A Hidden Gem: Philosophy
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Students may think that philosophy is filled with a lot of abstract jargon on varied topics. To a small extent, that is correct. However, students that want to have a deeper understanding of the psychological principles that one studies on a doctoral level would benefit from taking an undergraduate or graduate course in philosophy. Philosophy helps students wrestle with topics like existence, being, time, language, ethics (duty vs. virtue, etc.), communication, free will, behavior, origin of beliefs, metaphysics, belonging, reason, logic, social responsibility, power, happiness, etc. In fact, if a student attempts to trace many psychological theories back to their foundational tenets, one would find that philosophical impressions vastly inform psychological theory. Consider Behavioral Therapy, a psychological orientation that has roots in the writings of John Locke, among others. Similarly, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) takes on the philosophical characteristics of Epictetus and Immanuel Kant. This phenomenon is similar with many different psychological theories.
A student that seeks to enter a field that encompasses topics like human behavior, free will, mental illness origins, nature of humans, and how to counsel/communicate with clients should consider looking deeper into how our global/individual societies have drawn conclusions about normality vs abnormality, the ability to change, free will, personality factors, social duty to provide care, characteristics of a helping professional, and so forth. While philosophy may not detail every topic from a psychological perspective, it will inform students that there is a deeper purpose in a theory besides performing an evidenced based treatment approach to relieve one or two symptoms. Instead, students and early career professionals should seek to understand the meaning behind the theories they utilize with clients. It would be unhelpful for a therapist or therapist in training (student) to use a particular psychological orientation or approach with clients that is contradictory to the needs of that particular race, gender, age group, educational level, etc.
By learning the premises behind a theory, a wise student or behavioral health professional can tailor their approaches for the individual client. Think about it-would a doctor diagnose and treat a condition with only knowledge of basic steps and the name of a condition. I am certain that a physician needs to know basic causes and expressions of certain symptoms (and the attributable condition) in order to treat them (may not apply to every diagnosable condition).
If philosophy is not in your comfort zone, then I recommend branching out. Instead of philosophy, try taking a course on Humanities that covers some of the modern and postmodern era, where discussion and training in psychology began to filter into mainstream academia. Remember, taking advanced psychology courses is helpful for gaining admission into a doctoral program; however, taking courses in other areas can amplify the psychological groundwork that you have studied in school.
