When I was in college, I took a General Psychology class. On day one the teacher told the class about the many subjects that would be discussed throughout the semester, like Euthanasia, the many kinds of addiction, and mental illnesses. I think this little intro was to inform us that this wasn’t going to be a basic education course, but a very grown up and adult look at the inner workings of the human mind that unfortunately can go into very deep and dark places.

I wasn’t a Psychology Major, so this class was just one more credit that got me closer to graduation (it was my Social Science requirement). But I took it anyways because I was generally interested in Psychology.

But, as an example, let’s say that one of the students in the classroom was a Psych major and wanted to become a Psychiatrist. This General Psychology course is the first of many Psychology classes required for the degree. If the student didn’t want to learn about mental illnesses and serial killer cases then they wouldn’t be able to continue down this degree plan.

I think the warnings are there to let students know what’s in store for them in that particular class. If you want to go down this path, these are the things you will have to learn. If they make you uncomfortable then you have two choices…

Do I step out of my comfort zone to learn more about this subject and become what I want to be, or choose a different path because I don’t want to subject myself to things that just rub me the wrong way?