Psychology Paper Topics for College Students
Abnormal, Child, Clinical,and Cognitive Psychology Topic Ideas
Sep 20, 2009
Need a topic for a general psychology paper, or for another college psychology course? Here are essay topic ideas for some of most popular areas of psychology.
Abnormal Psychology Paper Topics
Abnormal psychology is the study of mental health conditions or behaviors that are outside what is considered to be the norms of a healthy psychological state. This topic piques the interests of many psychology students, and is one of the most popular undergraduate psychology classes at many colleges and universities.
Finding a topic for an abnormal psychology paper probably is not that difficult. After all, there is no shortage of mental health abnormalities out there to write about. Here are just a few ideas for possible paper topics.
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Depression
- Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bullemia, etc.)
- General anxiety disorder
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Narcolepsy
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Phobias (claustrophobia, agoraphobia, fear of snakes, fear of flying, etc.)
- Schizophrenia
Child Psychology Paper Topics
Child psychology is a subset of development psychology, which focuses on the psychological development of individuals throughout their lifetimes. This is another popular choice for undergraduate psychology students, and in addition, classes in this area often are required for early education majors and for others who plan to work with kids.
Child psychology is a broad field, so it's important to choose a topic that's narrow enough to address in a paper. Depending on the assignment, it might be a good idea to choose a broad area and focus on how this relates to one stage of childhood, like the toddler years of adolescence. Here are a few possible topic ideas:
- Bullying
- Children and divorce
- Gender role socialization
- Identity formation
- Language acquisition
- Learning disabilities (including autism, Asperger's syndrome, and dyslexia)
- Motor development
- Social development
- Values acquisition
- Violence in the media and the effect on children
Clinical Psychology/Counseling Paper Topics
Clinical psychology refers to psychology in action, or using psychological theories and techniques to help individuals overcome difficult situations or psychological problems. Courses in clinical psychology often are offered to more advanced majors in psychology, and sometimes are required by social work students or others who plan to work in a counseling capacity.
One approach to finding a paper topic in this area is to choose a psychological theorist (such as Freud, Piaget, or Jung) and explore how the theorists' ideas can be used in clinical settings. Another approach is to examine different types of therapy, including:
- Addiction counseling
- Child therapy
- College student counseling
- Crisis counseling
- Grief counseling
- Insomnia and sleep deprivation
- Marriage and family counseling
- Military counseling, including post traumatic stress disorder
- Stress management
Cognitive Psychology Paper Topics
Cognitive psychology is the study of how people's minds work. For students without much knowledge in this area, cognitive psychology may seem like a dry and boring topic to study. However, many students who study cognitive psychology quickly discoverer that the workings of the mind are one of the most mysterious and fascinating areas of psychology. Here are some of the many paper topics in this area:
- Attention span
- Choice theory
- Decision making
- Dreams
- Memory
- Judgment
- Problem solving
- Time sensation
As students in this area quickly discover, psychology is a huge field that encompasses more topics than any one student could ever master. This article offers just a few of the many choices for paper topics in this complex field.
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