Psycho-Babble Psychology Thread 509673

Shown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Extremely fascinated by psychology

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 14:29:11

I am so damn extremely fascinated by psychology.

I am thinking of getting a ph d in psychology and becoming a full time counsellor.

Any ideas/suggestions/advice?

I am in a totally unrelated field now - I am a software engineer and quite very successful in it. (work in one of very good company). But I am considering leaving my profession to pursue psychology.

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 15:13:41

In reply to Extremely fascinated by psychology, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 14:29:11

But is psychology the real way to go about making things better? I think all these psychological problems happen for people because of poor social structure. Poor family values, personal values, relgious values. The focus is more and more on independance and privacy and sex and money and not really about the real happiness.

I actually have lot of interest in more social restructing kind of things. That would immensely help lot of people instaed of trying to do one by one after the damage is done.

Mabye go back to India and participate in an active social life would be better? But how would I do it? I have to still earn for living and where would I start? I don't want to be a social worker asking people for money for social causes and trying to help with the money. I want to get deeper rather than temporarily helping some kids with money or food. Trying to enter politics in India is also bad. That is also not the way to go about. What do people do when they want to help massive amounts of people?

I wish I had my ex T to talk about this now. He also has the same vision. But he has lot more advantage than me because of him family. And he doesn't have to really bother about earning for his living. I have to focus on that first.

If I give up my profession, what would I do for living?? But I have lost interest in my job. And I really have this burning desire for making more social impact.

I am just brainstorming myself.. Anybody knows anyone who gets into social life?

 

go for it! » pinkeye

Posted by badhaircut on June 8, 2005, at 15:24:14

In reply to Extremely fascinated by psychology, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 14:29:11

Several years ago, one of my friends from high school, after being in some financial-related office for several years, decided to go to grad school in psychology. She got into a very competitive research program (not clinical) at a Big Ten university. She had none of the research & background everybody says you "have to" have. She got her old professors to write letters of recommendation and they didn't even remember her. And she got in at her first-choice school!

So it's certainly do-able. Have you checked out "Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology" yet or picked out some schools?

-bhc

 

Nah.. maybe not. » badhaircut

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 16:45:04

In reply to go for it! » pinkeye, posted by badhaircut on June 8, 2005, at 15:24:14

I have reconsidered. I don't think I will be good in either of those - not in psychology and not in social issues. I am better at my current profession and my own private family life I guess. But I have lot of interest though.

 

Re: Nah.. maybe not. » pinkeye

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 17:11:34

In reply to Nah.. maybe not. » badhaircut, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 16:45:04

Sometimes I really wish I was not attracted to my ex T. Then it would have been a good friensdship and would have been very productive for me to guide myself trhough my life. This attraction really spoilt everything. I wish I had been more mature about the whole thing from the beginning. He really has a way of making a good human out of me. I wish I had taken it that way from the beginning instead of messing it all up with my dependancy and attraction and all this.

Anyway, too late to regret now. I hope I can find some good guide in my life. I can really do some good stuff if I know what to do and where to go. Now I feel totally directionless and wasting all my time in useless things.

 

Re: Nah.. maybe not. » pinkeye

Posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 17:16:34

In reply to Re: Nah.. maybe not. » pinkeye, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 17:11:34

I'm at the same place in life.

I've decided to take a college course or two next fall and see where that leads me. I've downloaded the application form and will mail it tomorrow before I chicken out.

Transcripts, transcripts.

 

are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » Dinah

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 17:19:07

In reply to Re: Nah.. maybe not. » pinkeye, posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 17:16:34

> I'm at the same place in life.
>
> I've decided to take a college course or two next fall and see where that leads me. I've downloaded the application form and will mail it tomorrow before I chicken out.
>
> Transcripts, transcripts.

Wow. that is great. I so admire you. But how old are you?

 

Hyper energetic or intense rumination? » pinkeye

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 18:24:12

In reply to Extremely fascinated by psychology, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 14:29:11

Many times I feel so hyper energetic. I don't know what to do many times. And my mind constantly races here and there and I think so many thoughts in a second. I don't know if it is just intense rumination or not. I don't know how to channel my thoughts properly and do something useful. Instead it just all goes here and there and directionless and ultimately ends up giving me a headache and waste of energy.

When I do some form of meditation those days I am better - but I often forget to do, or even if I do, I am not able to concentrate and do and isntead my mind keeps racing.

I don't think I end up doing anything productive with it though. Right now my T says I am actually mildly depressed, but even then I feel so full of thoughts. And I think that is why I keep writing everything in babble. Maybe I should focus more on work, but I don't seem to be able to. I keep getting distracted.

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye

Posted by Tamar on June 8, 2005, at 19:19:04

In reply to Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 15:13:41

> Mabye go back to India and participate in an active social life would be better? But how would I do it? I have to still earn for living and where would I start? I don't want to be a social worker asking people for money for social causes and trying to help with the money. I want to get deeper rather than temporarily helping some kids with money or food. Trying to enter politics in India is also bad. That is also not the way to go about. What do people do when they want to help massive amounts of people?

I tend to think most things in life have a political dimension. And it's usually true that pursuing a career in a 'helping' or 'caring' profession is less financially productive than other professions.

I wonder what you mean when you say you want to get deeper that help some kids temporarily with life essentials like money or food. How much deeper could it get? For those kids who are helped, it's everything.

I think the challenge in life is to help the people we can, with what we have. Even if it's only a few people with a few resources. No one can solve all the world's problems. But if each person makes a commitment to care about one thing, it can make an enormous difference.

Just my two cents.

Tamar

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » Tamar

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 19:30:17

In reply to Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye, posted by Tamar on June 8, 2005, at 19:19:04

Very true. I also am aware that I cannot solve all the world's problems and I am no means going to attempt it.

But what I meant by getting deeper was to eliminate that kids have to be like that in the first place. It is true for those kids that is the (money or food or education) life saving thing. But somehow I am not that interested in it - I want to get deeper and prevent that kids even get to that stage. I believe lot of reasons why kids have to suffer in the first place is because of very poor values and economic and social systems. For instance, in the US - the economy is so well structured and developed that hardly there are any kids who are hungry and without home. There are still kids like taht, but comparitively much less than other countries, like say India. So that is what I want to focus on - instead of trying to help only a few kids. In other words, teach to fish rather than giving a fish. If there is a way a country's economy can flourish and people are respectful and sincere and have good values, there wouldn't be any orphans or poverty or mass hunger and famine and stuff. Lots of times, it is not the lack of natural resources that actually make people poor. It is mostly poor governance and poor social values. And that is my passion mostly. Not to say that helping kids is bad. Just that I want to think why even kids into that stage first and prevent that if possible.

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » Tamar

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 19:35:21

In reply to Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye, posted by Tamar on June 8, 2005, at 19:19:04

Also I believe if I make one minor bit of difference in deeper values, it would eventually end up helping thousands of kids rather than focussing on helping each kid one by one. (Again, helping kids one by one is extremely great and is needed, but just that my passion is usually on values underneath all these). I always think the basic values and ideas need to get changed instead of cosmetic shifts.

 

Re: Hyper energetic or intense rumination? » pinkeye

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 20:20:00

In reply to Hyper energetic or intense rumination? » pinkeye, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 18:24:12

and I also feel always extremely restless. Is this a hallmark of depression? I have been that way for a long long time. Extremely restless..

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye

Posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 20:41:47

In reply to Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » Tamar, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 19:30:17

I always figure the key to that is the school system. Is there a public school system in India? Is there any way for you to make a difference in curriculum or teacher training?

 

Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » pinkeye

Posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 21:08:10

In reply to are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » Dinah, posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 17:19:07

No. It's like being a teacher. I'd love to be a teacher to a classroom of kids like my son, but even in his sheltered school, that's unlikely.

I would love to be a therapist to a clientele of delightful people like Babblers. But I suspect I wouldn't care for court mandated or angry clients too much.

I think I'll start out with some basic undergrad liberal arts courses that I'll need for either psychology (but not to be a therapist) or religious studies. I lean towards religious studies.

Obviously I'm not actually intending to replace my current profession.

I'm forty three. But that's no excuse not to learn. I'll likely be over sixty five when I finish, but that's cool. The university in question has a special program for students over sixty five.

 

Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » Dinah

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 21:14:32

In reply to Re: Extremely fascinated by psychology » pinkeye, posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 20:41:47

Yes there are public school systems. In fact I studied in one myself. Can you imagine that I really didn't spend much on my education all the way up to even finishing my college. They must have spent max of 5000 dollars (converted to rupees) from my kindergarden to finishing bachelors.

 

Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » Dinah

Posted by pinkeye on June 8, 2005, at 21:18:36

In reply to Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » pinkeye, posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 21:08:10

That is pretty awesome. I am sure you will be very happy with the studies. I would love to go back to school one of these days as well. Maybe do something more human like social science or something like that. I also have the same opinion about therapy. I really would like to help people who want to get helped, but not very rude or mean people. I would get very frustrated and bored. REligion is better for me as well. And I would never want to do therapy without involving some form of religious preaching in it because I think personally that is key for mental health. Without some religious beliefs, mental health is extremely difficult to achieve (personally this is what I believe - other people may differ. I am not trying to offend any people here)

Plus I would never terminate my patients. In fact I would love to see my patients socially and life long if I like them and wouldn't stick to the rule book. So maybe I will get sued and would lose my license in the first year itself. I cannot live with all these supposedly good ethics.

 

Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah?

Posted by Jazzed on June 8, 2005, at 22:21:40

In reply to Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » pinkeye, posted by Dinah on June 8, 2005, at 21:08:10


I lean towards religious studies.
>
> Obviously I'm not actually intending to replace my current profession.
>
> I'm forty three.


I'm glad to hear that I won't be the only one near 40 to go back to school! What's your current profession Dinah?

Our first counselor here, for our daughter, was SO incredibly wonderful. Her husband was a PhD psychologist, and she was a pastoral counselor. She didn't see anyone seriously ill, just ppl who needed family or marriage counseling, insight, and coping skills. She saw us in her home office. It was nice, we got to know her as a person, her husband a bit, and her dogs. It was nice.

Jazzy

 

Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah? » Jazzed

Posted by Dinah on June 9, 2005, at 0:11:49

In reply to Re: are you becoming a therapist Dinah?, posted by Jazzed on June 8, 2005, at 22:21:40

I'm in dull and pointless, yet stressful and deadline driven, office work.

But I don't really plan to leave it. It pays well and allows me enormous flexibility. I'd just like to have something more worthwhile in my life as well.

And if I have to take one course (maybe two) a semester till I'm eighty, that's ok too. It'll keep me young.

I don't think the religious studies masters program requires that you be full time. Some of the ones I looked at do. But that's a while off. I need to fill in the holes in my undergraduate courses.

What are you going back to school to be? (Sorry if you've already told me.)


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