The Extended Essay (EE) is a 4000-word research paper that is a requirement for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. The EE allows students to explore a topic of their choice in depth and to demonstrate their research and writing skills. Choosing a suitable topic for the EE can be a daunting task for students as it should be related to the subject they are studying and should be researchable, specific, and clear. In this guide, we will suggest some Psychology topics for the EE, but before that, let’s take a look at the importance of choosing a good topic.

A good research question for this Group 3: Individuals and Societies will not only make the research and writing process more enjoyable but also increase the chances of getting a higher grade. A well-chosen topic will be one that is interesting and challenging and one that allows the student to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Examples of topics students can use for essays.

1. The impact of parental divorce on children’s mental health
2. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treating anxiety disorders
3. The effects of mindfulness on stress reduction
4. The impact of social media on self-esteem
5. The relationship between attachment style and romantic relationships
6. The effects of nature exposure on mental well-being
7. The effectiveness of group therapy for treating depression
8. The impact of parental involvement on academic achievement
9. The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function
10. The relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement
11. The effectiveness of hypnotherapy for treating phobias
12. The impact of parental warmth on child development
13. The relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness
14. The effectiveness of virtual reality therapy for treating PTSD
15. The impact of social support on mental health
16. The relationship between personality traits and career success
17. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for treating chronic pain
18. The impact of parental substance abuse on child development
19. The relationship between emotional regulation and coping with stress
20. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treating insomnia
21. The impact of parental nurturing on child development
22. The relationship between self-compassion and well-being
23. The effectiveness of music therapy for treating depression
24. The impact of parental physical abuse on adult relationships
25. The relationship between attachment style and emotional expressiveness
26. The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)
27. The impact of parental emotional abuse on adult relationships
28. The relationship between emotional intelligence and relationship satisfaction
29. The effectiveness of schema therapy for treating personality disorders
30. The impact of parental neglect on child development

Please keep in mind that the above topics are suggestions and should be refined to make them researchable, specific, and clear as per the requirement of the Extended Essay.

These are experiments students can use for Psychology EE topics:

1. The impact of parental divorce on children’s mental health: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the mental health of children from divorced and non-divorced families and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental divorce on children’s emotional regulation and coping with stress.
2. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treating anxiety disorders: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating anxiety disorders in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
3. The effects of mindfulness on stress reduction: Students can conduct experiments to study the impact of mindfulness practices on stress levels in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
4. The impact of social media on self-esteem: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the self-esteem levels of individuals who use social media frequently and those who do not. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of social media use on self-esteem.
5. The relationship between attachment style and romantic relationships: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the attachment styles of individuals in romantic relationships and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of attachment style on romantic relationship satisfaction.
6. The effects of nature exposure on mental well-being: Students can conduct experiments to study the impact of nature exposure on mental well-being in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
7. The effectiveness of group therapy for treating depression: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of group therapy in treating depression in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
8. The impact of parental involvement on academic achievement: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the academic achievement levels of students with involved and non-involved parents and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of different levels of parental involvement on academic achievement.
9. The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function: Students can conduct experiments to study the impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive function in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
10. The relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the self-esteem and academic achievement levels of students and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of self-esteem on academic achievement.
11. The effectiveness of hypnotherapy for treating phobias: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in treating phobias in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
12. The impact of parental warmth on child development: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the child development of children with warm and non-warm parents and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental warmth on child development.
13. The relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness of individuals in leadership positions and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership effectiveness.
14. The effectiveness of virtual reality therapy for treating PTSD: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of virtual reality therapy in treating PTSD in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
15. The impact of social support on mental health: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the mental health of individuals with high levels of social support and those with low levels of social support and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of social support on mental health.
16. The relationship between personality traits and career success: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the personality traits and career success of individuals in different careers and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of personality traits on career success.
17. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for treating chronic pain: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in treating chronic pain in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
18. The impact of parental substance abuse on child development: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the child development of children with substance-abusing parents and those with non-substance-abusing parents and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental substance abuse on child development.
19. The relationship between emotional regulation and coping with stress: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the emotional regulation and coping with stress levels of individuals and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of emotional regulation on coping with stress.
20. The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treating insomnia: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating insomnia in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
21. The impact of parental nurturing on child development: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the child development of children with nurturing parents and those with non-nurturing parents and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental nurturing on child development.
22. The relationship between self-compassion and well-being: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the self-compassion and well-being levels of individuals and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of self-compassion on well-being.
23. The effectiveness of music therapy for treating depression: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of music therapy in treating depression in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
24. The impact of parental physical abuse on adult relationships: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the adult relationships of individuals who experienced parental physical abuse and those who did not and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental physical abuse on adult relationships.
25. The relationship between attachment style and emotional expressiveness: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the attachment styles and emotional expressiveness of individuals and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of attachment style on emotional expressiveness.
26. The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for treating borderline personality disorder (BPD): Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treating borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
27. The impact of parental emotional abuse on adult relationships: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the adult relationships of individuals who experienced parental emotional abuse and those who did not and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental emotional abuse on adult relationships.
28. The relationship between emotional intelligence and relationship satisfaction: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the emotional intelligence and relationship satisfaction levels of individuals in romantic relationships and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of emotional intelligence on relationship satisfaction.
29. The effectiveness of schema therapy for treating personality disorders: Students can conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of schema therapy in treating personality disorders in a specific population. They can conduct pre and post-treatment assessments and compare the results.
30. The impact of parental neglect on child development: Students can conduct surveys or interviews to gather data on the child development of children who experienced parental neglect and those who did not and compare the results. They can also conduct experiments to study the impact of parental neglect on child development, including its effect on physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

There are several ways students can use these themes in their essays:

1. Research: Students can use these themes as a starting point to conduct research on a specific topic. They can gather information from academic journals, books, and online sources to support their arguments and findings.
2. Experiment: Students can design and conduct experiments to test hypotheses related to these themes. For example, they can study the effects of nature exposure on mental well-being by comparing the moods of participants who spend time in nature versus those who do not.
3. Case Study: Students can conduct a case study on an individual or group of individuals to better understand a specific theme. For example, they can study the impact of parental divorce on children’s mental health by interviewing and observing children from divorced families.
4. Surveys and Interviews: Students can conduct surveys and interviews to gather data on these themes. For example, they can survey college students on the impact of social media on self-esteem or interview therapists on the effectiveness of different therapeutic techniques for treating a specific mental disorder.
5. Literature Review: Students can conduct a literature review to evaluate the existing research on a specific theme. For example, they can review the existing literature on the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement to identify gaps in the research and areas for future study.

Choose your Psychology topic wisely

It’s important to note that the above mentioned ways are some examples of how students can use the theme when writing a Psychology Extended Essay, they can come up with their own methods as well, as long as they are appropriate, ethical, and follows the guidelines of the Extended Essay.

It is worth mentioning while students are encouraged to conduct independent research and to write for their Extended Essay, they may also seek help from writing services. Writing services can provide assistance with research, editing, proofreading, and formatting to help students produce a high-quality essay that meets the requirements of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. 

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