Chapter 9: The New Profession of Psychology

Question 1

describe the development of a profession of psychology

Answer 1

• created by psychologists who by choice or barriers did not seek or obtain employment
• instead found work outside of academy in schools (e.g. with children with intellectual challenges, insurance companies, child guidance clinics, etc.)

Question 2

what were the four primary specialities of contemporary psychology

Answer 2

• clinical
• school
• counseling
• industrial-organizational

Question 3

define “profession”

Answer 3

a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long/intensive preparation (skills and methods), high standards of practice, etc.

Question 4

what is the minimum licensing standard for independent practice in psychology

Answer 4

doctoral degrees –> minimum of 5 years beyond the bachelor’s degree (one full year of internship included in this requirement)

Question 5

when might a psychologist’s licence be revoked

Answer 5

• if the code of ethics is violated –> can no longer offer services to the public
• if continuing education is not upheld (usually theres a fixed number of hours per year)

Question 6

describe the influence of WWI over the profession of psychology

Answer 6

• war placed psychologists in applied settings they had not experienced before
• responsible for testing soldiers using the army alpha and beta (e.g. personnel selection)
• diagnoses of “shell shock” (now known as PTSD) – wanted to screen this in recruitment
• some psychologists and psychiatrists argued that these cases did not represent “weak” individuals as the Army believed, but that they were ordinary individuals whose mental disorder was the result of exposure to horrific conditions

Question 7

describe the organization of psychologists in the 20th c

Answer 7

• psychologists who worked outside of the academy called themselves applied psychologists or consulting psychologists
• clinical psychologist = someone who did intellectual assessments