Learn Applied Psychology with this diploma level course in the use of psychology in the real world! 

Psychology is not just about theories, it can be very practical and provide skills that can really give you a career edge; in many different industries

This course is designed to provide graduates with skills they can actually use in the real world!  If you want to not only understand psychology; but also apply it to achieve career or business success; this course is an excellent foundation for just that!

 

Modules

Note that each module in the Qualification - Advanced Diploma in Applied Psychology is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

Sample Course Notes - Psychology Affects Everything

Any individual or group of people are only as good as their psychological wellbeing. When the psychological wellbeing is diminished, the person will become less effective at work and in every other part of their life. Relationships can develop problems. Motivation to do anything can be diminished. It isn't just the psychology that suffers though. A poor psychological state is never going to stay "all in the mind". The physical body can also suffer.

Psychological Factors in Accidents & Illness

There is a relationship between psychological factors, physical illness and accidents. For example, people who drink too much are more likely to be involved in road accidents. People who smoke and get lung cancer often have underlying emotional problems which cause them to smoke too much. Young men tend to be more aggressive than older men and are more likely to have accidents and injuries - they account for a higher percentage of road fatalities than other age and gender group.

People who struggle to control their body weight for psychological reasons are at higher risk of coronary heart disease and type II diabetes. We talked about diet in the last chapter. People with a higher salt and higher fat diet are more likely to be at risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.  They may eat more salt and fat because they are stressed, which can increase their stress further, which increases their blood pressure, which increases their risk of heart disease and so on. When people feel depressed or sad, they will most likely do something to try and make themselves feel better. They may meditate, exercise, dance or find some other way to enjoy themselves. Others may use more negative means such as drinking, smoking, eating fatty foods, eating sugary foods, or drinking more caffeine. All of these impact upon our physical and mental health.

Accidents are also more common when we are stressed.  If you have had a bad day, you will most likely be worried and not focussing and concentrating efficiently. You may be more likely to bump your car or drop a cup. Accidents are also associated with poor levels of sleep and long periods without sleep. In one piece of research, Horne (1992) found that most road accidents happened when a driver had been awake for 18 hours or longer. He suggested that drivers should pull over and take a nap because other remedies such as drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks would only hold off sleep for several minutes. Anyone who doesn't take time out to sleep is susceptible to 'micro-sleeps' where they lose consciousness for several seconds. On the road this can be fatal.   

Immune System and Health

Psychological research has shown for some years that our immune system is also affected by our mental health. That is, as stress levels increase our ability to resist infection decreases. The immune system defends our bodies against invading microorganisms. It does this through barriers, like mucous membranes, but also by phagocytosis. This refers to the deployment of specialised cells, known as phagocytes, which consume and destroy foreign organisms. After a phagocyte has ingested a foreign microorganism it displays its antigen on the surface of its cell membrane. This antigen is what identifies the cell as foreign or native. If the antigen is foreign, lymphocytes continue the immune reaction.

Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. There are two types of lymphocyte – B Cells and T Cells. B cells produce antibodies which go into the fluid surrounding cells to destroy viruses and bacteria, whilst T cells attack viruses and bacteria that get inside a cell.  These processes take several days once a new foreign antigen has been recognised. However, if the same antigen is encountered at a later date, the immune response is much faster because there are also memory T and B cells which recognise it. This is how inoculation works.  

Stress & the Immune System

Kiecolt-Glaser at al. (1984) carried out an experiment to see whether stress from taking important exams had an impact on the immune system. They took blood samples from 75 medical students one month before their exams. This was considered the “low stress” condition and then they took samples during the exams – the “high stress” condition.  They measured the T cell activity in the blood samples.  They also gave the students questionnaires to look at other psychological variables such as other life events.  They found that the students had more T cells in their first blood sample (low stress) than in the second blood test (high stress), suggesting that their immune system was not performing so well when they were under stress.  They found that the immune system of students who had other stressful life events or psychiatric difficulties, such as depression or anxiety, were more affected and their immune systems were even weaker.  

In other research, bereavement has been found to affect the immunological system through reducing T cell functioning.  Research by the University of Birmingham found that bereavement can make older people more prone to infections and impair the functioning of their immune system.   They found that older people who had had a recent bereavement had poorer responses to bacteria, so were more vulnerable to infections. They also found that the people who were recently bereaved had imbalances in the stress hormones in their bodies, which affected the body’s ability to fight bugs and infections.  They found these effects were less obvious in younger people, as their immune system seem more resilient, but the impact was greater in older people. They suggested that bereavement is a key stressor and older people who are bereaved should make sure to stay in touch with others socially (family and friends), eat well, and exercise to reduce the impact of the stress and boost their immune system response.

Applying Psychology to Managing Physical Well Being

Sports coaches understand that improving the attitude of an athlete can have a big contribution to their performance. In the same way, psychological knowledge can be applied in any other context to improving outcomes. Health practitioners who treat the patients psychology as well as their physical issues can achieve better results.
Applying a knowledge pf psychology can contribute to solving problems in any context; from solving social problems to managing productivity in the world of commerce.

Whatever your context; and wherever you work; this is a course that can be of great value.

Who Is This Course Suitable For?

This course may be relevant to a wide range of work settings and positions including:

• Social work
• Psychology
• Teaching
• Nursing
• Caring roles
• Occupational therapy
• Health professionals
• Law
• Human resources
• Correctional services
• Police
• Counselling
• Careers counselling
• Coaching

Why Study This Course?

Psychology is involved in everything we do and so an understanding of psychology is relevant to a broad range of different professions. Whether it is making decisions, developing strategies to remember information or working out what motivates workers - there is always a psychological explanation which can be called upon. This diploma provides a thorough grounding in psychological theories and applications, and encourages students to think outside the box. If you maintain an open mind and are prepared to broaden your perspectives, you'll find you can discover solutions through looking at things differently.

Any Questions?

Please click here to contact a tutor or Request a course handbook here.

Learn about psychology and its practical uses in the real world!