GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 1000
Sherry Dockins, MASA, LCPC,CADC, ICDVP
[email protected]
Introduction
• What is psychology?
• Why are you taking this course?
• What do you expect to learn?
What to expect
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PowerPoint
Lecture
Small group
Large group discussion
In class activities
Out of class activities
Research paper
Exams
What is Psychology?
• How Behavior & Mental processes are affected by
– Physical state
– Mental state
– Environment
Empirical vs. pseudoscience
– Evidence gathered by
• observation
• experimentation
• measurement
VS
– “Pop psychology” or quick fixes
self help
popular opinion
Got Critical thinking ?
Critical thinking
• Ability and willingness to assess claims
and make objective judgments on the
basis of will-supported reasons and
evidence rather than emotion or
anecdote.
8 guides to critical thinking
1)Be willing to wonder
– Don’t have the answers but asking right questions
2)Define your terms
– Poorly defined questions lead to misleading answers
3)Examine the evidence
– What evidence supports or refutes this and its opposition? How
reliable is the evidence?
– Tobacco company……smoking not addictive
4)Analyze Assumptions and Biases
– Assumption = beliefs taken for granted
– Bias = when belief keeps us from considering evidence
• “intellectual blinders”
8 guides to critical thinking
5) Avoid emotional reasoning
– “Gut feelings” replace clear thinking = dangerous
– “Feels right” to both pro and con sides; slavery
6) Don’t oversimplify
– Look beyond the obvious
• resist easy generalizations & reject either / or thinking
– “argument by anecdote” – generalize from personal experience
– Stereotyping
– Need evidence from variety of sources before making conclusion
8 guides to critical thinking
7) Consider other interpretations
– Creatively generate many reasonable explanations before settling on most
likely; House
– Choose one that accounts for most evidence while making the fewest
unverified assumptions.
• Occam’s razor
– Fortuneteller…fall in love, travel, twins
Fortuneteller can sort infinite number of interactions among people,
animals, events, objects and circumstances that affect your life to know
outcome; alter laws of physics and defy hundreds of studies that no one can
predict future of person.
Or
Fortuneteller is a fake.
8 guides to critical thinking
8) Tolerate uncertainty
– Sometimes little or no evidence to examine
– Evidence only gives tentative conclusions
– “the more important the question the less likely it is to have a single simple
answer
– “ Is there a God?” How do you prove or disprove?
Practical Application of
8 guidelines
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Do I deserve to make more money at my job?
Should my parent(s) buy me a car?
Should the school year be 12 months?
Should this class require a research paper?
Practical application
Psychology’s beginning
• Phrenology (study of mind)
– Early 1800’s
– Joseph Gall (1758 – 1828)
– Austrian physician
– Different brain areas accounted for
specific character and personality traits
– “read” from bumps on the skull
– Studied into the 20th century
• A pseudoscience
Birth of Modern psychology
• Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920
– Trained in medicine and philosophy
– 1st psychological laboratory in Germany
– Credited for initiating movement to
make psychology a science
– Trained volunteers to observe, analyze and describe their own
sensations, mental images and emotional reactions.
– Train 10,00 observations; 20 mins to report 1.5 second
experiment
– Goal to break down behavior in to basic elements…H20
• Eventually rejected as too subjective
Three early psychologies
• Structuralism
– E.B. Titchener (1867 – 1927)
– Student of Wilhelm Wundt
– Analyze sensations, images and feelings into basic elements
• Eventually Discarded
• Functionalism
– William James (1842 – 1910)
– Function or purpose of behavior
• not analysis or description
– How do specific behaviors & mental
processes help adapt to environment?
• Short lived…….lacked precision
Three early psychologies
• Psychoanalysis
– Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
– Neurologist
– A theory of personality; a type of psychotherapy that
emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts.
– Depression, anxiety & obsession had mental not physical causes
– This distress due to conflict and emotional traumas in childhood
– Conscious awareness “tip of the mental iceberg”
– “interpretation of dreams’
– Well known……profound influence ….
• rejected by most empirical oriented
psychologists.
Quick Quiz
1) Psychology has been a science for more then (2,000 / 125) years.
2) The forerunners of modern psychology depended heavily on (causal
observation / empirical methods) .
3) Credit for founding modern psychology is generally given to (William
James / Wilhelm Wundt).
4) Early psychologists who emphasized how behavior helped an
organism adapt to its environment were know as (structuralists /
functionalists).
5) The idea that emotional problems spring from unconscious conflicts
originated with (the Mind Cure / psychoanalysis).
5 Major psychological perspectives
1) Biological
– How bodily events & changes are associated w/ actions,
feelings & thoughts
– Hormones
• Evolutionary psychology – evolutionary mechanisms that may help
explain human commonalities in cognition, development, emotion,
social practices and other areas of behavior
2) Learning
– How environment and experience affect actions.
• Behaviorism – environmental +/- that maintain or discourage
behavior
• Social-cognitive learning – combine behavior with thoughts, values,
expectations and intentions. Believe learn by adapting, imitating &
thinking about the events around them.
5 Major psychological perspectives
3) Cognitive
– “what goes on in people’s heads”
– Mental processes in perception, memory, language,
problem solving, and other areas of behavior.
– Cognitive “to know”
– How people reason, remember, understand language,
solve problems, explain experiences, acquire mortal
standards, and form beliefs.
– One of the strongest forces in psychology. Much
research.
5 Major psychological perspectives
4) Sociocultural
– Social and cultural influences on behavior
• Social psychologist – social rules and roles, how groups affect
attitudes and behavior, why people obey authority and how each of
us are affected by other people…spouse, friend, significant other,
parents etc.
• Cultural psychologists – how cultural rules and values both explicit
and unspoken affect development, behavior and feelings.
5) Psychodynamic
– How unconscious dynamics within the individual, such as
inner forces, conflicts, or the movement of instinctual
energy.
– “dig below the surface of behavior to get to unconscious
roots”
Two influential movements
• Humanistic psychology
– Free will, personal growth, resilience, and human potential
– “ to help people express themselves creatively; full potential”
• Positive psychology – qualities to be happy, optimistic and resilient
• Feminist psychology
– Analyzes the influence of social inequalities on gender
relations and on the behavior of the two sexes.
– Evidence of pervasive bias in research methods and
questions
– More women entering the field
The 5 major psychological perspectives
Quick Quiz
• Anxiety is a common problem. Which possible explanation
of anxiety fits each of the 5 major perspectives?
1) Anxious people often think about the future in distorted
ways
2) Anxiety is due to forbidden unconscious desires
3) Anxiety symptoms often bring hidden rewards, such as
being excused from exams
4) Excessive anxiety can be caused by a chemical imbalance
5) A national emphasis on competition and success promotes
anxiety about failure.
A.Learning
B. Psychodynamic
C. Social-cultural
D. Biological
E. Cognitive
3 Basic Types of Psychologist
–Clinical Psychologists
–Research Psychologists
–Community
•Law
•Sports
•Advertising
What do Psychologist do?
• Teach and do research in colleges and universities
– Basic psychology – “pure” research; knowledge for sake of
knowledge
• “How does peer pressure influence attitudes and behavior”
– Applied psychology – direct practical significance;
application of findings
• “How can knowledge of peer pressure reduce underage drinking?”
• Types of nonclinical specialties
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Experimental psychologist – laboratory studies; learning,
motivation & cognition
Educational psychologist – learning and improvement of school
systems
Developmental psychologist – change and growth over time
Industrial/organizational psychologist – behavior in workplace
Psychometric psychologist – design and evaluate tests
What do psychologists do?
• Provide health or mental health services “psychological practice”
– Counseling psychologist– help people deal with everyday life
– School psychologist – school performance; student, parent & teacher
– Clinical psychologist – diagnose, treat & study mental / emotional
problems;
has Ph.D., an Ed.D, or a Psy.D.
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What’s the difference between a Clinical psychologist and …. ?
Psychotherapist – not legally regulated; anyone can say they are a
therapist
Psychoanalyst – practices psychoanalysis; specialized training
Psychiatrist – medical doctor; prescribe medications; not always up on
psych
LCPC – Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
LCSW – Licensed Clinical Social Worker
MFCC – Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor
What do psychologist do?
• Psychology in the community
• Conducting research or applying its findings in
nonacademic settings (business, sports, government,
law, and military.
– American Psychological Association (APA)
• 53 divisions
– Psychology of men
– Psychology of women
– Sports psychology
– Gay and lesbian issues
– Psychology and the law
– Advertising
Quick Quiz
1. Psychotherapist
2. Psychiatrist
3. Clinical psychologist
4. Research psychologist
5. Psychoanalyst
A. Trained in a therapeutic approach started by Freud
B. Has a Ph.D., Psy.D. Ed.D. and does research on or
psychotherapy for mental health problems
C. May have any credentials or none.
D. Has an advanced degree (usually a Ph.D.) & does applied or
basic research.
E. Has an M.D.; tends to take a medical approach to mental
health problems.
Careers as a Psychologist
What is a Psychologists
• Psychologists study the mind and behavior. *
• They study the relationships between:
– brain function and behavior, and
– the relationships between the environment and
behavior.
*American Psychological Association, 2009
What is a Psychologist
• Psychologists use established information to
create new approaches to long standing problems.
• These evolutions assist in meeting the changing
needs of people and our society. *
* American Psychological Association, 2009
3 Types of Psychologist
–Clinical Psychologists
–Research Psychologists
–Community
•Law
•Sports
•Advertising
Clinical Psychologists
• Clinical psychologists are the largest subfield.
• Clinical psychologists help those who have difficulty
functioning due to a crisis.
• Clients present for services when they are unable
to effectively complete tasks at work, home or in
social settings. *
*United States Department of Labor, 2009
Clinical Psychologists
• Clients often have the goal to return to a
previous level of functioning prior to the trauma
event.
• Psychologists complete this work in community
mental health centers, private practices,
hospitals and clinics.
Clinical Psychologists
• Clinical psychologists provide treatment in
individual, group, couples or family modalities.
• Clinical psychologists are also part of
interdisciplinary teams that collaborate with
physicians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and
social workers to implement treatment and
intervention programs.*
*American Psychological Association, 2009
Research Psychologists
• Research or experimental psychologists study the
behaviors of humans and animals. *
• Research psychologists formulate hypotheses and
collect data to test their validity.
• Experimental research is conducted on topics that
include motivation, learning, memory, sensory and
perceptual processes, effects of substance abuse, as
well as genetic and neurological factors affecting
behavior.**
* American Psychological Association, 2009
**United States Department of Labor, 2009
Career Requirements
• Completion of a doctoral program.
• Licensure is required when working independently.
• A one year internship for clinical.
• Effective psychologists match career choice with
personal temperament and aptitude.
Education
• Explore college entrance requirements and
accreditation.
• Institutional accreditation certifies that an
institution has met minimum standards of quality.
• Specialized accreditation applies to professional
programs.
Research Psychologists
• This research can be completed in a laboratory
setting where the variables of the study can be
controlled, while other research can be completed
in vivo where behavior is studied as it occurs
naturally.
• Researchers also work collaboratively on
multidisciplinary teams.
Education
• Students can begin preparing for their advanced degree in
high school.
• Courses in science and math are important because they
provide the skills for research and analysis in college
psychology courses.
• A doctoral degree generally requires 5 to 7 years of graduate
study, culminating in a dissertation based on original
research.*
*United States Department of Labor, 2009
Personal Temperament
• Clinical psychologists, who provide direct care to
clients, must be emotionally stable, mature and
able to deal effectively with people. *
• Skilled at active listening, communication and
social perception. **
*United States Department of Labor, 2009;
** American Psychological Association, 2009
Personal Temperament
• Research psychologists should be able to do detailed
work both independently and within a team.*
• Qualities for this profession included determination
and the ability to wait long periods of time to achieve
results of work. **
• They should also have effective written and problem
solving skills, as well as inductive and deductive
reasoning.**
*United States Department of Labor, 2009
**American Psychological Association, 2009
Employers
• Psychologist work in a variety of settings.
Employers may be private, non-profit, community
or government based. Some psychologists are self
employment.
Who Employs Psychologists?
• Clinical psychologists are employed by schools, nonprofit organizations, community mental health
centers, clinics, hospitals, universities and the
government.
• Self employed.
Who Employs Psychologists?
• Researchers can be employed by business, nonprofit,
governmental organizations, universities and research
centers.*
• Field research can occur in the workplace, schools,
hospitals or highways.
• Most laboratory research is conducted in universities,
government agencies and private research
organizations.**
*American Psychological Association, 2009;
**United States Department of Labor, 2009
Self Employment
• Those in private practice are encouraged to have some
percentage of their income generated from contacted
work.
• Psychologists in private practice need to be comfortable
negotiating fees for services, money collection, past
due accounts and working with insurance companies.
• It is importance of maintaining a solid referral base to
maintain your practice.
Dr. L. Hughes (personal communication, (March 16, 2009)
Job Trends
• Jobs for psychologist are expected to grow faster
than average.
• The median salaries for these careers were reported
between $59,000 and $86,000.
• The salaries for research psychologists were higher
than those for clinical psychologists.
United States Department of Labor, 2009
Job Opportunities
• Opportunities for people with graduate degrees in
psychology are expected to grow between 10% and
20% by 2010.*
• A faster-than-average employment growth was
expected for psychologists. **
• The employment of psychologists was expected to
grow 15 percent from 2006 to 2016. **
*American Psychological Association, 2009
**Department of Labor, 2009
Salary for Clinical Psychologist
• The median annual salary for clinical psychologists in
May 2006 was $59,440.
• The middle 50 percent earned between $45,300 and
$77,750.
• The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,280.
• The highest 10 percent earned more than $102,730.
United States Department of Labor, 2009
Salary for Research Psychologist
• The median annual salary for research psychologists in May
2006 was $86,420.
• The middle 50 percent earned between $66,310 and
$115,000.
• The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,380.
• The highest 10 percent earned more than $139,620.
United States Department of Labor, 2009
Recommendations
• Students should begin preparing for their career in high
school.
• Students are encouraged to research areas within the field
of psychology to determine an area of interest that matches
aptitude.
• Colleges should be examine on programs offered, entrance
requirements and type of accreditation.
• Students should explore each school’s coursework to choose
a program that most accurately meets their career goals.
References
• American Psychological Association. (2009).
Careers for the twenty-first century. Retrieved
March 30, 2009, from
http://www.apa.org/topics/psychologycareer.html
• United States Department of Labor. (2009).
Psychologist. Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2008-09 Edition. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm
• ACTIVITY
What would you do and why?
• Research
• Clinical Practice
• Community; non clinical