I Had A Passion For Research

With that in mind, the Army conducted the very first study on the mental health of Iraq troops which discovered that “one in eight [soldiers] reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder” (“1”). In addition to this, the study evinced that “less than half of those with problems sought help, mostly out of fear of being stigmatized or hurting their careers” (“1”).

Outline the key roles of one professional career pathway within applied psychology and critically discuss two research areas addressed within the chosen career pathway.

The basic definition of psychology is the study of human minds and there function, with respect to the affects the human mind has on behavior. The field of psychology is one of the most diverse fields that continue to expand and branch out into a plethora of distinguishing subfields; some subfields include retail marketing, legal work, social work and education (Sternberg, 2007). When deciding what career path to select one has to consider the level of education and scholarship they are willing to pursue. Pursuing and completing an undergraduate degree will earn an individual the title of a reflective scholar. A reflective scholar is a graduate that has completed a Bachelors or Bachelorette degree. Next, is the practitioner-scholar, which, is an individual that has graduated with a Masters degree. Following the practitioner-scholar is the scholar-practitioner, who is a graduate that has complete a program at a Doctoral level (McClintock, 2003). Each level of scholarship entails a pristine level of knowledge about the practices, strategies and techniques needed to establish quality and efficient

My Junior year AP Psychology course didn’t just teach me about the human brain, social patterns and mental disorders -- it taught me about myself. By the end of the first semester of that class, I knew that I had found my calling: to study the human mind and give professional aid to those who suffer from mental disorders. I am confident that the University of Wisconsin-Madison will help me fulfill this goal with its world-renowned Psychology program. UW-Madison is the home of numerous breakthroughs in Psychological science and students who have changed the course of the history of Psychology, such as Abraham Maslow (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) and Harry Harlow (Harlow’s Monkey Experiments). The idea of studying at such an esteemed university is thrilling to me and I’m eager to pursue my education there.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is described as “a psychiatric disorder that results from the experience or witnessing of traumatic or life-threatening events (“Evidence Based PTSD,” 2005). PTSD has come to light a great deal as of late because of the troops returning home from the two war fronts that United States are currently fighting on. Today’s soldiers return home with not just physical scars, but return home with severe emotional scars as well. It’s important while conducting research into such an issue like PTSD that it’s done in a fashion that does not upset or overly excite the patient in the study. Patients or people with PTSD can be very anxious, angry, on edge, and sometimes closed and not too personal. In order to understand how to run a study on such an illness, it is important that you understand what would be considered unethical and ultimately who can be harmed from the study.

To me psychology in itself is a beautiful mosaic piece hanging in museum and a Mozart’s symphony piece paying in the background. My interest in clinical psychology dates back to my years in high school, where I excelled in psychology. When I was a senior, I took a second-year course in psychology at my high school. This advanced-level AP psychology class was engaging and interesting, and earned an A. Since then all I can remember, I have been motivated to understand human thought, feeling, and behavior. It seemed only logical that I pursue a career in clinical psychology.

In 2009, at the age of 15, I learned about deinstitutionalization and the growth of homelessness because of this closing of psychiatric hospitals, but I never knew how this one little fact could change my life forever. Ever since then I have always been interested in the study of psychology and how people functioned mentally, emotionally, and physically; but I never knew the name of exactly what I was interested because I was drawn more in development and growth aspects of psychology, until my mom introduced me to her coworker that worked as an Occupational Therapist. After listening to her description of providing therapeutic assistance and teaching clients to not only deal with their disorders but actually manage their disorders to help them

In exploring PTSD one can make life easier for those suffering from it. First, in looking at what it is and its genetic and social causes. Second, the effects on soldiers sensitivity to loud sounds and their work life going away leading to homelessness and sustaining a relationship with their family. There is work being done to solve PTSD involving medicine and other therapy the condition is

Through my days of adolescences and adulthood I not only gained physically but also mentally, through my experiences of going through my own cultural background I also got to view and experience many others cultures. These countless experiences gave the opportunity to appreciate others, this than lead me to the pursuing of my career field of psychology, psychology gives me the gateway to serve others. My min career objective is to seek in making a difference in people’s lives, by meeting human’s needs and expectations through an interdisciplinary knowledge based full on prevention of problems and maintaining an improvement of overall lifestyle. My interests as I pursue towards higher learning is to put myself at a better position to work with many diverse individuals that may have different circumstances that they are dealing with. I would want to share all the knowledge I have learned throughout my years of school and studying and

Psychology has always had a direct impact on my life for many years for example, I myself have had counselling sessions for anxiety. Experiencing this has given me a desire to work with people in understanding their behaviour and how their minds work to be able to empower individuals to lead better lives. My own personal experience with anxiety has also intrigued me into thinking why I think the way I do and what can be put into action to improve my circumstances.

The clinical problem I am most interested in addressing during the course of my program is the effective application of therapeutic treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the military population. When you look at this issue from a military perspective, it becomes clear that our understanding and treatment of the issue is still in its infancy.

The career field of psychology is growing year after year due to the rise in trauma inducing cases in the past century or so. More than just this, there is also a greater understanding about mental illness as a whole, due to this finding, more people are now able to come forth because they know there is an abnormality in their mind, they know it is not “normal”. Considering the rise of people who come out asking for help, there is a significant problem in this field. There are many different aspects and theories of psychology that focus on a certain characteristic of the onset of these illnesses. The problem that comes with this is that if the focus is set on a certain aspect or outlook of the mental illness. Which means there is also a larger

My research topic is PTSD and the effects on non-veterans and civilians. There are many factors which play into how a civilian develops PTSD and those are the issues I plan to continue researching throughout my research.

In these classes, I found myself naturally drawn to the topics of research methods and statistics. These two academic areas in particular provided an environment in which I was able to develop and excercise my naturally analytical way of thinking. I then geared my undergraduate education towards learning to perform research in psychology by taking more research and science based psychology classes. Additionally, I sought out and obtained research assistantships with professors of cognition, physiological and clinical psychology. Specifically, I have been a primary research assistant for an investigation of the effect of irony on recall and recognition, an investigation of the performance of children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on a computer anticipation task, and an investigation of the effect of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on ADHD-like behavior in laboratory rats. I have also assisted in literature reviews in the area of receptive language and Autism, as well as a review on sleep and genetics. In addition, I have been a participant recruiter for a research project on familial inheritance of depression and REM sleep abnormalities. For complete information, please see my attached curriculum vitae.

At this point in my life I am eager to continue my education in the hopes of mastering my purpose of helping others. I realize that by way of consequence of difference, the intersectionality of many factors of an individual’s life can lead to negative experiences and this is an aspect of society I hope to change. Also, my dream of opening my own psychology office would not be possible without furthering my education. This degree will allow me to counsel at risk youth and make a difference in their lives. I know that continuing my education through this program will prepare me for the professional practice I will encounter daily and help to lay the foundation of my future as a helpful member of society.