Will Sociology or Psychology Help Me More in the Career I Want to Pursue?

Question by Amber: Will sociology or psychology help me more in the career I want to pursue?
I want to either work in a mental hospital or an eating disorder clinic. Just some sore of ward or clinic of some sort.
I love studying the abnormalities of the psyche, but I also love figuring out why people do the things they do, and I want to help them if I could.

Would psychology or sociology be better for what I would want to do?

Best answer:

Answer by Bull in the China Shop Is Mostly Back To Normal
Definitely psychology. A sociology degree won’t prepare you for that sort of a career at all. Your ideal program would be an undergrad degree in psychology, followed by medical school and then a psychiatry program.

Answer by CoachT
Psychology, but only if you go on and get a master’s or PhD.

Have you considered nursing? Mental Health nurses do the sort of work you’re asking about. Nutritionists and Dietitians also do work in eating disorders (and other clinical settings).

Psychologists study individual behavior whereas sociologists study groups. Sociologists wouldn’t do much of the hands-on “work in a hospital”, they’d go out and examine why some groups of people (populations) are prone to easting disorders, for example. Sociologists need a master’s or PhD as well.

In simple terms; the psychologist examines why Jane has an eating disorder. The sociologist wants to know why dancers (of which Jane is one) have eating disorders more often than the general population. The nutritionist and dietitian wants to know how to get Jane to eat right (and defines what is “right” for Jane) while the nurse cares for and teaches Jane in the clinic while she’s learning to manage her disorder and makes sure there aren’t other health issues that result being neglected.

Baby mets Baby! – you could see my bra aha.