SOP Sample for MSc Psychology in UK | Fresher Profile

Statement of Purpose

My interest in psychology was piqued a few months into 11th grade, when I found this particular subject could potentially answer the tougher questions that have baffled individuals and the society on a larger scale, most notably, why humans behave the way they do. I found myself particularly adept at understanding underlying reasons for behaviour and expressed an aptitude for analysing and applying psychological theories to hypothetical situations, which can be gauged from my scoring a perfect 100 in Psychology at the Post-Baccalaureate level. As I went deeper into its study, and explored the causes of mental disorders, their progression, individual differences, social constructs such as attitude and leadership, when I opted for a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, my interest only compounded, and I began viewing psychology as a potential career option. Specifically, a desire to dig deeper into the problematic behavioural patterns of delinquents, "problem" children, delays in development and aetiology of mental retardation motivated me to apply for an MSc degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, at [UNIVERSITY NAME].

I am currently in the third year of my Bachelor's, pursuing an honour's degree in Psychology, and also in the process of writing a paper titled "A research into body dissatisfaction and Consumer behaviour". My experience during the research and writing of this paper has helped equip me with what it takes to understand a psychological issue—a willingness to look at the problem from various perspectives, keeping aside personal prejudices and to be surprised with how narrow and ill-informed a perspective we can hold. I have gained a hands-on-experience on how to sample a population, how to review literature, how to clearly express the findings of the research and present its future implications and uses.

Outside academia, I am working as a research member at [ORGANIZATION NAME], a student-run mental health organisation working towards making psychological therapy accessible to all; as a part of the organisation, I am also a part of its Parenting Project, and designing a training program for aiding those new parents cope emotionally and psychologically, whose infants have been diagnosed with a congenital disorder; I also serve as its research department's ethics co-ordinator. My time in this organisation has only intensified my zeal to further pursue psychology—having had the chance to interact with some of the people who have benefited from the services provided by this organisation, it has made me realize how dire the need really is for psychological support, in this fast-changing, competitive, and often callous world.

I have also organised two webinars on the topics "Stigma Surrounding Mental Health" and "Assertiveness" in collaboration with [ORGANIZATION NAME] and [ORGANIZATION NAME], a pan-India NGO. As a Board Member of my college's Rotaract Club, I organised, and was also a part of numerous webinars which focused on the training of participants for coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, I have also worked as a social work intern for [ORGANIZATION NAME], and am also currently a member of [ORGANIZATION NAME].

Children and adolescents still remain a misunderstood group from a psycho-social perspective, owing to gaps in communication and lack of full comprehension of their own psychologically maladaptive tendencies, on their part. This is true especially when it comes to making an accurate diagnosis and suggesting an effective form of therapy for childhood cognitive, behavioural, or emotional anomalies. Apart from this, child-rearing practises, behavioural adjustment, attachment, personality, delinquent tendencies, adolescent psychopathology, emotionality and the like, remain unexplored to a large extent, but are known to be a primary contributor in the development of psychological disorders in adulthood.

This is true especially in the context of where I come from, where child and adolescent mental health is assigned a comparatively lesser degree of importance to other psychological disciplines. Elaborating further on this cultural perspective, childhood and adolescent issues, especially pertaining to their mental health, are often accorded minimal attention, because not only is mental health a new concept still awaiting complete cultural acceptance here, but also due to the secondary position the youth are forced to occupy as a socio-cultural norm. The lack of understanding about such issues is not only due to a lack of awareness and backwardness of the psychological approach, but also possesses cultural connotations, which pervade in the Eastern World, and require immediate change, if they wish to see the youth become psychologically well-adjusted and an effective part of a nation's workforce, and its future. These are the foremost reasons for my deciding upon Child Psychology for my graduate program. From a purely personal perspective, learning more about child and adolescent psychopathology will help me identify my personal limitations, the potential gaps in the manner in which I was raised, the past roadblocks to my personality-development and help me evaluate better the relationship I used to and now share with my family and peers.

Child and adolescent mental health have a lot of ground to gain to keep up with other branches of psychology, which are only expanding at a burgeoning pace. There is an immediate need to delve deeper into the psyche of some of the most vulnerable segments of the human race. I believe that my research skills, a hands-on-approach to problem-solving, a willingness to work hard, idealism, diligence, a purposive and committed attitude, and a creative mind-set can be an asset to your university's graduate program in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. With my thirst and drive for knowledge tied up with a need to make a positive change, I can truly contribute something substantial and constructive to this particular field, and help it attain its rightful place among the branches of psychology.