6 Things Being a Psychology Major Has Taught Me

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been surrounded by the topic of psychology. When I was not with my mother at her psychology courses at college (she had me at age 20), I was learning about why things didn’t work out sometimes with mommies and daddies. I always wondered why my parents were acting weird towards each other and why I stopped seeing my father altogether by age 5.

It is almost fifteen years later and I’m still just learning about why people do what they do. As a psychology major, I have gained more insight about what makes people do what they do. There are many things I have learned since becoming a psychology major, most of the things I have learned have to deal with why I am the way I am. Here are some things that psychology has taught me (and could help you, too).

1. Everyone has a past.

There is a reason why every famous theorist focused on what he or she did. Many theorists had a tough childhood and had to learn the hard way about how they wanted their lives to be. No matter how perfect a person may seem, that person has had something significant happen to them to make them the way they are. People handle their pasts in different ways. Some people choose to let go of what happened to them and others can’t help but let their pasts control their entire lives.

2. There is no such thing as “normal.”

When people describe their childhood as normal, it’s not as easy as you’d think to know exactly what they’re referring to. We all have different ideas about what normal is.

One person’s normal can be coming home to a nice, big house to see both parents smiling and welcoming them home. Another person’s normal might be coming home to the motel of the night to an abusive household where they do not know if they’re going to get dinner that night. These sound extreme, but it is more common than you’d think.

3. We all perceive the world differently.

This goes hand in hand with there being no such thing as normal. What we perceive as normal differs from person to person, even if slightly, as does success.

Some people view success as being the head of an entire company, while others think of finding a job that can help them pay the bills, no matter what the job. Some people also consider little victories to be success. For a person struggling with depression, simply getting out of bed each day is a huge success.

4. Things will get better.

It is such a popular saying because of how important and true it really is. No matter what the situation is, there is a way to make it more bearable. This is not to say that this process will be easy. No one ever said that life was simple or easy.

The most important thing about life is knowing that if you don’t like something about it, you have the power to change it. Whether or not you take the necessary steps to make that change is solely up to you. No one should hold power over you or take your power away from you.

5. Life goes on.

You can either sit and be unhappy with your current situation or you can get up and do something about it. If you aren’t happy in a relationship, especially if the relationship is toxic, you need to get out of there—the quicker the better.

Letting go will never be easy, but you have to do what is going to make your life better in the long run. If you aren’t happy with the way you look, then you need to figure out what steps you need to take to start being happy with yourself. The first, and most important, step in this is realizing that you are absolutely wonderful the way you are. Self-confidence is the best thing a person can have.

6. People are going to leave.

It’s unfortunate that this happens, but it’s never going to stop. There are people who are meant to come into your life for a certain amount of time. Whether this time is long or short, these people are in your life for a reason. These people often teach you the most about yourself. You learn about what you can put up with and you learn about how you want to be treated in the future.

There are also going to be people in your life who love you and will always be there for you. These people are the ones you should put your time and effort into—not the ones who were okay living without you. They are the ones who missed out—not you.

The most important thing I have learned from psychology is that all of these things shape you as a human being. You learn more about yourself by looking at other people. You need to know that you are never alone. There are always people who go through similar things to you and can understand where you are coming from.

No matter what you’ve gone through, you can come out stronger. You can handle more than you ever think you can. The reason why other people are the way they are is similar to the reason why you are the way that you are. We’re all just trying to get by.

If you liked this article and have some thoughts you’d like to share, then please feel free to share them in the comments section.