The Engine of The New New Zealand

Psychology

People are fascinating. The human race is diverse and there is still a huge amount unknown about the human brain.

At its simplest level psychology is the systematic study of the behaviour of individuals. More broadly it helps us make sense of human impact on the world in which we live: political turmoil, conflict, corruption, drug abuse, crime, sexual abuse and poverty, but also how we deal with things outside of our control, like natural disasters.

As someone working in psychology, you can have a real impact on people’s lives.

Find out about careers in psychology and how you can do it too.

About psychology

We know what you’re thinking

No, we don’t, we’re just messing with you.

But it’s an idea that’s fascinated humans, since early civilisations realized that not everyone has the same motivations.

If time travel was your superpower, you could go way back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians and Persian civilisations, and you’d find that humans have been navel-gazing since the world began. Many just found belly-button fluff. Others have discovered the complexities of the human mind and the impacts on its motivations, attitudes and that shape human relationships and attitudes.

Psychology is a relatively new discipline in New Zealand and the Pacific. It’s certainly not part of New Zealand she’ll be right, number eight wire, down-on-the-farm heritage. You’d probably have got a right-hander to the jaw if you’d asked a farmer in 1953 to tell you all about his feelings. But today, New Zealanders are lot more open to thinking about psychology and what it means.

If you’re the type of person that’s game for a challenge, and you like trying to figure out how people think, studying psychology is going to get you off to a good start.

If you’re imagining that you’ll be stuck in a chair going ‘hmmm’ while your patient, slouches next to you, tells you their woes, think again (or get a job as a bartender).

There are an enormous variety of roles you can go into once you’ve studied psychology, fields as diverse as sports psychology, consultancy for schools or industrial organisations, or human resources. The common dominator is that you are dealing with people, and helping them understand their motivations, then helping them help themselves to better outcomes.

When Siautu Alefaio-Tugia first started working as a psychologist, she was on a ‘lonely journey’- in her intern year there were only three graduates with a Pacific heritage.

Today there are not only more psychologists with a Pacific background, but more support for their work. For instance the ‘Pasifikology’ website which brings together a network of Pasifika psychologists, graduates and students of psychology.

It’s about different cultural motivations and expectations. Generally Pasifika students that choose tertiary education have a sense of responsibility for fulfilling the dreams of their parents, families and communities.

In Psychology the framework used is mainly Euro-American, which is quite a different perspective to what most Pasifika students are familiar with.

Siautu says the ‘real difference’ will come when more Pacific students write stories and share their experiences through research.

Time travel would help too.

Why psychology is awesome

What career will I have?

A degree in psychology can lead to all sorts of jobs, in all kinds of industries. Virtually any setting where knowledge of human behaviour and interactions is useful may employ a psychology graduate.
Jobs can include:

• Industrial/Organisational Psychologist: Includes testing/surveying employees, assessment prior to employment, advising on recruitment methods, designing and implementing staff training and training.
• Clinical Psychologist: includes assessing client issues, developing treatment plans and applying therapy to address these
• Community Development/Support: Includes developing networks and support for community groups and people in need. Help them to access funds, information and helping develop resources
• Public Health/Health Promotion: includes developing policies, strategies and programmes for improving health of the community, managing those programmes and promoting those
• Social Research
• Human Resources
• Case Management
• Policy Analysis
• Youth Support Worker

It is important to note that specialisations such as clinical or industrial psychology do require more than an undergraduate degree – you’ll need to do some post-graduate study too. In New Zealand, the term psychologist is a protected term and you need to be registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board in order to legally call yourself a psychologist.

Becoming a Clinical Psychologist

To become a registered Clinical Psychologist or registered applied/general psychologist you’ll need to start with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (3 years)/Graduate Diploma of Arts or Science (Psychology) (1 year)

How can I do it too?

As long as you are motivated to learn, are interested in people, and can show a good level of academic achievement, there is no reason why you can’t excel in psychology.

If you are interested in studying psychology, sciences, social sciences and mathematics (specifically statistics) are good subjects to take at school.They’ll give you basic preparation for the sorts of tools you’ll use, and the way you will have to think, during your university study and when you get a job.

Some other skills or interests that would be useful are:

• an interest in what makes people tick
• critical thinking skills and open-mindedness
• good literacy (reading and writing) skills
• an interest in learning about doing research.

What will I learn?

If you end up being a psychologist, you’ll need to be patient and adaptable, observant, understanding, able to work well under pressure and maintain privacy. These are all skills you can work on as you are studying.

A psychology degree equips graduates with many valuable transferable skills. You’ll acquire scientific communication skills, research methods, some specialised computer skills, interpersonal awareness, problem-solving skills, critical evaluation, research and measurement skills and higher order analysis – the ability to extract general principles from immediate, concrete situations.

You’ll need to start with an undergraduate degree. Students who wish to major in psychology can complete a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree or a Bachelor of Health Science (BHlthSc) degree. Those who major in Business Psychology complete a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

Make sure you have the necessary psychology 200-level papers included. It’s also important that you try and achieve the best grades possible. Psychology is very competitive, and good grades at an undergraduate level will set you up for the future.

Check out potential careers. Or you can get in touch with us if you have more questions.