‘Psychology’ is extracted from a word in Latin that means the precise study of your mind or soul. It is a science which is based on human behavior, mental health and human psyche. Psychology is a very vast field and offers a huge range of sub-fields, such as clinical psychology, developmental psychology, child psychology, industrial psychology and social psychology.

If you are a student of psychology, you would be required to select a particular topic for the final research paper. Finding a suitable topic is an extremely difficult task, which is why this article will be of help to you. Continue reading to find out a number of topics that you can consider.

List of Psychology Research Topics

While selecting a particular topic from amongst the different research topics, you need to find out your area of specialization and interest. You would need to read a lot of content for writing your psychology research paper, which is why you should choose a topic that excites you. The majority of the psychology sub-fields are quite broad, which makes researching on it extremely problematic. This is why it is best to choose a concise and narrow topic, so you can conveniently research on it. For example, memory is a huge topic and you cannot easily write a paper on it without discussing the different aspects involved in it. You can narrow down this topic to something like ‘how is the memory affected by age or gender?’ Topics like these make the research paper quite specific and interesting.

Here are some ideas for psychology research topics that might help you out.

• Is parental negligence a reason behind child obesity?
• Understanding the obsession of Americans with the popular fast food items
• What is the influence of a narcissist mother on her child’s mental wellbeing?
• What is the association between obesity and television?
• Preterm delivery and stress
• Understanding the situations that lead to suicidal behaviors
• The adverse effects of abortion on the mental health
• Dating violence and abuse among teenagers
• Understanding schizophrenia in young men and women
• Impact of teenage sexting on children and its consequences
• Can morality be enforced by stringent laws?
• Comprehending social interaction
• How is stress affected by individual differences?
• What are the psychological reasons behind depression?
• Symptoms, reasons of stress and how to manage it
• Is depression affected by gender?
• Impact of social anxiety disorder on the routine life of the affected person
• The different phases of human growth and development
• Importance of imparting sexual education to children
• Mental development and understanding of mentally challenged children
• Relationship between stress and physical illness
• Long term and short term memory
• How is a person’s life affected by bipolar disorder?
• Aging and mental illnesses
• What is the environment’s role in personality development?
• Influence of work environment on the motivation and self-esteem of workers
• Effect of counseling on the divorced individuals
• Impact of violent music on children
• How and why are psychologists involved in the military?
• Varied theories of motivation
• How is a person’s achievements and personality affected by their birth order?
• Physical, financial and emotional abuse of elderly people
• Understanding and controlling teenage suicide
• Comprehending the effects of postpartum depression on child and mother
• Analyzing harsh capital punishment for the sex offenders
• How is intelligence determined by the environment and genetics?
• Different kinds of torture and their various effects
• How and why are attractive people treated differently than the non-attractive ones?
• Pros and Cons of Hypnosis
• Understanding the psychological problems of the homeless people
• How does sports psychology help promote mental health in different workplaces?
• What are the reasons behind long lasting marriages?
• Is it important to have school uniforms?
• The effect of different phobias on your personality
• Why is the divorce rate rising?
• Understanding the psychology of homophobes
• Understanding solitary confinement and its effects
• What are the effects of colors on different mental states?
• Understanding the roles of biology and environment in hyperactive children
• Psychological profile and mental development of a terrorist
• Understanding the psychology of sex workers
• How can you form and change a habit?
• The ethical and legal aspects of gay adoption
• Reasons and consequences of introvert behavior in adults
• What is the effect of the hate crimes on the community and the victims?

While going through psychology research topics, remember to opt for one that falls within the area of your specialization or interest. You can visit online psychology websites and newspapers for finding out more topics. Make sure that you can form a good hypothesis on the topic you are selecting and you must choose a topic that has sufficient content easily available and accessible via online forums.

It is a good idea to consider about four to five research topics before starting your research. This helps you in selecting a viable topic in case one becomes difficult to research on. Always go slow during your research, so you carry each step perfectly well. Make it a point to collect primary data first to make your research appear realistic.

General Psychology Research Topics

To choose a topic from general psychology, you should select any topic you like and then start narrowing it down. For instance, you could tackle any current issue in psychology like equality in mental health.

Moreover, you could profile a well-known psychologist and explore their theories or researches. You could also write on a popular and useful psychology experiment, such as the Stanford Prison or Milgram Obedience Experiments.

Abnormal Psychology Research Topics

Abnormal psychology deals with abnormal behavior and psychopathology. Different disorders such as obsession-compulsion, depression and sexual deviation are covered in this subject. You could research on any of the following topics in this field:

• Phobia
• Depression
• Schizophrenia
• Eating disorder: anorexia or bulimia nervosa
• Antisocial personality disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder
• Borderline personality disorder

Moreover, you can also profile any therapy such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy) or group therapy.

Cognitive Psychology Research Topics

Cognitive psychology tackles the different mental processes going on in a person’s mind. You could explore language, memory, decision making, intelligence and thinking in this sub-field. Moreover, you could research on attention span, false memories, dreams, language, perception, judgment and problem solving while working in cognitive psychology.

Developmental Research Topics in Psychology

Development psychology is focused on the lifespan of human beings, so you have a number of topics to choose from. You can focus on the effects of the following topics on the personality and development of a child, adult or elderly.

• Sexual abuse
• Verbal abuse
• Bullying
• Harassment
• Media violence
• Language acquisition
• Learning disabilities
• Parenting style
• Prenatal development
• Aging process

Social Psychology Research Topics

Social psychology is pertinent to social behavior. You can explore the following topics while studying this subject.

• Discrimination and prejudice
• Homophobia
• Sexism
• Racism
• Attitudes

In addition to these topics, you can also opt for one from amongst the following research topics.

• Understanding drug addictions and the causes behind them
• Weaknesses of the psychoanalytic theories of Freud
• Causes, signs and treatments of anxiety
• Effect of circadian rhythm on humans
• What is attachment theory and what are its psychological effects?
• What are the physical and psychological benefits of laughter?
• What is the effect of the cognitive dissonance on values and behaviors?
• Relationship between endorphins and happiness
• What are the negative and positive effects of the internet on your psychological health?
• What are the effects of the self-actualization concept of Maslow on psychology?