1. Psychology 2e
Chapter 16
Applied Psychology and
Psychology Careers

2. Module 37
Careers in Psychology

3. Learning Objectives
37.1 Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers Identify resources to help programs for further study in psychology Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields Explain ways in which psychological science addresses domestic and global issues.
Slide 2 is list of textbook LO numbers and statements

4. Psychological Professionals (1 of 3)
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Psychiatric Social Workers
Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Focus on social conditions (poverty, stress, drug abuse)
Administer psychotherapy
Work in clinical setting with other professionals

5. Psychological Professionals (2 of 3)
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Psychiatrists
Medical Doctorate (M.D. or D.O.)
Specialize in diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorder
Write prescriptions and perform medial procedures
Have special training in diagnostics and treatment of mental disorders (schizophrenia, depression, or extreme anxiety)
Have biopsychological perspective on the causes and treatments of such disorders

6. Psychological Professionals (3 of 3)
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Psychologists
No medical degree, but typically have either a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.)
Those with Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) can be called therapists or counselors, teachers or researchers
Cannot prescribe medicines or perform medical procedures
Some provide counseling or therapy using a variety of techniques and approaches

7. Ph.D vs Psy.D.
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Ph.D.
indicates highest degree of learning in a subject area
research-oriented
requires a Master’s degree in addition to coursework and dissertation
Psy.D.
less research, more emphasis on practical application
requires academic coursework and a large-scale term paper
requires participation in practicum

8. Careers: Master’s Degree in Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Work under the supervision of a doctoral psychologist
Counseling, school psychology, assessment
With prerequisite training, can acquire license and work as:
Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)
Licensed professional counselor (LPC)
Licensed mental health counselor (LMHC)
Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
They can also get certification to work as:
Certified or licensed to serve as school counselors at various levels

9. Careers: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Health-related or social fields
research development, administration
business
education and teaching
professional services
sales
management
Other possible careers
marketing researcher
social worker
communication specialist

10. Careers: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.

11. Psychology: Areas of Specialization
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Experimental Psychology
Social Psychology
Personality Psychology
Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology
Comparative Psychology

12. Clinical Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Most similar to psychiatry with focus on the more serious form of mental illness
Involves diagnostic and treatment of psychological disorders
Psychologist cannot prescribe drug or medical therapies, but listens and observes the client and administers tests and provides explanations for client’s behavior and feelings, directing client to specific actions to help solve the problem

13. Counseling Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Focus on relatively healthy people with less severe forms of mental illness or problems like:
College
Family life
Work problems

14. Developmental Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Focus on the study of change or development
Developmental psychologists are interested in:
The way people think
How they relate to others
Ways they feel over the entire span of life
Developmental psychologists work in:
Academic settings
Various fields of research in areas of development

15. Experimental Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Encompasses different areas like:
Learning
Memory
Thinking
Perception
Motivation
Language
Experimental psychologists work in academic settings, large universities

16. Social Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Focus on how human behavior is affected by the presence of other people, in areas like:
Prejudice
Attitude change
Aggressive behavior
Interpersonal attraction
Social psychologists work in:
Academic settings (teaching, research)
Federal agencies and big business (practical research)

17. Personality Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Focus on differences in personality among people
Influence of heredity on personality
Ways in which people are both alike and different
Development of personality
Personality psychologists work in:
Academic settings (teaching, research)

18. Physiological Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Also called behavioral neuroscience or biopsychology
Focus on biological bases of behavior, studies the:
Brain, nervous system, and the influence of the body’s chemicals, such as hormones and the chemicals in the brain, on human behavior
Effects of drug use and genetic influences on human behavior (e.g., schizophrenia)
Physiological psychologists work in:
Academic settings (teaching, research)

19. Neuropsychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Explores the relationship between the brain systems and behavior
Neuropsychologists engage in research focused on:
Assessment
Diagnosis
Treatment/rehabilitation of individuals with:
Neurological conditions
Medical conditions
Neurodevelopmental conditions
Psychiatric conditions

20. Comparative Psychology
Learning Objective 37.1: Explain degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.
Focus exclusively on animals and their behavior and comparing/contrasting them with human behavior
Research directed at basic principles of human behavior, or research designed to find solutions to practical problems
Comparative psychologists work in:
Animal laboratories in universities
Research in animals’ natural habitat

21. Resources: Study of Psychology
Learning Objective 37.2: Identify resources to help programs for further study in psychology.
Website
Books:
The Insider’s Guide to the Psychology Major: Everything You Need to Know About the Degree and Profession (Wegenek & Buskist, 2010)
Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You, 2nd edition (Sternberg, 2006)
What Psychology Majors Could (and Should) Be Doing: An Informal
Guide to Research Experience and Professional Skills (Silvia, Delaney, & Marcovitch, 2009)
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)

22. Psychology in a Global World
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Psychology and Health
Psychology and Education
Psychology and Sports
Psychology and the Military
Psychology and the Law
Psychology and the Community
Psychology and the Environment

23. Psychology and Health
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on the relationship of human behavior patterns and stress reactions to physical health with the goal of improving and helping maintain good health; also deals with stress management
Health psychologists work in:
Hospitals, clinics
Medical schools, other academic settings
Health agencies
Private practice
Other areas studied in health psychology are the links between mental distress and health, and the promotion of wellness and hope in an effort to prevent illness.

24. Psychology and Education
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on the study of human learning
Education psychologists work to understand the basic aspects of learning and develop methods and materials to aid learning
School psychology
Related to, but not the same as, educational psychology
Application of education psychologists’ research; developed method to the actual school system
School psychologists
Work directly with children
Conduct testing and other forms of assessment to diagnose children’s problems
Act as consultants to teachers, parents, administrators

25. Psychology and Sports Focus on helping athletes prepare mentally
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on helping athletes prepare mentally
Superior physical performance is not enough to guarantee success; rather, the mind must be prepared for the activity by setting clear short-term goals, holding positive thoughts, using visualization of the goal, stopping negative thoughts, and applying other techniques based primarily in the cognitive perspective.
Sports psychologists work with:
Athletic organizations
Private practice/consulting

26. Psychology and the Military
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on applying psychological skills to human issues in military environments, working with both military personnel and their families
Military psychologists work in areas like:
Assessment
Teaching
Management
Research
Provision of mental health services

27. Psychology and the Law
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on areas of criminal behavior in consultation with attorneys or other agents of the court system on several topics (witness credibility, jury selection, etc.)
Psychology in law may enlist the help of development psychologist, cognitive psychologist, and clinical psychologist
Forensic psychology – involves examining criminal evidence and aiding law enforcement investigations into criminal activities
Forensic psychologists work in:
Justice system as police psychologists
Jury experts

28. Psychology and the Community
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on both individuals and their community, often concerned with issues at various levels promoting health and addressing common societal issues
Aims to understand human behavior in context, and recognizes the role of human diversity in promoting change
Advocacy is the key role of individuals in this area
Community psychologists work in:
Variety of life activities
Promotion of mental and physical health, education interventions, or work policies

29. Psychology and the Environment
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Focus on the relationship between human behavior and the environment in which the behavior takes place, such as an office, store, school, dormitory, or hospital
May help plan the most efficient buildings, parks, housing developments, or plants
Environmental psychologists work as:
Urban or city planners
Economists
Engineers
Architects

30. Vocational Applications of Psychology (1 of 2)
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology – concerned with relationships between people and their work environments
Personnel selection
Administering of job performance assessments
Design work schedules
Design work areas
I/O psychologists work in:
Corporations and businesses
Research
Government agencies
Academic settings

31. Vocational Applications of Psychology (2 of 2)
Learning Objective 37.3: Identify careers in psychology and psychology-related fields.
Human factor engineers – practitioners of a specific kind of industrial/organizational psychology that focuses on ergonomics, or designing machines, furniture, and other devices that people use so that those devices are the most practical, comfortable, and logical for human use
Human factor psychologists – researchers and designers who study the way humans and machines interact with each other
They work in design of appliances, airplane controls, and operation of computers or other mechanical devices

32. Table 37.1 Areas in I/O Psychology

33. Issues in Psychology Workplace Violence
Learning Objective 37.4: Explain ways in which psychological science addresses domestic and global issues.
Workplace Violence
Psychologists are studying the reasons for the increase in workplace violence
The berserker: an employee who becomes highly violent and commits violent crimes resulting in serious injury or death to other employees
They typically have at least a high-school diploma
Their self-esteem or sense of worth is tied to the job
They tend to like watching violent television shows or movies