Monday, 17 June 2013

Statement 4 Psychology

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When I first read an article on the internet at the age of thirteen about colours and the impact they have on human emotions, I knew that psychology was a subject that could help me to make sense of the vast complexity of human beings and human behaviour. From that day on I read any magazine, article or journal post I could get my hands on, eager to know more about human cognition. I want develop a further understanding of psychology, which is why I have applied to study the subject at undergraduate level.
My everyday interactions with a diverse range of personality types is stimulating, particularly to think that the way a person acts is due to a mixture of life experiences, socialisation and genetics. It puts a smile on my face to see my revision guide come to life when a person ticks every box in the Type A personality category. When getting to know a person better I have often identified what I believe is their childhood attachment type and this has made it easier to understand them because, just like Bowlby’s Attachment Theory suggests, our attachments give us a template for all future relationships. This drive to understand human behaviour is what makes me an appropriate candidate for a psychology undergraduate degree. I have enjoyed studying Psychology, Sociology, Media Studies and English Literature at A level and learnt a number of skills that I would take with me into higher education, Media Studies is 50% coursework and I have developed discipline, organisation and time keeping skills which would help me to meet deadlines and revising for my exams has shown that I am capable of personal learning. From English and Sociology I have gained essay writing and research skills as well as realising the importance of argument and supporting subjective interpretations of concepts, themes and ideas. Studying Psychology at A level has not only made me certain that psychology is a suitable career path but it has also taught me to be open minded and to never make judgments before having some evidence.
In 2009 I gained insight into adolescent development when I gave a presentation to Jeffery Hall at the Institute of Education, University of London. In order to do so we had to carry out some research into learning preferences in secondary schools and the evidence suggested that students prefer visual stimuli to complement their lessons as it is easily encoded. From the autumn of 2012 I have started volunteering as a break-time leader at York Road primary school, my peers and I construct educational games which teaches them to tell the time, for example. This experience along with five years of babysitting experience means that I can easily interact with children, an advantage when studying child development. I also co-run a homework club open to year 9 students to help them with their English homework.
Aside from finding Psychology incredibly fascinating I want to go to university as it will be a valuable life experience. It would be the first step into adulthood and I would look forward to meeting new people. I also take part in amateur dramatics and have been in numerous musicals and pantomimes at secondary school. Being the first member of my family to ever take an interest in higher education I hope that I will inspire my younger sibling to achieve their ambitions and instil in them the belief that with hard work, anything is possible.
When I think into future and what I picture myself doing I could not think of anything more fulfilling than to be making a positive difference in somebody else’s life. A psychology degree would be the first step to becoming a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.  As said in Shakespeare’s Hamlet "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." I believe that understanding cognition is one way to understand the sources of some illnesses and that helping people to rationalise with their beliefs plays a vital part in treatment, an area I would like to learn more about in my degree.

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