Of the many things that I enjoy about the field of psychology, I can’t forget to mention one of the most attractive aspects that this major has to offer. There is great diversity across the different sub-fields of psychology that are available for specialization. The three fields that I believe I have narrowed my scope down to are neuropsychology, forensic psychology, and sports psychology.
If I choose to pursue neuropsychology, it is likely that I will be able to help people who suffer from debilitating mental illnesses; there is a large gap in understanding to many common disorders. If I can gain a high-enough level of understanding for this field, I’d like to work in a hospital setting to be a consultant for someone who performs actual procedures, which typically would be a neurosurgeon. This would be a rewarding field, because I would get to see the impact I am making in action. The downside to this path is that it is possible that I will come across many people that I will not have the knowledge or ability to help, which can be a very unfortunate occurrence. It is truly saddening to know that some people have to live with certain mental illnesses for which there are no known cures.
Forensic psychology is interesting to me because it is an active field that can also lead to helping people, whether it be victims of crimes or individuals who act out against the law in certain ways that they themselves do not understand. This sub-field itself is broad with many different positions to offer. The downside to this field is that I may come across disturbing pieces of evidence when engaging in my research for specific cases. I will have to approach things objectively if I choose to pursue this field.
The third and final possible field I may go into is sports psychology. To pursue this field would be to combine two of my passions (sports and psychology) into one. I’m not sure what actual positions this field has to offer, I just know they exist; this is something I would obviously have to research more thoroughly. If I become an expert in this field I can help athletes to perform at their peak performance level without having a mind clouded with thoughts of doubt. Oftentimes we see great athletes being held back by their inability to overcome psychological obstacles. This is unfortunate, and it is something that can possibly be prevented or corrected.
Since everything we do requires the use of our mind, it follows that psychology can be incorporated into various different fields. Perhaps a double major would be a good idea to set myself up for the best opportunity to find a job in the field that I decide is the best fitting for myself. Again, it is still early in my college career, and I have time. It is still helpful to think about these things now so that I’m not feeling lost as a junior or senior. I’m just happy to be in a field where there is reasonable flexibility to do whatever I choose to do.
I never realized how much flexibility there was in the field of psychology. All three of these subfields sound fascinating, and as you pointed out, all three have their pros and cons. If it were up to me, I would probably do neuropsychology. I imagine that this would be the field I could help the most amount of people in, and I hear the pay isn’t bad either. Working in a hospital with world-class surgeons would give you the ability to be on the brink of new discoveries and findings in psychology that would be able to help thousands, or even millions, of people. I’m sure there would be some difficult cases like you mentioned, but in the end, I think it would be the most rewarding field.
I like how you’re weighing the all the different pros and cons to pursuing each field. Like most things in life, committing yourself to one thing means embracing all the good and bad that comes with it. While you will be helping people no matter which of these fields you go in, it seems that you’ll have to evaluate which field provides you with the most satisfaction given the cost. I wish you the best of luck!