Jayden, a 5-year-old boy, is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His treatment provider is trying to help him increase eye contact with others.

PSY Programmatic Themes

Psychology is more than just one course you are taking in college. Psychology is everywhere! It’s a tool that can help you live a better life, make a bigger impact on the world, and build stronger relationships. As you complete coursework throughout your degree program, you’ll discover and rediscover five key themes. Each one illustrates a way to apply psychology in your life both personally and professionally. By the end of your program, you’ll have the tools to understand yourself more fully, improve your personal and professional connections, and effect positive change in the world.

 Self-care: When you hear the term self-care, you may think of things like bubble baths and dark chocolate. But self-care is about more than just pampering yourself. Engaging in self-care means taking time for personal reflection and developing skills to improve your well-being. You can also take care of yourself by increasing your resilience and self-regulation.

 Social justice: Everyone deserves the same rights and access to opportunities. When you apply psychology ethically and empathetically, you’re supporting social justice. As you work through this program, you’ll see that psychology can do more than just improve your own life—it can help you enhance the lives of others and promote social justice for society as a whole.

 Emotional intelligence (EI): Emotional intelligence is defined as the practice of self-control and the ability to accurately perceive the emotions of self and others, appropriately adapt emotions and actions in daily interactions, and consistently understand and express interest in the well- being of self and others. In short, it’s how you understand and respond to emotions in yourself and the people around you. Emotional intelligence is not just an abstract concept. It’s a set of skills, including self-awareness, self-regulation, ethical judgment, empathy, social awareness, and conflict resolution.

 Career connections: Even if you don’t become a psychologist, studying psychology can help advance your career. Psychology helps explain why people behave in certain ways and how you can work with them more effectively. Whether you major in psychology or use this course as a stepping-stone to other opportunities, the study of psychology can improve your daily life and job prospects.

 Ethics: Modern psychology is guided by ethical principles. While formal ethics are set by governing bodies such as the American Psychological Association, you also have your own set of values and morals that influence your personal ethics. Throughout your coursework, you will apply ethics by citing your sources.

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