I know what you are thinking. I CAN READ YOUR MIND!
Yes, just like I can read Greek 🙂
Let’s look at a few similar cliché statements or questions you must have come across as a psychology scholar:
Tell me what am I thinking right now?
How about we tell you what we are thinking, that ‘This Is An Awfully Dumb Question To Ask’, just because someone is studying human behavior, it certainly does not mean they have some kind of a roadmap to the inside of your brain.
Yes, a psychologist can predict your behaviors after carefully studying, recording, and observing the behavior patterns over time, but they cannot just read your mind.
Are you psychoanalyzing me right now? (*unnecessary giggles*)
The assumption is that you always have your psychology hat on! Contemplating and observing the actions of others and preparing a personality chart of them. Next time try and tell them that yes you are and watch their facial color change to red and blue!
Oh, A psychology student. Can I get a free counseling session or something?
Well, No you can’t. But that would have been cool. Psychology is not only about counseling and therapy. Not everyone is trained to give counseling and yes, it is required for people to get through thorough training to be finally able to give counseling.
The field has a wide scope and even wider career options that include working in hospitals, counseling, conducting research, social work or even getting into academics and more.
Oh. I am so depressed today!
People casually throwing words like “depressed”, or “bipolar” to explain a mere annoyance, everyday natural mood swings, or making a joke in a conversation is a problematic approach leading to undermining the seriousness of these real mental illnesses.
I like to keep things in order, I am so OCD about it.
A person who likes to be tidy and keep things clean and in a certain order is not as same as a person who is living with a clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder. These are major mental health conditions with severe symptoms and using them so casually would eventually trivialize their existence which already suffers a great deal of stigma around them.
Why go to a therapist when I have my Best Friend?!
Well then maybe take her along too or unless she is a certified therapist herself. But then she must definitely not treat you, because of the first rule of therapy, “Your Therapist Cannot Be Your Friend”, for the sake of keeping objectivity and neutrality alive.
Blog By : DEEBHA SITHTA
