Child Development - Developmental Psychology Personal Statement

My fascination with childhood development has grown out of my on-going studies in the area of psychology. Due to be graduating from the University of Athens this summer, having completed my studies in Psychology from the department of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology, I am keen to continue my studies by undertaking a MSc in Developmental Psychology. To me, it seems like a natural choice as I enjoy working with children and find my experiences with them to have been amongst the most rewarding of my life. I have also successfully completed a number of courses at The Institute of Behaviour Research and Therapy including Acquaintance Course in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy and Acquaintance Course in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy of Children and Adolescence. Through these courses, my interest in developmental psychology grew exponentially and I feel that the choice of these courses also demonstrates my commitment to this subject.

My interest in developmental psychology revolves around a number of key areas including the biological contributions to development and also individual differences in development particularly in relation to external contributions. By this, I mean the impact of environmental, genetic, parental and post-natal factors. It fascinates me how children are all created and born in (largely) the same way and through the same means of procreation and yet each and every one of us develops into a different person with an individual appearance and personality. I am captivated by the different theories and considerations as to why this happens. In the same vein, I am fascinated by the genetic differences that we experience and have explored this through my volunteer work in the last six months with the charity, Cerebral Palsy Greece. I believe that my enthusiasm for this area can only continue to grow as it has done already – in leaps and bounds.