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Specializations
Psychology is a diverse field, encompassing broad areas of knowledge and many disciplines. Generally speaking, one can expect to master only a portion of it in a single lifetime. The professional psychologist usually chooses to specialize in one area, although in some cases may have more than one specialty.
The major fields of specialization are described below.
Specializations in Applied Psychology
Clinical Neuropsychology involves the assessment and treatment of individuals with traumatic brain injury as a result of accidents, alcohol and drug abuse, or illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease. Neuropsychologists typically work in hospitals and clinics and may function as a member of a team of specialists whose goal it is to help brain-injured people adjust to their injuries and resume productive lives.
Clinical Psychology is concerned with the assessment and treatment of individuals with thought, affective, or behavioral disorders. The clinical psychologist is trained to interpret a variety of assessment instruments and to develop appropriate treatment strategies. Some psychologists specialize in treating a particular problem or a particular population, while others may combine knowledge of different theoretical and treatment models to treat diverse conditions or populations.
Counseling Psychology focuses on helping the individual create or adjust to life changes. The counseling psychologist may provide career guidance, help individuals to stop smoking or lose weight, adjust to retirement, or cope with job loss, divorce, or bereavement. They may be in private practice, associated with university health services, work with social service agencies, or employed by companies in a range of industries.
Industrial Psychology examines how people and machines interface. Industrial psychologists, also known as human factor specialists, seek to design equipment and workplaces which maximize human productivity while minimizing hazards, injury, and fatigue. Most are employed in industry, working on projects ranging from design of aircraft instrument consoles to the creation of "user friendly" computer software. Many work for the Department of Defense and other government agencies. Training in the psychology of perception is an excellent preparation for this field.
Forensic Psychology sets psychological principles against a framework of legal issues. The forensic psychologist may be hired or subpoenaed to provide "expert testimony" in legal actions involving issues such as child custody or mental competence. Many psychologists in this field have also earned a degree in law.
Health Psychology studies the relationship between behavior and physical health, particularly the impact of environmental, psychosocial, and socio-cultural influences on disease or its prevention. Health psychologists may work in a medical setting as part of a team providing health care or serve as a resource to medical staff. Researchers in the field study topics such as the effect of hostility on blood pressure, the relationship between eating and smoking cessation, the impact of living with chronic pain and illness, or the broad social effects of teen pregnancy, substance abuse, or poor nutrition.
Independent Practice has traditionally offered psychologists an opportunity to orchestrate their own career path. To a large degree, psychologists in private practice have been able to choose the populations they serve, the setting and time in which they work, the problems on which they focus, and the colleagues with whom they collaborate. They have worked alone, seeing patients in their offices, and they have contracted with organizations as service-providers. However, with the advent of managed-care, many practitioners, and their patients, feel that it is eroding quality by influencing the nature and duration of treatment, limiting patient access, and threatening the strict confidentiality that has previously characterized patient-provider relations. While many psychologists continue to run independent practices successfully, it is clear that future psychologists will need to be increasingly savvy, not only about business matters such as record-keeping and administrative practices, but about marketing and surviving in a new health-care economy. Many will need to supplement their practice with other sources of employment.
Organizational Psychology applies psychological principles and research to problems of the work place such as employee-management relations, staff and executive development, productivity and leadership, effective working conditions, and planning for and managing change. The organizational psychologist may work on public relations, marketing, and advertising campaigns to shape public perception of a company or determine the fits between its products and consumer needs and preferences. The organizational psychologist may find employment in private consulting firms, personnel agencies, market research companies, and advertising agencies.
School Psychology focuses on student assessment (intelligence and achievement testing), education of children with special needs (those with emotional or developmental disorders as well as those who are intellectually gifted), counseling, and crisis intervention. School psychologists consult with parents and staff as well as students and, typically, provide direct services within a school system.
Specializations in Experimental Psychology (Research)
Cognitive Psychology seeks to understand the diverse phenomena of consciousness, such as intelligence and the processes of learning, memory, language comprehension, and problem solving. Many cognitive psychologists are involved in research using computer models of the psychological processes involved in learning and language comprehension. Cognitive psychology is closely allied with the "Artificial Intelligence" branch of computer science. Most cognitive psychologists teach and conduct research at colleges and universities, although many work in the private sector, at computer and telecommunications companies, among others.
Developmental Psychology is the study of psychological changes held to be common in human beings at particular life stages. Until recently, the field focused primarily on childhood and adolescence. A developmental psychologist might study the acquisition of perceptual, social, and language skills early in life or focus on aspects of development during adolescence, such as the psychological changes that accompany puberty and the challenges involved in making a vocational choice. However, as the population ages, the needs and changes associated with older adults has received increased attention, and the concept of ongoing development has been extended to voer the entire life span.
Educational Psychology is concerned with the basic processes of learning and the conditions under which teaching is most effective. Educational psychologists may study intellectual growth and adjustment, human ability and motivation, and curriculum development for a diverse student population.
Neuropsychology investigates the inter-relationships of biological and psychological processes. Areas of interest include the ways in which psychological processes are determined by events in the nervous system, the impact of disease and injury on perception, emotion, and behavior, and the contribution of genetic inheritance to psychological processes. Neuropsychologists may teach and conduct research at colleges, universities, and private research institutions. They may study brain function with the use of new imaging techniques, or they may find employment private industry, including pharmaceutical companies. Many are employed in hospitals and clinics where they are involved with the assessment and treatment of individuals with brain injuries.
Psychology of Perception investigates the basic mechanisms of perception and sensation. A single sense may be studied—vision, hearing, balance, taste, olfaction—with the goal of discovering how sensory signals are transformed into meaningful awareness of the world. A researcher might ask: How does the eye transform light into neural impulses? How do eye movements assist in the perception of pictures or words? How do people perceive meaningful speech in the continuous stream of sound? How do we perceive music and art? Why are there illusions? While most psychologists who specialize in these areas are involved in teaching and conducting research at the university level, many are employed in private companies specializing in telecommunications, market research, and industrial design. Many work for computer companies, assisting in the design of computer graphics and systems for analyzing and synthesizing speech. Because their research can involve the adaptation of machines to human sensory and movement capabilities, psychologists who specialize in the study of perception sometimes are referred to as "human factor engineers" (see Industrial Psychology).
Psychology of Personality is the empirical investigation of those factors that comprise an individual personality, be they unique to the individual (idiographic) or the result of general processes or laws common to humanity (nomothetic). Psychologists who study personality are interested in both enduring traits as well as temporary, or situational, dispositions. Modern trait theory, social learning theory, psychodynamic theory, and socio-cultural theory are all attempts to explain, organize, and predict individual behavior. Personality psychologists usually teach and conduct research in cross-cultural comparisons at colleges and universities.
Psychometrics is concerned with the development and application of techniques to collect and analyze psychological data. Quantitative psychologists may develop new research strategies to assess outcomes of social programs or psychotherapy, evaluate the reliability and validity of testing instruments, or develop and evaluate new mathematical models.
Social Psychology is the investigation of how cultural and social factors influence human behavior and mental life. Specific topics include the biological basis of social behavior (i.e., aggression, reproduction, and altruism), the cognitive processes associated with impression and attitude formation and change, and interpersonal relations—particularly social influence, group and crowd behavior, sex roles, and leadership. A social psychologist might study the nature of prejudice, the psychological factors involved in eyewitness testimony and jury decisions, or the psychology of hostage and other crisis situations. Modern social psychology is a broad and exciting area with many potentially beneficial applications. Social psychologists pursue careers in academic institutions, teaching, and conducting research. They work in a range of industries that study consumer attitudes, or are employed by government agencies.
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Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Erin Ann Mcgovern
Administrative Assistant
p - 516.877.4750
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