Psychology Personal Statement Example 98

Why do humans feel obligated to seek approval from one another? Our times will go down in history as the era of social media dominance. Indeed, in my age group, the amount of likes you get on social media is an indicator of your social standing.

This is an observation that I made which intrigues me and I wish to investigate the factors that have given rise to this phenomenon, amongst others; hence my desire to study psychology. William James said that: “the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated”.

Looking deeper into this subject I came to the realisation that they are many psychological factors associated with it. For instance, no matter which social media platform we are on, our first instinct is to check the ‘notification’ tab; to see if anyone has liked something of ours, leading to us getting pulled into this addictive habit very quickly.

This topic being so relevant to modern society made my fascination for the human behaviour and the understanding of how this complex software, the human brain, works grow bigger. It is this movement that makes psychology such a desirable subject for me.

My academic subjects have provided the platform for my future studies, equipping me with relevant skills and knowledge. Studying consumer behaviour in Economics raised questions that only the science of psychology could address, such as why we prefer Veblen goods and how advertising affects our preferences.

This subject also taught me how to write effective essays with a coherent structure and admissible supporting evidence. In addition, from the many practical sessions done whilst studying Biology and Chemistry, I developed practical skills and time management, as well as strong reasoning skills when drawing conclusions from experimental data.

The knowledge obtained, especially through Biology, allowed me to gain a small glimpse of what we know of how the human brain works.

This urged me to explore Psychology further by reading ‘The social animal’ by Brooks David which mentions brain development in early life and pursuits to outline such distinct discoveries along with what initiates an individual’s behaviour and judgement.

Analysing Cavafy’s poems in Greek taught me to seek for feelings through words even when they are not mentioned, thus influencing me to do the same in real life.

In addition, it also educated me how to analyse emotions such as ‘Dignity” through his composition as well as how a person’s environment reflects upon his perception, thus being capable to prepare a case and support it with compatible confirmation.

Skills and values are not solely gained from academic knowledge but extracurricular activities as well.

Over the summer working in the service industry as a barista put me into contact with people from all walks of life, interacting with so many different personalities every day, significantly improved my communication skills as well as my ability to easily function in a team.

Absorbed by each different behaviour caused me to recognise that each individual needs to be treated differently to lead a pleasant conversation thus making me able to adapt easily with someone needs.

Huge role models of mine like Michelle Obama empowering individuals to lead a better life made me realise that I want to do the same; therefore, I contribute to charities that my school supports, such as the Red Cross and Third World First.

Through my life experiences, observations, school lessons and outside reading, I have gotten a small idea of the vast field of psychology and how far-reaching it is into every other field that relates to human beings.

I am aware that there are various theories and approaches, and I look forward to exploring these at university in order to broaden my knowledge and place myself into a position where I will be able to use this knowledge to help others gain self-awareness. Thank you for considering my application.