Beyond the Surface: A Qualitative Exploration of Factors Shaping Career Choices in Psychology

The decision to pursue a career in psychology is especially arduous for individuals in India and the factors involved in reaching that conclusion are complex. Ten students pursuing masters in psychology with a specialization in either clinical psychology, counselling psychology or industrial psychology were interviewed using a structured interview method to understand factors influencing career choice and if adverse childhood experiences and parental relationships played a role. The results indicated that adverse childhood experiences leading to the strengthening of empathy, altruistic characteristics and eventually not wanting others to suffer the same way they, unfortunately, had to were the major factors that sparked their interest in psychology. It was also found that a lot of participants found solace in studying psychology and wanted to pursue a career in the field to heal themselves and others.