developmental Psychology: main theories and authors"

7. Personality psychology

One of the great areas of psychology that arouses the greatest interest is the study of personality. From the different currents of psychology, an attempt has been made to explain the personality taking into account both genetic and environmental aspects. In his study, he delves into the different contributions that many authors have made in this field.

For example, Eysenck's Personality Theory: The PEN Model, Albert Bandura's Personality Theory or The Theory of the Big 5 or Big Five.

8. Ethics in psychology

In addition to acquiring theoretical and practical knowledge for the correct development of their profession, The psychologist, throughout his career, must know the ethical principles that govern the exercise of his professionas well as being aware of your resources and limitations.

It must respect the dignity of its patients and preserve and ensure the preservation of fundamental human rights. Therefore, some of their obligations are to use their knowledge to promote human well-being or to maintain professional secrecy.

9. Psychological evaluation

Regardless of whether someone wants to practice as a clinical, organizational or sports psychologist, psychological evaluation is a necessary requirement for the professional practice of any psychologist. Therefore, a good psychologist should be able to master this aspect, either to know the organizational performance of an organization, the personality type of the patient or to make an assessment of the intelligence of a student.

• You may be interested: "Types of intelligence tests"or"Types of personnel selection tests and questionnaires"

10. Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology is found within the neurosciences and is the discipline in charge of studying the relationships between the brain and behavior, not only in individuals with some dysfunction, but also in people with a behavior normal. This field of study uses experimental techniques and examinations that provide images of the brain area (e.g., CT, NMR, PET, fMRI ). What functions do neurotransmitters have? or What causes aphasias? are some questions to which neuropsychology answers.

• You may be interested in: Neurosciences: the new way of understanding the human mind

11. Differential psychology

While general psychology studies behavior common to all human subjects, differential psychology studies this behavior individually.

Therefore, this branch of psychology is in charge of the description, prediction and explanation of the intraindividual, interindividual or intergroup variability of behavior and psychological processes (for example, the intelligence). It includes the Psychology of the personality, but it also accounts for many other elements, such as IQ or the biological characteristics related to the immune system, genes related to all kinds of characteristics physical, etc.

12. Group psychology

Despite the fact that group psychology was part of the social psychology course in its beginnings, Many universities, aware of its importance, teach compulsory subjects of psychology of the groups. Not only that, but, at present, many postgraduate studies focus on this subject, as this field of study is gaining more and more prominence. Many of human behaviors cannot be understood without the group component.

The study of groups focuses on the understanding and explanation of group processes, the relationships between its members and between the different groups, group formation, roles, norms, group cohesion, communication, etc.

13. Linguistic psychology

The most important kind of human communication is linguistics. With human language it is possible to produce an unlimited number of messages and to establish a true dialogue. Psycholinguistics is a discipline in which the object of study is the relationship established between linguistic knowledge and the mental processes involved in it.

14. Psychology of Learning

Human behavior cannot be understood without learning. Through this, habits, skills, values ​​or knowledge are acquired, and it is intimately related to the development of individuals. Some of the most important learning theories are: Jean Piaget's Theory of Learning wave Sociocultural Theory of Lev Vygotsky,

15. Experimental methodology

The study of experimental methodology is also part of the academic curriculum of a psychologist, since he must know the different research designs and the procedures for formulating and contrasting hypotheses, but, in addition, you must know how to use documentary sources of information in this discipline, with the capacity for critical analysis and synthesis. This will help you analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from research, reports, and papers in psychology.

16. Specialty: Sports Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Legal Psychology….

The previous points have made reference to the different subjects or compulsory and core areas of knowledge in the career of psychology, but in psychology there are different specialties and each of them requires specific knowledge to be able to practice the profession in the best way possible. Therefore, ornce the degree is over, there are different master's degrees to continue growing at an academic and professional level and obtain a master's degree in a particular field of behavioral science.

• If you want to know more about these specializations, you can read our article: "The 20 best Master's degrees in Psychology"

17. Philosophy of science

It is essential to focus any research-based university career. Knowing the epistemological bases of the theories helps to know if certain hypotheses are well justified or on the contrary are not useful to understand reality.

18. Ethology

Ethology is essential to understand the behavior of animals. It studies basic learning processes in non-human organisms, as well as instincts and the way in which hormones affect these living beings.

19. Forensic psychology

Very useful for understanding how psychology-based expert evaluations work in the legal world.

20. Introduction to Anthropology

Anthropology is a field of study similar to social psychology, although it focuses more on cultural phenomena. That is why knowing it is useful to apply certain psychological principles to specific societies.

21. Use of specific software

It is essential to learn to use popular programs, such as R or SPSS, to use them in various subjects. It is also good to use others focused on qualitative research, such as ATLAS.ti.