The Value of Psychology
Recently the Education Secretary called for an end to low value degrees. Among the ‘low value’ degrees he named was Psychology. He stated that ‘low value’ degrees are not allowing students to earn enough five years after graduating. The British Psychological Society (BPS) rejected this comment stating that the Education Secretary misunderstands the value of a Psychology degree and the importance of the pathways it leads to. The BPS further explained that those who are pursuing a pathway into a career in Psychology are often still in training five years after graduating from their degree.
At Lexxic, we see the value of Psychology degrees every single day.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. Psychology is used to describe, explain, predict and change:
Describe: Ranges of research methods have been used to describe behaviours of people and other animals to have a better understanding and gain perspective on what is ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’. This is important for psychologists who complete diagnostics to understand what makes one patient different from another.
Explain: Psychologists are interested in explaining behaviour. Different approaches and theories have been used to understand why people behave in one way and why others behave in another way. This is really important for all psychologists as we look for ways to explain what makes people different and whether there are causal factors.
Predict: One important aim in Psychology is to make predictions on how we think and act. This is important for Lexxic to enable us to predict the impact of a diagnosis and the possible actions following are assessments and coaching.
Change: Another aim of Psychology is to implement change to influence, manage or control behaviour to help make constructive and lasting effects to people’s lives. This is important for all psychologists; it is important for those of us working at Lexxic as we are looking for ways to support an individual with their difficulties.
At Lexxic, we look to describe neuro-differences between people to understand whether their learning is neuro-typical or neuro-different. It is important that we are able to describe and explain behaviour as this can make a big difference in diagnosing someone with a neurodiverse condition or not. It is important that we think about possible predictions so that we do not put any of our clients in any harmful situations. In regard to change, our Workplace Needs Assessments are designed to enable us to create strategies and recommendations that can support the individual to manage their difficulties in the workplace more effectively, and capitalise on their strengths. Our Workplace Needs Assessments can have lasting positive effects to the individual’s work experience. At Lexxic, we support organisations to develop environments where neurodiversity can flourish.
Mellissa from Lexxic: “After my Undergraduate Degree I was a multi-site manager who also worked in recruitment/HR. The psychology discipline gave me the tools to research, objectively assess processes and get the best out of people I worked with. My Masters Degree taught me to think more like a consultant. I could use the best practise to benefit myself and my organisation”.
Yvette from Lexxic: “Whilst studying for my Undergraduate Degree in Psychology and Education was working in the customer service industry. My degree really helped me to understand my customers a lot more in the sense that everyone is different. It taught me how to communicate more effectively with children, adults and those with neurodiverse conditions. My Masters Degree in Occupational Psychology taught me a lot about well-being in the workplace which I have used in my current role. It taught me the importance of having a workplace that supported their employees. Additionally, it also taught me about my human rights in more detail which helped me to understand the world around me a bit more.
There are many branches of Psychology that are important and are working every single day to help someone. Below I have provided some links to videos and articles about what psychologists do on a daily basis around the world. Without ‘low value’ Psychology degrees, we wouldn’t have hard-working individuals working in these indispensable roles.
https://www.lexxic.com/blog/cognitive-functioning-difficulties-supporting-individuals
https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/new-work-based-route-becoming-occupational-psychologist
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-therapies/roles/clinical-psychologist
https://www.apa.org/action/careers/improve-lives/
By Yvette Gibson, Assistant Psychologist at Lexxic