ABSTRACT
Psychology is about people. In particular, it is about why people do the things they do. It is also about groups of people. Why do people in the same group behave differently? Why are some people leaders and other people followers? Psychology is also about helping people. It enables us to develop treatments for psychological problems, put together effective health campaigns, facilitate education, help catch criminal offenders and increase productivity and health in the workplace. Psychology is also about the very basis of our biology. These are the things we take for granted and never even have to think about: our response to pain, riding a bicycle, experiencing a visual illusion or learning to speak. Psychology is also about science and the scientific investigation of our human nature and the social and biological contexts in which we live. But, in addition to all this – and unlike most other disciplines – psychology is about you. When you learn about psychology, you don't just learn about why other people do the things they do, you also learn about yourself – both as a social being and a biological organism – and why you do the things you do. It is very rarely that a student of psychology completes a course without encountering an unexpected insight into her own psychology or acquiring some knowledge that contributes to her personal growth as an individual.
