Why Choose Psychology? An Investigation of Norwegian High School Students

Abstract

Psychology as an A-level subject in senior high school (12th to 13th grade) has increased in popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study was to investigate why students choose psychology as a subject, and their satisfaction with this choice. A total of 624 Norwegian students responded to a survey. A factor analysis supported a three-factor solution in relation to reasons for choosing to study psychology in terms of “interest,” “therapy,” and “rigor.” The results showed that interest in the subject was the most common reason, thus supporting the “sexy subject hypothesis.” However, a substantial minority of the students also reported personal reasons for choosing psychology, hence there was some support for the “therapy hypothesis.” The least pertinent reason for choosing this subject was a perception of psychology as an easy subject. Hence, the “rigor hypothesis” was not supported. The findings also showed general satisfaction with their choice of psychology as a subject, and realistic expectations of expected academic performance (grades) in psychology. Practical consequences were discussed.