The basic premise of
applied psychology is the use of
psychological principles and theories to overcome problems in other areas, such as
mental health,
business management,
education,
health,
product design,
ergonomics, and
law. Applied psychology includes the areas of
clinical psychology,
industrial/organizational psychology,
human factors,
forensic psychology,
engineering psychology, as well as many other areas such as
school psychology,
sports psychology and
community psychology. In addition, a number of specialized areas in the general field of psychology have applied branches (e.g., applied social psychology, applied cognitive psychology).
One founder of applied psychology was Hugo Munsterberg. The German man came to America originally studying philosophy similar to most aspiring psychologists during the late 1800’s. Munsterberg had many interests in the field of psychology such as, purposive psychology, social psychology and forensic psychology. In 1907 he wrote several magazine articles concerning legal aspects of testimony, confessions and courtroom procedures, which eventually developed into his book, On the Witness Stand. The following year the Division of Applied Psychology was adjoined to the Harvard Psychological Laboratory. Within 9 years he had contributed eight books in English, applying psychology to education, industrial efficiency, business and teaching. Eventually Hugo Munsterberg and his contributions would define him as the creator of Applied Psychology.
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology includes the study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or
dysfunction and to promote subjective
well-being and personal development.
[1] Central to its practice are
psychological assessment and
psychotherapy, although clinical psychologists may also engage in research, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration.
[2]
Some clinical psychologists may focus on the clinical management of patients with
brain injury—this area is known as
clinical neuropsychology. In many countries clinical psychology is a regulated
mental health profession.
The work performed by clinical psychologists tends to be done inside various therapy models, all of which involve a formal relationship between professional and client—usually an individual, couple, family, or small group—that employs a set of procedures intended to form a therapeutic alliance, explore the nature of psychological problems, and encourage new ways of thinking, feeling, or behaving. The four major perspectives are
Psychodynamic,
Cognitive Behavioral,
Existential-Humanistic, and
Systems or Family therapy. There has been a growing movement to integrate these various therapeutic approaches, especially with an increased understanding of issues regarding culture, gender, spirituality, and sexual-orientation. With the advent of more robust research findings regarding psychotherapy, there is growing evidence that most of the major therapies are about of equal effectiveness, with the key common element being a strong therapeutic alliance.
[3][4] Because of this, more training programs and psychologists are now adopting an
eclectic therapeutic orientation.
Clinical psychologists do not usually
prescribe medication, although there is a growing movement for psychologists to have limited prescribing privileges.
[5] In general, however, when medication is warranted many psychologists will work in cooperation with psychiatrists so that clients get all their therapeutic needs met.
[2] Clinical psychologists may also work as part of a team with other professionals, such as
social workers and
nutritionists.
Industrial and organizational
Industrial and organizational psychology focuses to varying degrees on the psychology of the workforce, customer, and consumer, including issues such as the psychology of recruitment, selecting employees from an applicant pool which overall includes training, performance appraisal, job satisfaction,
work behavior,
stress at work and
management.
Career counseling is another aspect of counseling closely related to Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Counselors in this field assist clients in a variety of settings ranging from schools to vocational to organization sites to name a few. One of the main goals of the profession is to help clients realize their talents and dreams in response to a career and help them create successful job skills to then apply to their career search. Many times career counselors act as consultants to companies, other times they work as a team in academic and career counseling capacities, and other times they work for a social service agency specifically working with people who need assistance in the job search process.
Generally a master’s degree is needed to get into the field. As there are not many career counseling master’s programs, many enter the field with a degree in mental health counseling or community counseling.
Since jobs are such defining experiences for people, having the ability to gain helpful insight, tips, and encouragement from career counselors is a definite benefit. The career counseling field can only increase in popularity as people on average change jobs every ten years, instead of 30 years ago where many people stayed with the same company the majority of their working career.
Forensic psychology and legal psychology
Forensic psychology and
legal psychology are the area concerned with the application of psychological methods and principles to legal questions and issues. Most typically, forensic psychology this involves a clinical analysis of a particular individual and an assessment of some specific psycho-legal question. Legal psychology refers to any application of psychological principles, methods or understanding to legal questions or issues. In addition to the applied practices, legal psychology also includes academic or empirical research on topics involving the relationship of law to human mental processes and behavior.
The use of forensic psychology dates back to the late 1800’s when two physicians were investigating the crime scene of Jack the Ripper. These doctors were concerned with his personality characteristics and used clues to get into the mind of the murderer. A decade later a system known as profiling became the known name for this type of investigation. The “Son of Sam” was researched by an agent who used other killer’s profiles to determine where these acts were coming from. Questions concerning family, education, background and behavior were derived from the forensic profiling. This is another form of psychology and a way for FBI agents to prevent murders or find criminals. With this psychological research we are able to divide murders into two forms; disorganized, meaning the offender does not plan or premeditated, where the offender does plan. Personality plays a big role in figuring out the minds of mass murderers.
Health psychology
Health psychology concerns itself with understanding how biology, behavior, and social context influence health and illness.
[6] Health psychologists generally work alongside other medical professionals in clinical settings, although many also teach and conduct research. Although its early beginnings can be traced to the kindred field of
clinical psychology, four different approaches to health psychology have been defined: clinical, public health, community and critical health psychology.
[7] Health psychologists also aim to change health behaviors for the dual purpose of helping people stay healthy and helping patients adhere to disease treatment regimens.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and
behavior modification are techniques often used for this purpose.
Human factors
Human factors is the study of how cognitive and psychological processes affect our interaction with tools and objects in the environment. The goal of research in human factors is to understand the limitations and biases of human mental processes and behavior.
School Psychology
School Psychology is a field that applies principles of
clinical psychology and
educational psychology to the diagnosis and treatment of students' behavioral and learning problems. School psychologists are educated in
child and adolescent development,
learning theories, psychological and psychoeducational
assessment,
personality theories, therapeutic interventions, special education, psychology, consultation, child and adolescent psychopathology, and the ethical, legal and administrative codes of their profession.
According to Division 16 (Division of School Psychology), of the
American Psychological Association (APA) school psychologists operate according to a scientific framework. They work to promote effectiveness and efficiency in the field. School psychologists conduct psychological assessments, provide brief interventions, and develop or help develop prevention programs. Additionally, they evaluate services with special focus on developmental processes of children within the school system, and other systems, such as families. School psychologists consult with
teachers, parents, and school personnel about learning, behavioral, social, and emotional problems. They may teach lessons on parenting skills (like school counselors), learning strategies, and other skills related to school
mental health. In addition, they explain test results to parents and students. They provide individual, group, and in some cases family counseling (State Board of Education 2003; National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, n.d.). School psychologists are actively involved in district and school crisis intervention teams. They also supervise graduate students in school psychology. School psychologists in many districts provide professional development to teachers and other school personnel on topics such as positive behavior intervention plans and achievement tests.
School psychologists are influential within the school system and are frequently consulted to solve problems. Practitioners should be able to provide consultation and collaborate with other members of the educational community and confidently make decisions based on empirical research.
Sport psychology
Sport psychology is a specialization within
psychology that seeks to understand psychological/mental factors that affect
performance in
sports,
physical activity and
exercise and apply these to enhance individual and
team performance. It deals with increasing performance by managing emotions and minimizing the psychological effects of injury and poor performance. Some of the most important skills taught are goal setting, relaxation, visualization, self-talk awareness and control, concentration, using rituals, attribution training, and periodization. The principles and theories may be applied to any human movement or performance tasks (e.g., playing a musical instrument, acting in a play, public speaking, motor skills). Usually, experts recommend that students be trained in both
kinesiology (i.e., sport & exercise sciences,
physical education) and
counseling.
Additional areas
See also
References
1.
^ American Psychological Association, Division 12, "
About Clinical Psychology"
2.
^ Brain, Christine. (2002).
Advanced psychology : applications, issues and perspectives. Cheltenham : Nelson Thornes. ISBN 0174900589>
3.
^ Leichsenring, Falk & Leibing, Eric. (2003). The effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of personality disorders: A meta-analysis.
The American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(7), 1223-1233.
4.
^ Reisner, Andrew. (2005). The common factors, empirically validated treatments, and recovery models of therapeutic change.
The Psychological Record, 55(3), 377-400.
5.
^ Klusman, Lawrence. (2001). Prescribing Psychologists and Patients' Medical Needs; Lessons From Clinical Psychiatry.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32(5), 496.
6.
^ APA, Division 38.
What a Health Psychologist Does and How to Become One. Retrieved 03-04-2007.
7.
^ Marks, D.F., Murray, M. et al. (2005). "Health Psychology: Theory, Research & Practice." London, England : Sage Publications. ISBN 141290336X
Psychology (from Greek: Literally "talk about the soul" (from logos)) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
..... Click the link for more information.
Psychology
· History
· Wikiproject
RESEARCH Ψ
Abnormal Biological Cognitive Developmental Emotion Experimental
Evolutionary Legal
Mathematical
Neuropsychology
Personality
..... Click the link for more information.
Experimental psychology approaches psychology as one of the natural sciences, and therefore assumes that it is susceptible to the experimental method. Many experimental psychologists have gone further, and have assumed that all methods of investigation other than
..... Click the link for more information. Abnormal psychology is the scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning. Abnormal psychology in clinical psychology studies the nature of psychopathology, its causes, and its treatments.
..... Click the link for more information. biological psychology or psychobiology[1] is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and behavior. A psychobiologist, for instance, may compare the imprinting behavior in goslings to the early attachment behavior in human
..... Click the link for more information.
Cognitive psychology is the school of psychology that examines internal mental processes such as problem solving, memory, and language. It had its foundations in the Gestalt psychology of Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka, and in the work of Jean Piaget, who studied
..... Click the link for more information.
Developmental psychology, also known as Human Development, is the scientific study of progressive psychological changes that occur in human beings as they age. Originally concerned with infants and children, and later other periods of great change such as adolescence and
..... Click the link for more information.
emotion is a "complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which the individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter of event.
..... Click the link for more information.
Experimental psychology approaches psychology as one of the natural sciences, and therefore assumes that it is susceptible to the experimental method. Many experimental psychologists have gone further, and have assumed that all methods of investigation other than
..... Click the link for more information. Evolutionary psychology (abbreviated
EP) is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain mental and psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, i.e., as the functional products of natural selection.
..... Click the link for more information. Legal psychology involves the application of empirical psychological research to legal institutions and people who come into contact with the law. Legal psychology is a field that takes basic social and cognitive theories and principles and applies them to issues in the
..... Click the link for more information. Mathematical Psychology is an approach to psychological research that is based on mathematical modeling of perceptual, cognitive and motor processes, and on the establishment of law-like rules that relate quantifiable stimulus characteristics with quantifiable behavior.
..... Click the link for more information. Neuropsychology is an interdisciplinary branch of psychology and neuroscience that aims to understand how the structure and function of the brain relate to specific psychological processes and overt behaviors.
..... Click the link for more information.
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology which studies personality and individual differences. One emphasis in this area is to construct a coherent picture of a person and his or her major psychological processes.
..... Click the link for more information. Positive psychology is a relatively young branch of psychology that "studies the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive."
[1] People have been discussing the question of human happiness since at least Ancient Greece.
..... Click the link for more information. Psychonomics describes an approach to psychology that aims at discovering the laws (Greek: 'nomos') that govern the workings of the mind (Greek: 'psyche'). The field is directly related to experimental psychology.
..... Click the link for more information.
Psychophysics is a subdiscipline of psychology dealing with the relationship between physical stimuli and their subjective correlates, or percepts.
History
..... Click the link for more information. Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others (Allport, 1985). By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation.
..... Click the link for more information.
Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transpersonal, the transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human mind. The
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology..... Click the link for more information. Clinical psychology includes the scientific study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development.
..... Click the link for more information. Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations.
..... Click the link for more information.
Forensic psychology is the intersection between Psychology and the Criminal justice system. It is a division of applied psychology concerned with the collection, examination and presentation of psychological evidence for judicial purposes.
..... Click the link for more information. Health psychology concerns itself with understanding how biology, behavior, and social context influence health and illness.
[1] Health psychologists generally work alongside other medical professionals in clinical settings, although many also teach and conduct
..... Click the link for more information. Industrial and organizational psychology (also known as
I/O psychology,
work psychology,
work and organizational psychology,
W-O psychology,
occupational psychology,
personnel psychology or
talent assessment..... Click the link for more information. Sport psychology is a specialization within psychology that seeks to understand psychological/mental factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity and exercise and apply these to enhance individual and team performance.
..... Click the link for more information. This is a list of
important publications in psychology, organized by field. Some reasons why a particular publication might be regarded as important:
- Topic creator – A publication that created a new topic
- Breakthrough
..... Click the link for more information.
: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
16 Personality Factors - 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) -
A
A-not-B error - A. H. Almaas - Aaron Rosanoff - Aaron T.
..... Click the link for more information. This is an alphabetical List of Psychotherapies. It is an incomplete list and new or minor approaches are still being added.
See the main article Psychotherapy for a description of what psychotherapy is and how it developed.
..... Click the link for more information.
Psychology (from Greek: Literally "talk about the soul" (from logos)) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
..... Click the link for more information.
Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional wellbeing or an absence of a mental disorder.
[1][2] From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability
..... Click the link for more information.