<p>My favorite thing to do is to think about why people behave the way they do. I found that in Psychology there is a branch called Personality Psychology which deals with this kind of stuff. I would like to be with like-minded people and discuss people's personality. Can anybody advise what steps I can take to have a life in which I can devote time to discussing with people things like these.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-13T18:56:23.497Z
@SBell, It sounds like you'd enjoy academia!  The first step would be to obtain a B.A. in Psychology, followed by some sort of graduate degree.  Depending on the type of graduate degree you obtain, you could either do research or teach.  Either way, you'd be surrounded by people who share your interest!
Louis Thibault
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-13T19:32:49.497Z
@blz, I'm more of a self-learner. I just ordered 2 text books on Personality Psychology. In addition to that, a formal education in Psychology will involve things that are not interesting to me, I'm only interested in discussing people's behavior, traits, stuff like that. I already have a BS degree in computer science and have a well-paid job so I can't really leave that. I want to deal with Personality Psychology as a hobby. Do you think that this is realistic?
SBel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-13T19:49:31.490Z
Just a small tip for searching for literature: personality psych also goes under the name of psychology of individual differences, as well as (less often) differential psychology.
Ana
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-13T19:51:03.220Z
Also, social psychology has a lot to say on why people behave the way they do. The difference is that it talks about general tendencies in behaviour, while personality psychology goes into the differences between individuals, as well as how they self-reflect.
Ana
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-16T12:04:31.200Z
@SBell, being a self-learner is very important, but it's really no substitute for a formal education.  More to the point, if you want to be with like-minded people in order to discuss academic topics, there's really no substitute for academia, I'm afraid...
Louis Thibault
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-16T13:32:59.323Z
@blz, I'll start out reading on my own and possibly hiring a tutor to make sure that it is the right thing for me. If it will be then I'll consider formal education.
SBel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-18T13:19:22.237Z
@SBel, sounds like a good compromise!  Best of luck!
Louis Thibault
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-22T18:49:40.133Z
Try meetup.com, that's what I do.
Arnon Weinberg
<cognitive-psychology><social-psychology><personality>
How to get more involved with personality psychology as a hobby?
SBel
# How to get more involved with personality psychology as a hobby?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-06-13)

My favorite thing to do is to think about why people behave the way they do. I found that in Psychology there is a branch called Personality Psychology which deals with this kind of stuff. I would like to be with like-minded people and discuss people's personality. Can anybody advise what steps I can take to have a life in which I can devote time to discussing with people things like these.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, social-psychology, personality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: @username_0l, It sounds like you'd enjoy academia!  The first step would be to obtain a B.A. in Psychology, followed by some sort of graduate degree.  Depending on the type of graduate degree you obtain, you could either do research or teach.  Either way, you'd be surrounded by people who share your interest!  
> **username_0**: @blz, I'm more of a self-learner. I just ordered 2 text books on Personality Psychology. In addition to that, a formal education in Psychology will involve things that are not interesting to me, I'm only interested in discussing people's behavior, traits, stuff like that. I already have a BS degree in computer science and have a well-paid job so I can't really leave that. I want to deal with Personality Psychology as a hobby. Do you think that this is realistic?  
> **username_2**: Just a small tip for searching for literature: personality psych also goes under the name of psychology of individual differences, as well as (less often) differential psychology.  
> **username_2**: Also, social psychology has a lot to say on why people behave the way they do. The difference is that it talks about general tendencies in behaviour, while personality psychology goes into the differences between individuals, as well as how they self-reflect.  
> **username_1**: @username_0l, being a self-learner is very important, but it's really no substitute for a formal education.  More to the point, if you want to be with like-minded people in order to discuss academic topics, there's really no substitute for academia, I'm afraid...  
> **username_0**: @blz, I'll start out reading on my own and possibly hiring a tutor to make sure that it is the right thing for me. If it will be then I'll consider formal education.  
> **username_1**: @username_0, sounds like a good compromise!  Best of luck!  
> **username_3**: Try meetup.com, that's what I do.  

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## 0 answers

