How Can Psychology Help Me in Medicine?

What is psychology? “Psychology is currently defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes” (Roesch). Psychology allows us to figure out what a person is feeling and going through psychologically and it seems like a vital subject for those that will have constant interactions with people. For example, lawyers, teachers, policemen and even doctors have daily interactions with people and yet many have not even given psychology a second though after taking an introductory class in high school or college. How can a subject that focuses on the way people behave and think be regarded as just another requirement to graduate? The thought is quite unsettling and it is unfortunate that psychology has not been given the importance and recognition it deserves.

Times are however changing and with these changes, people are beginning to realize that psychology may be the key to understanding why a person does what he/she does. In hopes of being a doctor, I have realized that learning the way a body works is not enough. “The World Health Organisation attempted…defining health very broadly as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’” (Ayers 6). If being healthy requires physical, mental and social stability, how can a doctor just focus on the physical part of their patient and treat their problems based on just one of the three key components to being healthy? Sure, knowing what an organ does will help me understand what is going on with a patient’s body, but will it help me understand what a person is going through psychologically and emotionally? Of course it will not. Psychology provides a means of understanding a patient’s mindset by relating to what a p...

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...his course showed me that it is very important to be willing to accept the fact that not everyone is like you. I learned to embrace a person’s unique personalities and I feel that that will help me interact with my patients very effectively.

Works cited:

Ayers, Susan, and Richard Visser. "Psychology and Medicine." Psychology for medicine. London: Sage, 2011. . Print.

Grunstein, Ron R.. "Integrating psychology and medicine in CPAP adherence – New concepts?." Sleep Medicine Reviews Volume 18 (): Pages 123–139. Print.

Myers, David G.. Psychology. 8th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, . Print.

Roesch, Ronald. "Psychology and Law: The Overview." Psychology and law: the state of the discipline. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999. 2 . Print.

South, S.C.. "Behavior Genetics of Personality." Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Second Edition) (): 311-318. Print.