Psychology is an interesting field to many people. Many feel that they want to or can be a psychologist. There are certain traits that are good to have if you are interested in entering into the field of psychology.
It is important that you love people. Much of your work will revolve around helping people and resolving their problems so it's important that you like to work with people and enjoy being with and around them.
Much of a clinical psychologist's job is spent listening to their patient's concerns and problems. It's important that you be a good listener. Active listening is the key in psychology. This is when you listen with a clear mind and don't automatically begin forming the next statement that you want to say while your patient is speaking.
Objectivity is another important skill. Your patients will come to you with their side of a situation or story. They will want you to take their side and say that the other person is wrong. It is your job to make your patient see both sides of the situation to help them resolve their problems.
Patience is important as a psychologist. Your patients will not always do as they are told or follow your advice and it's important for you to remain patient with them and keep encouraging them to follow the correct path to healing.
You must have a strong desire to help people. Psychologists spend their days trying to find solutions to patient's problems in order to help them live better and more productive lives. You should not be in psychology for personal glory because it is truly about helping others succeed and not about looking at what you have achieved. While you do make a difference in people's lives your success is measured in the success of your patient's lives not in your abilities.
Creativity is another skill that psychologist need to have mastered. Each patient is a unique individual. They all have unique problems, emotions, and communication styles. It's up to you the psychologist to use your creativity to find a solution that best suits the individuality of your patient.
Earning a Psychology Degree
If you possess any or all of these traits and are interested in becoming a psychologist the first step would be to research psychology schools and programs that might be of interest to you. Once you've shortlisted a few schools you can then request information from them and a counselor will get in touch with you.
Click here to see a list of schools that offer bachelors psychology and online psychology degree.