Psychological literacy for all: an overview of this ‘literacy’ and how it is relevant for students of all disciplines.

Abstract

Over the past 20 years a number of educational ‘literacies‘ have become recognized as learning outcomes in schools and universities [1]. The term ‘psychological literacy’ relates to an individual’s ability to apply an understanding of psychology to their everyday personal, social and work lives. The greatest development and application of psychological literacy has been within psychology education, however this article proposes that an understanding of psychological literacy is relevant to students across all disciplines. Indeed, many undergraduate courses already include elements of psychology (for example, medical education and teacher-training). It has been proposed [2], that psychology as a discipline has much to offer for the public good, as many of the problems in society today relate to human behavior (e.g. work stress, environmental damage, obesity, addiction). This article reviews examples of ways that psychological literacy can be developed, taught and assessed across disciplines and how psychological literacy can be applied within society. One of the key resources, a compendium of case studies [3], is reviewed to demonstrate practical activities to incorporate psychological literacy into curricula. Further inter-disciplinary discussion is suggested among educators to identify best practice in developing psychological literacy across disciplines and thereby within society.