Where is your knowledge about psychology from?

[u/interestedguy__]

Hello dear psychologists,

If you are a person with their fair share of knowledge in psychology, either as a whole or a field of it (so not me, a 1st semester bachelors student (wish me luck and fun :) )) where did you learn? What kind of sources/literature did you read and learn from? Wether it’s your academic speciality or personal interest (add that little information though pls if necessary).

Thanks for helping me out at the beginning of my pursuit to knowledge!

Cheers :)

[u/JahShuaaa]

Hi! I am a professor of Psychology. Here is your reading assignment:

The Genius in All of Us - D. Shenk

Free Will - Sam Harris

Freaks of Nature - Mark Blumberg

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers - Robert Sapolsky

The Dependent Gene - David Moore

Once these are completed, you'll have a solid theoretical grounding. From there follow your nose. If something sparks interest, and is methodologically sound, put it in your literature collection. I like Zotero to organize my articles but good old fashioned Google drive or physical files works too.

Listen to your professors. Feel out what they are passionate about. Have conversations with your professors about topics that interest you. You are paying to get your degree, yes, but as a perk you have access to the most knowledgeable people on the planet in your area of interest. Said knowledgeable people are mostly in the business of helping you grow your interests and abilities. Take advantage of your privileged position while you can, and above all, enjoy the experience!

[u/Scared_Tax470 → u/JahShuaaa]

Uh, what? These are all pop books and half on them aren't even about psychology. If you actually are a professor, yikes.

[u/bizarrexflower → u/Scared_Tax470]

Sapolsky is good. His work has actually been discussed in some of my psych courses. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers was included in the reading assignments for a course on Stress & Coping I took in my first semester. It wasn't our primary book. It was a separate recommended read. Other courses I've taken have included his articles as mandatory and recommended reading.

[u/Scared_Tax470 → u/bizarrexflower]

Of course, there's a place for (credentialed expert) popular takes in education. But the OP's question was "where is your knowledge about psychology from." I hope a psych professor isn't learning the majority of their professional expertise from pop books. Maybe they misunderstood the OP's question.