Online Course in Psychology
- Understand the scope and nature of psychology
- Start to build skills that will help you with working in industries such as welfare, management, counselling or health support
- An excellent course for anyone new to the study of psychology, who seeks to lay a broad foundation in this discipline
This is a good starting course for those interested in gaining insights into human behaviour, learning, and psychological health, with the added dimension of practical involvement in the workplace.
What is Psychology all about?
Psychology is the study of::
*Behaviour - Behaviour includes being kind, aggressive, breathing, walking, being idle, changing, becoming a grandparent and so on.
*Experience – If we study behaviour, we need to understand what the experience of that behaviour is like for the individual i.e. if we study someone being angry, we need to know what that feels like for the person.
*Human and animal behaviour – often psychologists can not perform experiments on humans for ethical reasons and may use animals to try to gain understanding of human behaviour. For example, by trying to teach monkeys to talk, researchers have gained insight into how humans may develop their language skills.
As psychology is a science - it is vital that it be studied scientifically and objectively. We can study, experiment with and objectively talk about manifest behaviour. However, the experience of that behaviour is a subjective experience, where we rely on the individual to tell us how it feels.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is comprised of 9 x 100hr modules/subjects
- 2 core modules,
- 6 elective modules,
- 1 Industry Project:
CORE MODULES
Introduction to Psychology
Aims include:
- Explain the nature and scope of psychology.
- Explain characteristics of the neurological basis of behaviour.
- Explain environmental effects on behaviour.
- Explain the differences between consciousness and perception.
- Explain the effect of personality on behaviour.
- Explain psychological development.
- Apply different techniques to motivate people.
Psychology and Counselling
Aims include:
- Identify the nature of conflict and stress and why this issue affects so many people today.
- Identify and examine behaviours that are characterised as abnormal and compare and contrast these with behaviours characterised as healthy.
- Explain social influence on individual behaviour.
- Explain social influence on group behaviour.
- Describe alternative methods of dealing with psychological problems
- Develop skills for resolving conflict.
- Develop communication skills for counselling individuals.
ELECTIVE MODULES
(Choose any 6 from the following list):
- Life Coaching
- Stress Management
- Counselling Skills I
- Counselling Skills II
- Counselling Techniques
- Industrial Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Sports Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Biopsychology I
- Marketing Psychology
- Conflict Management
- Research Project I
INDUSTRY PROJECT
This can be either:
- relevant work experience (paid or voluntary)
- attending industry meetings, seminars or workshops
- Undertaking our Workplace Project I course (NB: This involves a series of Problem Based Learning workshops)
OUTLINES of Selected Modules
Introduction to Psychology This module lays the foundation for understanding psychology, with seven lessons as follows:
The nature & scope of Psychology
Neurological basis of behaviour
Environmental effects on behaviour
Consciousness and perception
Personality
Psychological development
Needs, drives and motivation
Psychology and Counselling Develop your ability to analyse psychological processes and apply that knowledge in counselling or advisory situations. There are seven lessons as follows:
Stress
Abnormal Behaviour
Individual Behaviour
Group Behaviour
Methods of Dealing with Abnormalities
Conflict Resolution
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Child Psychology This module provides you with an understanding of the cognitive, behavioural and emotional development of children. There are twelve lessons as follows:
Introduction to Child Psychology
The New-born Infant
States & Senses of the Infant
Learning
Emotions and Socialisation
Cognitive Development
Language Development
Intelligence
Socialisation – Part A
Morality
Sexuality
Socialisation – Part B
Industrial Psychology Develop an understanding of how the psychological state of employees in the workplace, affects both their work, and their overall well being. There are ten lessons as follows:
Introduction
Understanding the Employees Thinking
Personality & Temperament
Psychological Testing
Management & Managers
The Work Environment
Motivation and Incentives
Recruitment
Social Considerations
Abnormalities and Disorders
Sports Psychology This develops your skills and understanding of psychological principles for use in sports. There are ten lessons as follows:
Introduction
Psychological Traits of Successful Athletes
Anxiety & Arousal
Motivation
Aggression
Leadership & Coaching
Team Dynamics
Special Groups
Conflict Management This module provides an insight into conflict and looks at different techniques to deal with this sensitive subject. There are eight lessons, as follows:
Conflict Management and Anger
Listening
Negotiation
Mediation
Facilitation
Balance of Power
Discussion and Group Work
Crisis Analysis and Responses
Biopsychology Develop your knowledge and ability to explain the link between the psychology and physiology of the body. There are seven lessons as follows:
Introduction
The Senses
The Nervous System
The Endocrine System
Stress
Emotions
Consciousness
Marketing Psychology Develop your knowledge and ability to apply an understanding of psychology to marketing. There are eight lessons in this module as follows:
People as Consumers
Market Segmentation
Internal Influences –Perception & Personality
Internal Influences –Motivation and Awareness
Social Influences –Small groups and family; social class, culture etc
Consumerism
Communication and Persuasion
Deciding to Buy
Duration: 100 hours
What is an altered state of consciousness?
Most would cite an extreme example such as the hallucinatory state that certain drugs induce. Yet in normal everyday life, we do not experience consciousness in the same way, but experience different states of consciousness. We sleep, we meditate, we enter in deep concentration, and we daydream, each activity being quite different in nature to the other. Therefore, we can say that an altered state refers to a clear change in the normal, waking level of awareness, such as when we drift into a daydream, doze off, sleep or dream, or focus intently on an activity.
Daydreams
When we daydream, our awareness of our immediate physical surroundings decreases and is replaced by a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings and mental images. We allow our focus to drift from one thought to another, without defining logical connections. Some people are capable of daydreaming for sustained periods of time, creating entire, imaginary stories. Daydreaming is a perfectly common and healthy activity. There are cases, however, where excessive daydreaming is regarded as a sign of psychological instability (e.g. if an individual ceases to be able to distinguish between daydreaming and reality).
Sleeping and Dreaming
While the nature of sleeping can best be left to physiologists, psychologists are concerned about the altered state of consciousness while dreaming occurs. A lot of research has been conducted to measure the depth of sleep, and noting the periods in which dreams occur. During such research a device is employed to measure electrical changes in the brains activity, and another device measures eye movements (which tend to occur when dreaming).
There are five stages of sleep. Four stages involve deep sleep. The fifth stage involves rapid eye movement, thus it is called "REM sleep". When aroused from REM sleep, subjects usually report a dream. Dreams also occur during NREM (Non REM), however these dreams are not recalled as easily. Although many people claim that they do not dream much, research into REM sleep supports conclusions that we all dream, and do so approximately five times a night. Some find it more difficult to remember their dreams than others. Time of waking also affects dream recall. Those that wake easily during REM will tend to have greater dream recall. As far as the length of dreams is concerned, research suggests that incidents in dreams last about as long as they would in real life. Experimental subjects have had the duration of the REM measured. When awoken, they were asked to mime the incidents in their dreams. The pantomime lasted for approximately the same amount of time as the duration of the REM sleep.
The Origin of Dreams
The greatest pioneer in the study of the psychological origin of dreams was Sigmund Freud. Freud stated that, despite their strangeness, dreams are meaningful, giving expression to the person’s wishes and impulses that have been repressed and cannot find other expression because of guilt or social inhibitions. These hidden wishes and desires constitute the content of dreams, and are expressed through the images and experiences of our dreams.
Freud evokes the image of a "censor" at the threshold between our consciousness and our unconscious. This "censor" converts the latent content into the dream work, transforming some of the impulse-expressions that might be too disturbing into symbols that seem harmless and meaningless. In effect, the mechanism protects our sleep from too much psychological disturbance. Much of psychoanalysis is involved with trying to decipher the symbols of our dreams, and symbolic behaviours with which we disguise our true feelings when awake.
