So I’m a psychology major, as a well as a sociology major, but the majority of my college career has been focused more on psychology to be honest. And there are plenty of people who are also psychology majors by the end of their college career, whether they started out that way or not. Since there are so many people who possess this awesome (subjective, but whatever) major these days, it’s obvious that there are some statements that we’d rather not hear, just like there are statements that people from any major don’t really want to hear. So if you have a psychology major for a friend, here are some things that you should definitely refrain from saying, especially in their presence.
1. “So, like, you’re going to be a therapist?” No, not necessarily.
Just because you’re a psychology major doesn’t mean that you’re automatically going to become a therapist. Yes there are plenty of people who have that as a career goal for themselves, but there are plenty of other things you can do with that degree: professor, social worker, school counseling, doing research, and plenty of other things.
2. “You know way too much about drugs! You must be an addict or something...”
Maybe this is something that I’ve only heard, but I know people who have been told this as well. Just because we study these illnesses and know how to treat them in some ways, doesn’t mean that we must be addicts. You don’t assume a doctor is an addict because they know about medications, right?
3. “Your parents are okay with you being a psych major?” Uh, what?
I’d hope they’re okay with it. Maybe my parents wish I majored in something with a more secure job outlook, like business or accounting, but what’s the point of doing that if it’s not what I’m passionate about?
4. “You’re so lucky. I wish I didn’t have to study!” Excuse me!?
Every single psychology major that I know, including myself, is constantly studying for exams or creating presentations to give for classes. The material is tough, so don’t think we don’t have to study just because you didn’t have to study for intro to psychology that you took freshman year.
5. “Psychologists aren’t real doctors.”
Pretty sure that if you get your PhD., you’re considered a doctor, since it’s your DOCTORate. Yes, psychologists, therapist, and psychiatrists are all doctors if they work their way all of the way up to that level of education.
6. “Oh, psychology is such an easy major!”
At this point in my college career, whenever someone tells me that it’s an easy major, I tell them to take a class on sensation and perception. Not only will their minds be completely blown, but they’ll never say that sentence again.
7. “When you get your degree, you’re gonna give me free therapy, right?”
Again, I’m not necessarily going to become a therapist just because I’m getting a degree in psychology. And even if I do become a therapist in the future, I’m not just going to be giving everyone I know free therapy. How am I ever going to make a living?
8. “What even are you gonna do when you graduate?”
Maybe it’s just me, but compared to my friends and family members who have different majors compared to me, I feel like I get asked this by adults so much more. How about this: the same thing as everyone else. I’m going to figure it out along the way, probably attend graduate school, hopefully become successful. But the truth is that plenty of people graduate from college and have absolutely no idea what they’re going to do next9. “You know you have to go to graduate school to get a job, right?”
Well, that’s not necessarily true. But considering that this is the case for a lot of majors these days, that you need a masters degree to get specific jobs, people shouldn’t be saying it specifically about psychology majors only.
10. “So how many people have you diagnosed?”
Just because we’re studying the mind and disorders of the sort, doesn’t mean that we go around diagnosing everyone that we come into contact with.
11. Along those lines… “Can you confirm that ‘so and so’ has this disorder?”
No, I am not a professional yet. I’m just a psychology major, still learning all that I can about these disorders. Don’t ask me to diagnose you or your friend or brother or boyfriend or sisters cousins ex best friend, because I don’t know how to yet. Even if I did, you telling me that they’re “crazy” probably isn’t enough evidence for any professional to create an accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder or whatever you think they have.
12. “Tell me what I’m thinking. You can do that, right?”
I think some people get psychology mixed up with psychics, because just because we’re learning about the mind doesn’t mean that we actually know what other people are thinking at all times. Yeah, sometimes we have a pretty good idea during certain situations, but no, we’re not mind readers.
