What I Learned About Psychology in College

When I was in college, I decided that my major would be psychology, I would go on to medical school and become the next Frasier Crane. Well, that never happened. I work as a probation officer now, which I am quite content with, but I have to say that there is a lot about psychology that has helped me in my career and in life in general.

One of the the things I love the most about psychology is that one really learns what motivates people to do the things they do. It is easy to see how environment can affect a person's world view or how early childhood experiences can impact a person's later life.

Case in point – I saw a probationer last year who was combative, cocky and uncooperative. My first inclination was to be very stern with him and inform him that I was not going to put up with any nonsense or disrespect. To be completely honest, I did just that, but I also asked him to tell me about his childhood and what it was like for him growing up.

I learned that he had been abused throughout his life and that his mother told him she did not love him. He also told me that his father was a drug addict and that his mother's boyfriend use to beat her up and then go after him. I soon realized that a lot of what I had learned about psychology, particularly Freudian psychology and the effects that childhood experiences have on a person in later life, really helped me understand him.

I discussed with him some of the things I had learned about psychology when it came to dealing with such issues and how to resolve them. I also encouraged him to go and see an actual psychologist who could provide him with a formal diagnosis and allow him to start weeding through some of the stress and difficulties he encountered on a daily basis.

Within a few months, this person had completed the conditions of his probation and was doing quite well. He was working a full-time job, going to school, and did not feel the urge to use drugs or steal any longer, which were among the charges that had been brought against him when we first met. I give him almost all of the credit for taking the initiative to address the issues he had, but I do remind myself that it was what I had learned about psychology that led him to do so.

This person is now a model probationer and well on his way to a better life. He told me the other day that he wanted to learn more about psychology so that he could help others and is actually considering majoring in the subject himself. I am so impressed that what I had learned was able to help him so much, and that it will maybe even help more people in the future through him.