Careers in Psychology: Industrial-Organizational and Social Psychologists
Industrial – Organizational Psychology
Question 1. What type of work do industrial- organizational psychologists do?
Industrial organizational psychologists are essential in the business context due to the variety of tasks which they engage in and which have to be accomplished. Some of the tasks include: development and implementation of the employee selection process, providing advice on training needs to the organizational management, observation and interview with employees and report writing, administration of competency tests, psychological tests as well as rating of scales, reorganization of the work setting in collaboration with the management and other responsibilities assigned (Kuther & Morgan, 2012). They also have a mandate to participate in a research design, interviews and survey processes for organizations.
Question 2. Education requirements for an industrial –organizational Psychologist
In order to effectively accomplish the responsibilities associated with industrial organizational psychologists, aspirants have to possess at least a Masters’ degree in Psychology (CollegeGrad, 2016). Apart from the academic requirements, IO specialists must also possess a certain set of skills, which are favorable for effectiveness in carrying out these roles.
Question 3. Work Environment and Salaries
Such skills as analysis, organizational development, and training program development are mandatory for industrial organizational specialists to gain above average salaries since they work in a dynamic environment with responsibilities focused on data collection and analysis. Moreover, IO psychologists work closely with the human resources department in most cases since their tasks are people centered. Salaries for IO psychologists range from an average of $65,000 per annum for individuals with less than five-year experience to an average of $111,000 per annum for those with over twenty-year experience (Pay Scale Human Capital, 2016). This disparity clearly indicates the difference that comes about by experience gained in the field.
Question 4. Level of interest in the Specialty
From a consideration of the various characteristics linked to IO psychology it is a career path that I can consider. It is based on the argument that besides the competitive salaries it also provides a challenging as well as dynamic work environment since human resources are diverse. Employees are of different professions and relate to organizational conditions in different ways, they are more likely to react differently in each circumstance.
Question 5. Interesting Fact about Industrial Organizational Psychology
One of the things that draw most of the attention to the industrial organizational psychology career is the fact that it is a well-developed career with clearly outlined responsibilities, yet most people do not recognize the professionals in their organization. Most of the people do not realize that there are differences between an IO specialist and other careers in the field of psychology.
Question 6. Everyday Occurrence Related to Podcast
One of the areas in which an IO psychologist can be of a great assistance is where employees work in a remote location (Michael, 2014). Managers with an M.A. in IO psychology may allow an employee to work at home in case he or she wants to since their understanding of humans enables them to analyze your motives and deal with any issues that arise. This implies that they are better placed to guide remote employees and to evaluate their performance.
Question 7. Topic of Interest
From an understanding of the industrial psychology career, it can be concluded that the topic of resistance to organizational change which hampers the development of organizational cultures can only be addressed effectively through the assistance of an industrial-organizational psychologist. This is because resistance is often caused by factors which are not related to organizational characteristics, hence, require an understanding of personal traits, motivations, and challenges to handle.
Social Psychology
Question 1. What type of work do social psychologists do?
While IO specialists are restricted to an organizational set-up, social psychologists are suited to almost all environments since they focus on human behavior in general. Therefore, they can work in any environment with human related issues (Kuther & Morgan, 2012). Their main role is to analyze group and individual interactions and make conclusions about human behavior. The specific tasks that a social psychologist is expected to carry out include: research and identification of emotional and behavior patterns, collecting information through surveys, interviews and observation, diagnosis of disorders based on collected information and testing patterns that can assist in behavior prediction.
Question 2. Education requirements for an industrial –organizational Psychologist
Just like the industrial–organizational psychologists, the social psychologists need at least a Master’s degree in Psychology in Psychology depending on the field in which they intend to work.
Question 3. Work Environment and Salaries
The working environment for a social psychologist is diverse since they can work in schools, hospitals, provision of individual and family care, mental health practices, and government entities (CollegeGrad, 2016). The average salaries for these positions are also varied depending on the field of work. For instance, those who work with government entities earn an average of $90,600 per annum while those working with individuals and families earn about $59,900 per annum (CollegeGrad, 2016).
Question 4. Level of interest in the Specialty
Although it is not as financially attractive as the industrial organizational psychology career, social psychology also offers a diverse and challenging work environment. I can, therefore, consider this career choice because of the diversity as well as the fact that it has the potential of providing exposure to the psychology field as a whole. By being a social psychologist one gains immensely in terms of experience.
Question 5. Interesting Fact about Social Psychology
What strikes me most about this career is the range of responsibilities associated with it. Contrary to my initial belief that social psychology is restricted to social work, I have come to realize that it actually goes beyond mere social interactions since it involves report writing and research among other roles.
Question 6. Everyday Occurrence Related to Podcast
As a result of this study, I have realized that social psychologists can help tackle the problem of residential violence better than any other person (Michael, 2016). Through collaboration with the police as well as with residents of a particular neighborhood social psychologists can help in understanding criminal behavior, studying the patterns of criminal behavior, and laying down strategies through which violence can be reduced or eliminated.
Question 7. Topic of Interest
One of the topics that have raised concern over the past few years is that of terrorism. While terror is mostly linked to the international scenes, the feelings associated with lack of security in the streets and in the neighborhood can also be linked to terror. The social psychologist best understands the reasons behind the actions of those who perpetrate terror activities and can thus help in addressing this issue.
References
CollegeGrad (2016). Psychologist: Career, salary and Education Information. Retrieved from https://collegegrad.com/careers/psychologists
Kuther, T., & Morgan, R. (2012). Careers in Psychology: Opportunities in a Changing World. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Michael (2014). Episode 216: Working Remotely-Psychological Advantages and Disadvantages. Retrieved from http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2014/03/ep-216-working-remotely-the-psychological-advantages-and-disadvantages/
Michael (2016, January 11). Episode 253: How to Prevent Violence in your Neighborhood. Retrieved from http://www.thepsychfiles.com/category/topics/social-psychology/
Pay Scale Human Capital (2016). Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Salary (United States). Retrieved from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Industrial-Organizational_Psychologist/Salary