How to Write a Psychology Essay
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In most psychology and related courses, learners are expected to write short essays or extended exam-style answers about research studies or theories. I want to share some tips about how to structure this type of essay.
It will be especially useful if you are a student in your final years of school (e.g. A-Level, AP, Higher), as well as for college and university students.
THE STRUCTURE
The most common way of structuring an essay is to base it around three parts — an introduction, main body, and conclusion. I suggest that you stick that structure! It works well, and is also what a marker will be expecting to see.
At the same time, you should remember that this structure is only a foundation. Each of the sections will need to be tweaked to fit the needs of each particular essay.
Overall, the introduction sets the scene, and tells the reader (or marker) all of the background that they need to know before you really get started with the topic. The main section is where you really delve into the particular topic, including arguments for or against an idea, while the conclusion is where you sum up this argument and identify issues that rise. I’ll now explain each of these in turn.
INTRODUCTION SECTIONS
There are several things that should be included in a good introduction. It should state the aim of the essay, and provide enough background information to put the main issue into context.
For example, in an essay analysing the Asch (1951) study of conformity, you might begin by explaining the key context around conformity and social psychology at the time, defining some terms (especially what is meant by ‘conformity’) and giving relevant quotes and references. For example, you could point out that social processes at the time were viewed mainly in terms of individuals’ thoughts and feelings, but that Asch and others argued that social behaviour is more than the sum of its (individual) parts.
Your introduction could also give a very brief synopsis of the study itself, without going into lots of methodological details. Finally, your introduction should usually state the goal of the essay, along the lines of: “in this essay, I will argue that the Asch study is flawed.”
MAIN BODY OF THE ESSAY
The main body of your essay will be the majority of the piece in terms of word count. It is often divided into a further three subsections — for the issue, against the issue, and ‘on balance’ — but this does depend on the essay topic. In a short essay, three paragraphs might work well, but in longer essays, each of these parts will need to be expanded further.
Let’s imagine a short essay evaluating the classic Milgram (1963) study of obedience, for example. Here, your introduction will already have briefly summarised the study. A good structure for the main body might be:
• A paragraph supporting the study. This will give details, but will not be purely descriptive. Instead, you should use facts about the study to support an argument for its strengths. For example, you might point out that this study was the first of its kind, that it has been hugely influential, and that notwithstanding its ethical issues, it appears that the participants took the task seriously and believed in what they were doing, increasing the validity of the findings.
• A paragraph criticising the study. Here, you will present the other side of the argument (weaknesses). Again, you should use facts to build an argument. So don’t say things like, “this was a lab study, and therefore artificial”. That would simply be stating a fact. Instead, explain what this means in terms of the findings. A better comment would be: “Milgram’s study was a lab experiment. This meant that it was artificial, and we have to question how realistic the situation is when compared to everyday life. Granted, there are historical examples of people committing atrocities because they were ordered to do so by an authority figure. But in everyday life, it is very uncommon for a civilian to be ordered to give a deadly shock to a complete stranger. Outside of an experimental situation, it is entirely possible that most people would refuse such an order.”
• A paragraph weighing up the strengths and weaknesses. Taking into account further facts about the study as well as broader research ideas, this section allows you to present counterpoints to some of the arguments raised so far, and try to balance the discussion. It therefore sets up the final conclusion of your essay.
THE ESSAY CONCLUSION
Your essay’s conclusion should re-emphasise the main points you have made so far, and will also reflect back on the original aim of the essay. This allows you to show that what you have been talking about does indeed meet your aims, and that you have successfully answered the question (or fulfilled the task).
For example, an essay discussing the methodology of the research by Pozzulo et al (2011) into eyewitness memory might state something like: “In this essay, I have explained how the experimental methodology of the essay distinguished it from previous research…”
Of course, no essay will completely resolve an ongoing scientific debate. You therefore might choose to raise further issues that are unresolved here, or highlight alternative views, using terms like ‘however’, and ‘on the other hand’, or ‘it shouldn’t be forgotten that…’.
A strong ending will reinforce the main point, linking in to the original stated aim of the essay, e.g. “On the whole, though, the Pozzulo et al (2011) study demonstrates why experimental methodology is so important if we are to understand the processes at work when eyewitnesses try to remember faces that they have seen.”
OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER
Overall, the 3-part essay structure is a coherent basis for writing essays, suitable for students at all levels. Even a lengthier essay (for example the 3000-word essays that my Masters students write about theories of learning) is completed in more or less the same way, with each of the three parts proportionally longer, and subdivided where necessary.
In fact, this blog post is following a similar structure, too. The first four paragraphs formed an introduction to what I was talking about. I then had a main body with three subsections (the three sections of the essay), and you have now reached my conclusion section!
The reason that this structure works so well is that the introduction and conclusion serve to put the main information into context and to comment on what it means. They also mirror each other — the end reflects back on what was said at the beginning. A similar format is used in storytelling, and people respond well to writing where everything seems to fit together and make sense.
At the same time, remember that every essay is different. Make sure that you check the guidelines for your own essay carefully. Refer to the marking criteria (if available), and if anything is unclear, discuss the requirements with your teacher/lecturer.
Good luck with your essay writing :)