Skills for Life: How Psychology Enhances Communication and Critical Thinking
Considering a degree in psychology? If so, then you could get more out of your degree than career prospects. That's because studying psychology can also empower you to develop some critical life skills, including communication and critical thinking, which can help you in all aspects of life.
So, how does psychology help communication and critical thinking? With a better understanding of psychology in everyday life, you can determine whether this type of degree may be right for you.
Communication in Psychology
In a formal psychology program, you will delve into the crucial concept of communication within the field. Here, you will explore various forms of communication skills and learn how to effectively utilize each, enriching your understanding of interpersonal dynamics.
Understanding Non-Verbal Communication
One of the most critical forms of communication that often gets overlooked is that of non-verbal communication. Specifically, this refers to how people communicate without actually speaking. Some examples of non-verbal communication that most people use on a regular basis include:
- Body language
- Facial expressions
- Tone of voice
At the same time, being able to read non-verbal cues is not always easy and doesn't usually come naturally. A person may say one thing and mean something else entirely, and that could be missed without non-verbal clues to put things in context. When you study psychology, you will learn a lot about non-verbal communication, how to read these cues and how to interpret and apply them to your own work.
Active Listening
Active listening is another important concept when it comes to psychology and communication. This is defined as a practice where you are really tuned into what a person is telling you that goes beyond simply hearing the words that they're saying. Taking things a step further, active listening requires your full attention, empowering you to really tune into a person's feelings, thoughts and expressions.
In the realm of psychology, active listening is so crucial because it allows you to build trust and more readily help your clients resolve conflicts. Likewise, the concepts behind active listening can be readily applied in your own life and relationships, so this is a great life skill to have.
You can practice active listening skills for psychology by asking open-ended questions, and paraphrasing what a person has said to ensure you are understanding properly and asking for clarification when needed.
Empathy in Communication
Yet another essential skill to have in the psychology field is empathy, which refers to your own ability to put yourself in another person's shoes. Empathy is a critical psychology skill because it allows you to better understand what a person is going through and where they are coming from without judgment or assumptions. This can help you provide better care. And of course, it never hurts to have a little empathy in your own life outside of work.
Psychology and Critical Thinking
Now that you have a better understanding of how studying psychology can help with communication, it is time to explore some of the ways in which a psychology degree program can empower you to be a more critical thinker and problem-solver.
What Is Critical Thinking?
The psychology definition of critical thinking, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) Dictionary, is "a form of directed, problem-focused thinking in which the individual tests ideas or possible solutions for errors or drawbacks."
In psychology especially, critical thinking also requires a person to be able to think objectively and without outside influence. Likewise, being able to analyze and evaluate any situation improves critical thinking abilities and makes it possible to better serve patients carefully and confidently.
Biases and Critical Thinking
Speaking of biases, these are important to avoid as much as possible not just in your psychology work, but in your everyday life and relationships. Specifically, biases refer to errors in judgment that occur when a person allows their own construction of reality (and past life experiences) to cloud their interpretation of something. In other words, biases occur when you process objective information through the objective filter of your own life experience.
In studying psychology, you will learn all kinds of practical skills for avoiding cognitive biases in your own work so that you can think more critically and without judgment. This can help you better understand where your clients are coming from without making assumptions, achieve rational decision-making and assist them in the best way possible.
Problem-Solving and Psychology
Psychology and problem-solving go together. Each new client that you meet will have completely different life circumstances, problems and goals that they will bring to the table. As a psychologist, it will be your job to break down what they need and how to help them achieve their desired outcomes.
As you can probably imagine, this requires a great deal of problem-solving. Within the field, there are many different methods for problem-solving that include:
- Trial-and-error
- Abstraction
- Hypothesis testing
- Lateral thinking
As you build upon these skills, you will find that your own critical-thinking skills are crucial in finding creative and effective solutions to problems.
Psychology in Everyday Life: Real-World Applications
Whether you end up working as a psychologist or in an adjacent field, you will be able to apply the psychology skills you learned in your degree program to your everyday life and career.
Psychology in the Workplace
For starters, having a background in psychology can help enhance your abilities in the workplace. This is especially true when it comes to being able to handle conflict resolution and negotiation. A strong psychology background can also help you be a better team player, especially when you're able to better understand where other team members are coming from.
Psychology in Personal Relationships
You might also be surprised at how much your personal relationships may improve when you have a better understanding of clinical psychology. By applying psychological skills like empathy, problem-solving and active listening in your personal life, you can build and maintain stronger relationships with the people who matter most to you.
Psychology in Self-Improvement
Finally, understanding psychology and how the human mind works can also help you build your own self-awareness and work toward your goals, both career wise and in your personal life. By applying psychology skills like critical thinking and analysis, you can be more realistic about the steps you need to take to reach your goals and be the best version of yourself possible.
Studying Psychology: Building Life Skills
So, what can you expect to learn from a psychology degree program? Ultimately, this can vary from one program and school to the next. However, there are some basics in coursework, research and skill sets that you can expect a comprehensive psychology degree program to cover in-depth.
Coursework and Research
Core psychology courses will usually cover topics in such areas as social psychology, developmental psychology, personality and cognitive psychology. These courses can provide an essential understanding of how the human mind works, as well as a research framework that can be useful in your own career.
During your time in a psychology degree program, you will explore how different research methods provide a foundation in critical thinking and data analysis that will serve you well in your own work.
Practical Applications
Being in a psychology degree program may also open some doors of opportunity to participate in exciting internships or applied psychology research projects. These experiences can be a terrific way to gain some hands-on practice in the field, especially when it comes to communicating, problem-solving and analyzing issues. An internship or applied project can be an excellent way to take the theory that you learn in the classroom and see how it can be used in a real scenario.
Developing a Versatile Skill Set
When it comes to versatility and broad skill sets, psychology graduates tend to be some of the most adaptable. These graduates possess a wide range of skills in demand across various fields, ranging from business and healthcare to education and beyond. With this in mind, a psychology degree can set you up for success not just in your field of study, but just about anywhere you may end up in your career.
Get Started With a Psychology Degree Program
As you can see, many psychology skills are readily applicable to other critical life skills, with critical thinking and communication being at the forefront. When you study psychology in-depth, you will find that you apply a lot of what you learn in your everyday life and relationships for the better.
Still looking for the right psychology degree program? The University of Memphis Global offers a bachelor of arts degree in psychology that's designed with your career goals in mind. Plus, this program is offered 100% online, so it is flexible and versatile enough to suit your busy schedule. Get in touch today to learn more about this degree program or start your application here.
Sources
https://www.memphis.edu/uofmglobal/degrees/undergraduate/psychology.php
https://www.memphis.edu/uofmglobal/about/contact.php
https://apply.memphis.edu/apply
https://www.simplypsychology.org/active-listening-definition-skills-benefits.html