Child psychology studies children from infancy to adolescence, covering topics such as abnormal psychology, social psychology, and developmental psychology. Child psychologists work as counselors, researchers, or in academic and social programs. They address a wide range of problems, including learning disabilities, psychological trauma, and emotional development. To study this field, one must start with basic psychology classes and pursue certification. Child psychologists may focus on a specific age group or topic.
Child psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on children from infancy to adolescence. This discipline encompasses a wide variety of topics within psychology, including abnormal psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, and so on. A specialist who focuses on children is known as a child psychologist and may work as a counselor, a researcher in studies designed to help people better understand children, or as a counselor for academic and social programs that deal with children.
A wide range of problems are addressed in child psychology. Psychologists study how children learn, how various behaviors develop, the impact of the environment on children’s development, and many other topics. Children are difficult and sometimes controversial subjects of study because they cannot give consent in the same way as adults, and as a result studies must be carefully constructed.
There are many forms of applied child psychology, where a psychologist actively works with children. The professional might provide services to children with special needs, helping children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and other issues, for example. Child psychologists also assist psychologically disturbed children with counseling, therapy, and recommendations to psychiatrists who may be able to prescribe medications and other treatments. Others may develop education plans designed to help children learn effectively or work with those experiencing psychological trauma such as the loss of a parent, sudden move, war or natural disaster.
The topics of psychiatric research are equally diverse. Many people are interested in how humans mature, from infancy to old age, and many of these researchers study child psychology. Observing when children acquire language, how they learn about the world and how they develop personal morals can provide interesting insights into human nature. Children’s emotional development is as interesting as their physical development, and many people are intrigued by turning points in child development, such as when children become self-aware or when they begin to distinguish between right and wrong.
Someone who wishes to study this field usually starts at the college level, taking introductory basic psychology classes and moving into the field of child psychology in particular. Depending on whether the student wants to pursue applied psychology or research, she can take graduate courses and pursue certification that enables the student to work with patients. Employment in this field is very diverse and pay tends to be quite favourable.
Most people in this field also choose a specific age group to focus on, such as adolescent psychology or child development. Because children grow and change so rapidly, selecting a specific range to study allows for a greater depth of knowledge. Individuals may also choose to delve into specific topics, such as abnormal psychology, psychopharmacology, educational psychology, and psychopathology, among others.
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