From One Psych Major to Another
Writer: Izzy Patrizio
Editor: Sarah Lindquist
Photo taken by Liana Matez
To my fellow psychology majors out there – I hope you know that the world is grateful for you.
I have always known I wanted to be in the psychology field, whether it was being a therapist or counselor, I knew this was my calling.
At Northeastern, the Psychology major is in the College of Science. It can often be hard to compare my work to my friends in the chemistry or biology fields. I see them cramming for tests, and trying to understand complicated formulas, and then look at my opinion based papers for my professors who believe there are no real “right” answers. Many people like to call psychology the easiest major, and while I wholeheartedly disagree, it can be hard to feel like I am competing with people who spend their days memorizing, while I spend mine analyzing. My exams are hard in a different way, but I wouldn't say learning how to understand the human mind is any easier or any less pressure. Many believe that psychology is just people talking about their issues, but I hope to let them know that the field is so much more than just “trauma dumping.”
I spend most of my days training on how to be an active listener, how to remember what someone said weeks ago while still paying attention to what they are saying now. We learn how to bite our tongues and be respectful to anyone, and I mean anyone.
It takes a brave person to teach someone how to become better, even when they have done dark things.
It takes a lot more grit than people think to be the person that people take their anger out on, condescend, and eventually, put all of their pain on.
This is hard. But I don't think there is anywhere else I want to be.
If you are a psych major feeling stupid or silly, just know this is not for everyone. Not everyone can care enough about someone else to do what we do. Not everyone can be as attentive to a mood shift in a room or a change in tone in a client's voice. This is hard stuff, and just because it looks different from a biology major’s work doesn't make it any less important.
I think that there is a burden that comes with the education of a psych major that is not talked about enough. I carry around the things my friends tell me, but it is important to remember that while we can listen to others' issues, they are not our own. It is ok to not forgive someone even when you can understand why they behaved in some way. Just because they went through something hard doesn't mean they still aren't a good friend to you. From one psych major to another – take care of your friends, but most importantly, take care of yourself.
