Many controversial issues arise in psychology. Two topics I will cover in this essay are the controversy over genetic testing and what things would be like without genetic testing. I will describe what genetic testing is and how it can affect an individual's family life. I will discuss the benefits of genetic counseling, as well as the benefits without genetic counseling, and how this issue is debated from a psychological perspective. Genetic testing can affect a person's life in many ways. Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes that occur in chromosomes, proteins and genes. These changes that occur can be, and often are, associated with hereditary disorders. Understanding genetic testing requires a clear understanding of family history and past medical records. The process of obtaining these records takes time and patience; and the files must be evaluated by all the relatives concerned. Knowing medical history is supposed to be the basis of genetic testing, but it's more complicated than that. Many people use genetic testing because they believe it is essential to know their own body or the body they are giving birth to. Parents can learn a lot of information that can be difficult to manage. From there, they can plan ahead or make tough decisions. People may like to know about problems or events in advance, so they can understand how to handle the situation at hand. This can give parents peace of mind and a sense of relief if they think something has gone wrong. It can also help with future family planning and how to handle future situations (Murza). A perfect example of a family...... middle of paper......, this shows that this is a main topic known in society. Although genetic testing and not undergoing genetic testing can both benefit society, this is a major controversy brought to public attention. References Hawkins, AK and Ho, A. ( 2012). Genetic counseling and ethical issues related to direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 21(3), 367-373. doi:10.1007/s10897-012-9488-8Murza, Tanya. Elizabeth, Stark. Edelson, Vaughn. (2012). Genetic alliance: should I consider genetic testing for my child? : Global Communications, Inc. Steventon, Jessica. (2009). The story of a silent angel. : Global Communications, Inc. Tarquinio, DC and Percy, AK (2011). Rett syndrome. In E. Hollander, A. Kolevzon, J. T. Coyle (Eds.), Handbook of autism spectrum disorders (pp. 107-115). Arlington, VA, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc..