Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour and it allows us to explore a huge number of questions, for example: have you ever wondered why you can remember what you did 5 years ago but not what you did 5 minutes ago? In psychology, we explore the questions to some of life’s biggest (and smallest) questions, which is what makes it so interesting. 

Understanding human behaviour is a key part of these questions and there are several approaches we use to explain this.

Under the learning approaches, behaviours are explored as the result of learning from our environments. We use cognitive approaches to explain behaviours in line with our brain and its internal mental processes. As psychology is considered to be a social science, we try to interpret why people act in different ways using a biological approach. This approach allows us to see how our biological structures and neurochemistry has evolved to impact how we act today. We also consider behaviour using a psychodynamic approach, which incorporates our unconscious process. Finally, we use a humanistic approach to focus on the individual as their own agent for their behaviour and it is from this approach that many counselling practices stem. 

If you are interested in exploring why different people act and think in different ways, why there are such a vast range of personalities and even how you could predict the reactions of those around you, studying A-level psychology is a great way to get a first glimpse at this :) 

Going on to read psychology at degree level can open so many doors for the future too and can lead to careers in education, counselling, forensic psychology, occupational psychology and special educational needs, to name a few!

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see our lovely psychology tutor, Erin, talking all about the difference between positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment.