The first stage of psychological testing is an extensive interview to learn about the individual s history. Individuals talk about themselves and they are questioned about their childhood, relationships with other people, developmental irregularities, hereditary illnesses, important experiences and memories, and much more. Following the interview are a series of activities testing spatial intelligence and memory, like putting together blocks to make a pattern and drawing figures based on recall after being shown pictures of them. Later in testing there are aspects of Freudian evaluation like the famous inkblots and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The individual is asked to find images within the inkblots and with the TAT, the individual is shown a series of pictures and asked to tell a story about each of them. What the individual sees and talks about is intended to reveal what is important to them, what their personality is like, past experiences, preoccupations and so on. After that, individuals are told to draw common things like a man, woman, and house. Lastly, the individual can draw anything they choose to. Again, their interpretations of the common subjects and what they come up with on their own says something about them.

Based on the results of the psychological testing, individuals can vary in diagnosis. Some individuals might be classified as normal, whereas others results might be indicative of an underlying disorder like major depressive disorder. Some question whether these methods are an accurate measure of a person s psychology, but nevertheless such testing continues to be utilized today and the results can determine a helpful course of action.

On the other hand, students who want to go further in psychology will end up taking courses that are much more in depth. Contrary to popular misconception, psychology isn t just about analyzing people. Psychology is a diverse discipline and there are several fields of psychology biological, developmental, social, personality, and clinical. It s good to get exposure to all of the fields because they all relate to each other and have overlapping concepts, though they re different enough that students will take specific psychology classes according to what they re interested in. For example, a student who is interested in neuroscience might gravitate towards studying biological psychology, while a student who is interested in psychiatry will take the clinical psychology route. But whichever path students decide to take, they will need at least a basic understanding of other fields of psychology.

This is because one event can have many psychological aspects to it. Say that one day, a person withdraws from social interaction and decides to sit at home alone. Biologically, he could be physically worn out or maybe he has a predisposition to being solitary. Developmentally, he might have developed an avoidant attachment style as a child. Socially, he might have just been having a bad day. Personality-wise, he might be an introvert. Clinically, he might be exhibiting depressive symptoms. There are many perspectives and they are all connected. Biological and environmental factors contribute to one s personality, how they act, and how they develop as a person.

One of the most important lessons you ll ever learn in psychology classes is that everything is an interplay of nature and nurture. Human thinking and behavior can t be explained just through genetics or just through environment. Psychology also relates to all aspects of life because life itself is human perception and action. This is why psychology is a discipline worth exploring, even if it s not your main area of interest.