I am currently studying Psychology and find it extremely interesting. When people find out that I am studying it they either say 'are you going to analyse me?' or 'what is psychology all about, anyway?'.

So, I better try and explain a little...

My Uni defines Psychology as 'The scientific study of behaviour and mental activity'. Which is basically it. It's hard to define Psychology as it covers so many areas. It is also hard to catagorise it, some people would say it is a Science based subject and others say it is Humanities. It is both really, depending on the content in which you are studying. It is a 'social science', not a true science, but it does use scientific procedures. There is a lot of research involved but it is also people orientated.

There are many different branches of Psychology. If you wanted a career in Psychology there are many areas to choose from, a few popular choices are:

Clinical Psychology - Dealing with a wide variety of psychological difficulties and mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia or even simple phobias. Clinical Psychologists work in mainly hospital and social care settings.

Health Psychology - A relatively new branch of Psychology. We are bombarded with health campaigns to encourage us to: get our 5-a-day, quit smoking, drink less, exercise more, etc. A health psychologist uses their knowledge to reinforce these messages and encourage us to actually take this advice. They may work in the media, hospitals, health authorities or University departments.

Neuropsychology - Mainly working with people who have sustained brain injuries. Research is a big part of Neuropsychology and work tends to be a blend of research and contact with clients or other neurologists.

Forensic Psychology - Becoming a very popular choice, newspapers commenting on the rise of Forensic Psychologists call it the 'Cracker effect' after the show starring Robbie Coltrane.
Forensic Psychologists use a wide range of skills to assess people and situations. They may work in a team with a wide range of professionals such as social workers, police and prison officers, medial practitioners and many other health professionals.

Many people I know have also studied it for pleasure rather than career prospects. It does help you see the world from a different viewpoint and makes you a bit more understanding of people.

If it interests you, go for it! You will enjoy it and get a lot from it.