psychology at work

7/28/2019 Psychology at work

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Psychology at Work


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Health Psychology

A new era of behavior research and practice that reflects the view that both bodyand mind are important determinants of heath and illness.

Behavioral Medicine

combines behavioral and biomedical science for prevention and treatment ofdisorders ordinarily thought of as being within the domain of medicine.

Stress is an important factor which affects physical health adversely and hascontributed to the rapid development of health psychology and behavioralmedicine. Many events that are stressful have the following characteristics:


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They are so intense that they produce a state of overload such that wecan no longer adapt to them.

They evoke incompatible tendencies for example, to approach or to avoidan object or an activity.

They are uncontrollable that is, they are beyond our limits to control.


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Psychology as a Career


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Applied Psychology includes all the fields of psychological employment which arenot primarily concerned with the functions of teachings and research.

Professional practice in psychology is concerned principally with the followinglocales:

SchoolsCollegesGovernmental AgenciesMedical InstitutionsCommunity Agencies

Private Practice


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Academic Psychology

The primary function of academic psychologists is teaching and research.

College Teaching

Teaching, preparing examinations and evaluating students achievement, the college

teacher takes part in many professional activities such as organizing and preparingcourse materials, sitting in academic committees or carrying out administrativeresponsibilities.

As academic psychologists, they also devote a part of their time doing research invarious psychological areas. Teaching positions as psychologist for the rank ofassistant profession and above require a Ph.D. degree.


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Research

The most common work settings of research psychologist are the universities and theresearch foundations.

General Research involves the study of basic theoretical problems in such fields aslearning, perception, motivation and emotional behavior.


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Clinical Psychology

The largest branch of applied psychology which is concerned primarily withadjustment problems in mental health.

Clinical Psychologist

Recognized as Professional Mental Health Worker

Refers to a person who have received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology froma recognized university.


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Psychometrist

A specialist in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of standardizedpsychological test.


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Careers in Hospitals


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Careers in Hospital

Psychiatric Hospital/Mental Hospital is the largest single source of employment forclinical psychologists.

Child Guidance

The principal psychological function in child guidance is essentially the same as inadult guidance. The psychologist administers various test to the child, diagnosesbehavior problems and participates in some form of treatments such as playtherapy.


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Counseling Psychology

It is educational.

It deals with problems of normal, everyday adjustment which can be solved on anintellectual level.

It aims to help individual analyze his own problems and arrive at his own intelligentdecisions in achieving more mature adjustments.

The specific types of guidance which the counseling psychologist mayoffer are:

Vocational GuidanceVocational RehabilitationGuidance in SchoolsGuidance with Criminals and DelinquentsGuidance for the Aged and Family Counseling


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Industrial Psychology

It includes the application of psychological knowledge and methods not only to

business and industrial problems but to all types of organizations whose operationsinvolve the cooperative efforts of large groups of individuals.

The approaches used by industrial psychologist which involves human

relations are:

Those concerned with personnel within the organization.

Those concerned with the customer, public and society as a whole.


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Personnel Interviewing

The primary task of a psychologist engaged in personnel work is to produce asmooth running, happy, and efficient working unit. This involves the use ofscientific method in selection, classification and training, as well as maintainingemployee morale and optimum satisfaction of workers economic andpsychological needs.


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Personnel Orientation and Training

Orientation involves both formal and informal methods of acquainting the workerwith the job and the organization, familiarizing the worker with company policiesand benefits and giving the worker a feeling of belonging to the group.

Supervisor Training has become an important function of the personnelpsychologist who uses his knowledge in psychology to increase the supervisorsskill in maintaining worker morale and efficiency.


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Labor Relations

Labor Specialist task is negotiating with employees in management-labor disputes.

Personnel Research

Research Psychologist conduct studies related to human relations and personnelmanagement.

A principal industrial research function isjob analysis, or the analysis of specificjobs in terms of the operations involved and the abilities and training required.

Another form of industrial research is time and motion study a step-by-stepanalysis of the hand and body motions used by the worker to perform a specific task.Its function is to increase the efficiency of work methods by establishing the best

method of performing the job with the greatest efficiency and least effort.


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Public Administration

In a broad sense, industrial psychology is the psychology of administration, ofcooperative action to achieve purposes.

The task of the psychologist is the application of human relations methods to the

activities of executive agencies.


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Public Opinion Polling

The public opinion psychologist is a technician in sampling techniques, scientificmethodology and statistical analysis.

Public Opinion Psychologists often specialize in a branch of polling known asmarket research, which is closely related to advertising.

Market research is concerned with determining the buying habits and needs ofpeople, and their attitudes and reactions towards various product in order to obtaingreater sales and public satisfaction.


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Regulation of Psychologist

Society finds itself a victim of Pseudo-Psychologists who are inadequately trained.

The regulation of psychological practice is a social and professional necessity.

A quack is someone engaged in the professional practice of psychology, operatingunder the title of psychologist, but not properly qualified in the field by trainingand experience.


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Finding the Right Job

Any requirement requires specifications. The person has to consider employersspecification and the requirements for the job, which the individual must meet if one

is to be hired.

1. Education

There are educational requirements for any kind of job.

2. Intelligence

A number of psychological surveys show a close relationship between an individualslevel of general intelligence and success in a particular occupation.

3. Special Abilities

Most occupations require applicants to possess certainspecial abilities.


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4. Physical Ability

There are jobs or occupations that need endurance and strong physique.

5. Temperament

Vocational success and Satisfaction are definitely related to a persons temperament.Social Intelligence which is the ability to get along with people, is an importantdeterminer of successful adjustment in many situations and vocations.

6. InterestIt is also important that one should choose avocation that will arouse ones interest.


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Finding the Right Employee

It is important to find the right employees so as to prevent excessive turnover andabsenteeism, increase efficiency and minimize accidents and spoilage.

To find the right employees, employers sometimes make use of selection devicessuch as letters of application, letters of recommendation or photographs.


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Psychological Test

The best device for predicting employee suitability is psychological tests.

1. Personality Inventories

This is an instrument for measuring personality traits by asking applicants to giveinformation about them.

For example:

Study of Values test ( Allport, Vernon, Lindzey 1960)

Measures a persons values.

Strong Vocational Interest (Strong 1943)

Compares the interest of the client with those ofindividuals who have been notably successful indifferent occupations.


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Kuder Preference Record

Assesses three areas. The respondents score indicates the area of his/her majorinterest and, with experienced counseling, the right occupation selected.

Difference Aptitude Test (DAT)

A battery of tests that measure the basic aptitudes of the respondents in

relation to their potentiality in different kinds of occupations.


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2. Situational Test (Behavior Sampling)Used to measure personality traits which are very complex or not well defined.


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Understanding Human Behavior in Organizations

There are times when employees are dissatisfied even with adequate wages andreasonable working hours.

Floyd Ruch (Psychology and Life, 1963) suggested several pointers on how industrialmonotony may be corrected:

1. Select the right workers

The employer should take care that

the workers they hire do not object to routine.

2. Schedule Rest Periods.

Rest periods will not only serve tobreak the monotony but will alsoincrease production for the day.

3. Allow social contacts.

If the workers allowed making social contactswithout interfering with their efficiency, productionwill increase.


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4. Plan after-work activities.

The psychological disturbance caused by monotonous routine work may be relieved ifthe leisure time of the workers is used for recreation and self-improvement.

5. Show how the job is important

Monotonous work will be more interesting if it has meaning. The management shouldhold an open house where employees are invited to go through the factory toexplore corners they have not known existed, to witness operations they have neverseen before.


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6. Build identity with enterprise system

The need to belong is an important factor in job satisfaction. Management can helpsatisfy this need by encouraging teamwork and fostering social groupings. They willalso increase production.

Two-way communication can be achieved through employee opinion polls, use ofnatural leaders in the work force and written or printed communications which mustbe made readily understandable to the workers.


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psychology at work

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