You’ll cover the core areas of psychology (social, cognitive, developmental, biological, individual differences), along with learning some basic principles of counselling and mental wellbeing. You’ll also develop essential research skills, which will help you to understand and evaluate evidence – the foundation of any scientific subject. Importantly, you’ll learn all of this in real-world contexts that reflect the research and practice that psychologists and counsellors do.
The module is organised into the following six blocks:
Block 1
This short introductory block will settle you in with some basic foundations, such as how psychology and counselling are related to each other and how they differ. You’ll also learn how psychological knowledge can be used and abused, find out the truth about some psychology and counselling myths, and how studying psychology can help you.
Block 2
This is set within the context of an election with some contentious issues. You’ll learn about persuasion, leadership, prejudice, discrimination, drugs and addiction, and social division.
Block 3
This is framed around seeking self-knowledge. You’ll learn about personality theory, anxiety, mental health and wellbeing, positive psychology, and person-centred counselling.
Block 4
You’ll explore the scenario of a new child in a family. You’ll learn how children’s minds develop, how they come to make sense of the world around them, how attachments form and affect people, and how families work not just as a group of related individuals but as a complex system.
Block 5
This takes you into the realm of crime, as you’ll learn about aggression and violence, how witnesses to crimes remember them, how easy (or hard) it is for eyewitnesses to recognise suspects later on, and the emotional effects of crime on victims.
Block 6
The final block is based around environmental issues, using the context of climate protests. You’ll learn about environmental psychology and why some people become activists while others engage in denial.
Throughout all of these, you’ll also learn about a wide range of research concepts that will help you to understand where knowledge comes from and to evaluate claims and evidence. You’ll also develop your skills in using academic information and communicating your knowledge in a variety of ways.
This module develops skills that are useful in a range of professional contexts, including critical evaluation of information, developing evidence-based arguments, and communicating knowledge in ways that are appropriate for a range of different purposes and audiences (e.g. essays, presentation slides).
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You'll be provided with two textbooks and have access to a module website which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
D110 is an option module in our:
Exploring psychological worlds: thinking, feeling, doing starts twice a year – in February and October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026 and February 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2033.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
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There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your personal income is £25,000 or less, or you’re on certain benefits, you could qualify for a grant and OU top-up funding to cover 100% of your course fees. Apply online at the same time as you register on your module.
For more information on how to apply, visit our Part-Time Fee Grants for students in Scotland page.
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Joint loan applications
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As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average, the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.
Read more about Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA).
Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA).
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may get support from your employer to pay part of your tuition fee and pay the remainder by credit or debit card.
For more information about combining payment options, contact an adviser.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
