Article archive / January 1, 2011
Originally published: . Volume 2, No. 5. Source pages: 2.
-Asked APA President James Bray (Monitor, June 2009). He pointed out that many areas are dropping ‘psychology’ from their names (developmental science, cognitive science, neuroscience), and that “clinical and counseling psychologists are quickly becoming generic mental health practitioners who perform counseling or therapy, rather than provide psychological services.” Bray wrote that most mental health providers in the US are masters level, not psychologists, and patients don’t understand the difference. IO and consulting psychologists often do not bother to be licensed, he said, and are moving to business schools. In short, we are losing our identity.
The psychological scientists have this problem too. APS President Mahzarin Banaji (Observer, Sept 2010) wants to “Bridge Science and the Public.” And, “We must find ways in which the best work can ultimately reach the funding public…” Reach the public? Good luck with that. The deterioration can be seen in the recent practice (job) analysis by the association of psychology boards (ASPPB). There was an alarming drop from a dismally low 8 percent to 7 percent in research methods and statistics.
Should we care? Somebody had better. John Monahan’s article, “Statistical Literacy: A Prerequisite for Evidence-Based Medicine,” (APS Observer, October 2008) summarized a review of Gigerenzer, et al, quoting him, “…across widely varying samples of health professionals, patients, and policymakers, in all countries studied, statistical illiteracy reigns supreme–often with catastrophic consequences for individual and public health.”
The problems we have in our identity come from a failure in leadership. Recently, and for the first time in 117 years, APA decided to develop a strategic plan. (Is that supposed to be good news?)
In his letter, “Missing Important Heads in the Big Tent,” (Letters, APA Monitor, December 2010) Russell Riendeau wrote that one of the presidential task teams on the future of psychology “missed the mark…”
“Where on the task force,” he asked, “were representative minds from business, marketing, finance, sales, entrepreneurs, a college sophomore, entertainment, media or a soldier? Who played devil’s advocate during the process?” […] “How does one sell an idea. Appeal to the emotions and senses of the customer. In this case, business professionals, capitalists and free enterprise–the very people who use, measure, predict, guess and profit from psychology research.”
Where have all the psychologists gone? We’re still out here. And we’d appreciate some visionary, competent leadership, at the state and national levels.
But even without this leadership, every once in a while, one of us finds a way to a serendipitous situation where he or she can be a real psychologist. Like Dr. George Noell, who with the hammer and nails of science, and the blueprints of human behavior, is building a better life for 650,000 school children, who can then build a better life for their children, and their children’s children…
Working for one person or 650,000, that’s what a real psychologist can do.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.