Students who study the field of Psychology often write various written works: reports, term papers, and essays. In the article, we tell you how to write an essay on psychology, what its structure is, and what the rules of writing are.
1. What is a psychological essay?
An essay in psychology is a short paper in which the author describes their thoughts and reflections on a given or free topic. This type of essay is written by college and university students, as well as psychologists, for their professional activities. Sometimes, these people think, "Can I find someone to write my essay for me?" The reason is that they don't know how such papers should be written. But don't worry, as we are going to tell you how to do it right.
An essay on psychology gives students many useful skills:
- Essay helps develop creative skills in students.
- It helps organize the independent work of students.
- An essay on psychology consolidates and expands students' knowledge.
- This type of work teaches students to express their thoughts.
- The psychology essay teaches students to work with additional sources of information.
2. Psychological essay structure
A psychological essay does not have strict writing requirements; however, it is better to adhere to a certain composition:
- Introduction
- Thesis
- Argumentation
- Conclusion.
In the introduction, you need to tell what the paper will be about. You can start from afar or jump straight to the topic of the essay:
"A person, being a part of society, every day becomes a participant in some kind of relationship. For example, in the morning, they have breakfast with their family; at lunch, they are already among their work colleagues; in the evening – in the company of friends, and in the interval, they manage to meet an acquaintance and exchange a few words with them, then ride on the bus and give up their seat to the old lady, etc.
Moreover, with everyone with whom they had any contact, they had a certain "distance." What does distance in a relationship even mean? This is a certain level of communication, namely the closeness of people between each other, while everyone sets this distance themselves, and it depends on how close a person is ready to let another into their life, how much they are ready to open up to them and trust.
Therefore, the people with whom we communicate should not cause any discomfort or inconvenience; if, after all, there are such individuals in our environment, relations with them are regulated by distance. Namely, it goes to the maximum limit." (Essay on the topic: "Distance in relationships between people," introduction).
In the introduction, you need to write down a thesis - what you will prove throughout the paper:
"Therefore, the people with whom we communicate should not cause any discomfort or inconvenience; if, after all, there are such individuals in our environment, relations with them are regulated by distance, namely, it goes to the maximum limit." (Essay on the topic: "Distance in relationships between people," thesis).
Next comes the argument, which consists of evidence of the thesis. These could be examples from life or literary works, quotes from philosophers, or research works by psychologists:
"Well, what should be the distance between people so that people do not feel pain so that suffering does not take over? Because personal inner life can be empty and monotonous, society brings people together, but their flaws can drive them apart. The average measure of distance that they finally find as the only possible way to stay together is politeness and good morals.
In England, they say to someone who does not observe proper measures when approaching, "Keep your distance!" Although under such conditions, the need for mutual warm participation is satisfied only very imperfectly, the pricks of needles are also felt. Those who have a lot of their own inner warmth should better stay away from society so as not to burden themselves or others." (Essay on the topic: "Distance in relationships between people," argumentation).
At the end, there is a conclusion. Here, you need to summarize what was said above, draw conclusions, and show that the thesis has been proven:
"Of course, distance is needed. I think the most important thing is to be able to understand people. After all, from the first words, you can understand whether this is your person or not, and even if it seems that they are yours, you don't need to immediately let them into your life until you are completely convinced whether this person will be worth your suffering later.
There cannot be many loved ones; each person has their own. They are unique in their own way and perhaps even similar to each other. The main thing is to take care of them and show that you value them, and they will respond in kind. I think it's sad to be alone when there are so many people around who can share all the good and bad with you.
And no formal relationship can fill that inner emptiness that pushes us to communicate with people because you can get rid of it only by filling it with the warmth of people and feelings that formal relationships can never give, only if the formality disappears." (Essay on the topic: "Distance in relationships between people," conclusion).
3. Tips on how to write an essay on psychology
When you write an essay on psychology, use our tips:
- 1. Try to keep within the recommended amount. Typically, this is 2-4 pages of printed text.
- Do not jump to other topics; strictly adhere to the topic of the paper.
- Psychology is a science, so support all your opinions and thoughts with examples and quotes.
- 4. Do not overuse unclear scientific terms and abbreviations.
- Do not use other people's thoughts; an essay is an author's work; it should reflect the students' thoughts.
- At the end of your paper, check the text for errors and consistency of presentation.
4. Essay on psychology: example for students
If you don't know how to write an essay on psychology, look at the ready-made example:
4.1 Essay on the topic "E. Fromm "The Art of Loving"
Only after reading Erich Fromm's book "The Art of Loving" did I fully understand its title. At first, it seemed that the author used this phrase more as a pun. But no. The author examined the phenomenon of love so deeply and multifacetedly that it cannot be called anything other than "art."
Perhaps I would think more about the term "science." The science of love... But no. Yet behind this feeling, there is much more emotion and creation. It cannot be calculated, proven, or described according to laws and axioms.
After reading Erich Fromm's book "The Art of Love," I gained a better understanding of what love really is. Fromm's idea views love in its true light. He begins with a few facts about the meaning in which people usually view love.
Two strangers meet, they break personal boundaries between each other, and they feel so close, like one whole. And here, many can say, "Yes, this is true love, genuine, without conditions!" But Fromm writes that this is not true love; this is an infatuation.
The author of the book describes this feeling as "one of the most exciting events in life." Fromm argues that this is an initial craze, and it has a natural tendency to gradually fade away as people get to know each other better and better and understand that not everything is so simple and magical.
Fromm discusses what has disappeared from love in our time. One of the most common and familiar reasons for the distortion of love is the distortion of its perception. For the average person, love is about creating the perfect union, where you find yourself together against the rest of the world. But we must understand that the surrounding reality is not created for us personally, and it is not a computer program.
The art of love requires courage, maturity, self-discovery, and, inevitably, hard work. This book is an excellent starting point for those who want to find genuine answers to how the concept of the Art of Love coincides with the concept of the Art of Living.
At the end of the book, Fromm comes to the conclusion that love is not an emotion or even a feeling; it is a decision, and it is a judgment, a promise. To love means to trust another without expecting any guarantees in return. Love is an act of boundless extreme faith. After reading this book, I feel like I have a better understanding of what true love is.
It seems to me that if more people read this book, they would come to understand that true love is not about being loved but about loving yourself and being in this feeling. Then, it seems to me this world would be much better and more honest.