Learning About Ourselves

I have been interested in psychology since.. I can't remember when. Seriously. But back in 2009, I took a Introduction to Psychology class, and that was the only time I took a formal learning in Psychology. After that, I struggled with my studies there, which makes me forgot almost everything about psychology, including my interest towards it.

It was during last semester, when I saw Faris read a lot of Historical books. Since I am easily influenced by others.. Nah not really, it just got me thinking "should I read history too?". Yes, perhaps I should, but I don't need to follow Faris's exact footsteps. He doesn't read them for formal learning or something, as he said it is only for side information and knowledge, and extra interests in other things besides Mathematics. The question then came to me, do I have other things that I have interest in besides Mathematics, programming, and video games?

That is when I started to search for books about psychology in the library. There's this one big book that I borrowed, but perhaps because there's so much that can be looked into, I decided to return it just after a few days (besides, it was during the final exam weeks). 

So before the holiday started, I decided to borrow a few books so that I can read during free times. Two books are about psychology: Applying Psychology To Everyday Life by Kenneth T. Strongman and A Brief History of Psychology by Michael Wertheimer. Both book are what their title says. The former is easier to read, and also lighter for the readers as it is made to be more simple so that the useful aspect of psychology can be applied. The latter is not hard to comprehend, but I am not familiar with many of the terms.

Then I bought two books: The Science of the Mind by Paul Kleinman and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. The first book talk about the history of important individuals who contributed to the field of psychology and their contributions, and the aspects that are studied by psychologist (cognitive, leadership, social interaction, love, etc). The second book, well, I just bought it today so I'll write about it later.

So why people study psychology? What is psychology, exactly? Psychology comes from the word psyche and logia, which means "spirit, soul and breath" and "the study of something", respectively, in Greek. Psychology is the study of mental and behavioral process. Which means, we are studying the about ourselves, about human. 

Learning about ourselves is fascinating. For example, how does our brain works? What is the difference between the left hemisphere and right hemisphere? Why do we fall in love? Why do we have this kind of personality? Why some people feel secure while some feel insecure? Why do we form group? What is the process of remembering? How can we improve our memory? How can we form a long-lasting relationship? There are so many questions that can be asked about ourselves, and so many questions left unanswered.

What is the benefit of learning all of this? I wouldn't know the answer yet, but I believe it will bring us closer to our Creator, as He is the one who created us with so many possibilities. In the end, it is all back to Him. 

I want to learn more about psychology, and perhaps, I will do PhD in psychology (haha). There's no telling where my future is, but as long as I have something that I am passionate in, I will pursue it.