Relationships between psychology and psychiatry: the hidden issues.

The "… underlying bases of friction between professions of psychology and psychiatry" are explored. Friction emanating from psychiatry stems from the medical pretense of omniscience, an elevated regard for the M.D. degree, and the psychiatrist's position as "… low man on the medical totem pole." Activities of psychologists entering private practice represent "… an economic threat to psychiatrists." The "psychiatrist's theoretical dogmatism… can be attributed to lack of training and sophistication in the content and methods of psychology." Friction emanating from psychology stems from a claim to omniscience, an elevated regard for the degree in psychology, and psychologists trained in areas other than clinical becoming clinical psychologists "… by fiat alone… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pure Types are Rare.

Reviews the book, Pure Types Are Rare by Irwin Silverman. This is a provocative book. In it, Silverman, with ambitious abandon, sets out to denude the "medical model of mental illness" of its Emperor's Clothing. Unceremoniously, Silverman strips away the clothing of the medical model: psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable and invalid, labels are applied at the whim of the psychodiagnostician; mental illness bears no resemblance to physical disease, mental "illness" is a myth; biological causes of mental illness do not exist; biological treatments serve only to mask the real social and psychological causes of madness; psychotherapy is no treatment at all, there are no "treatment" principles or methods. What remains after Silverman's assault on the medical model? The medical model as Emperor remains, albeit naked. Silverman views the medical model and the entire mental health enterprise as an Emperor indeed: it is a political ideology that serves to control the socially and economically impoverished. Silverman goes on to offer an alternative to the medical model, a social psychological perspective on madness. He favours a view of madness as a social role which may be adopted by a person in the process of coping with life conflict. Silverman attacks practically all of the important assumptions and practices of psychiatry and clinical psychology. His radical social perspective on mental illness is at such odds with the common psychological perspective that, obviously, most psychologists, be they practitioners or researchers, will not like this book. Silverman insists on too radical a departure from our common beliefs. Despite the reviewer's disagreement with Silverman's radical social perspective on mental illness, he thinks that this is a worthwhile book. While the reviewer disagrees with his premise that clinical practices are exclusively or primarily political in essence, the reviewer does agree that there are essential social and political functions served by our practices. Silverman relentlessly and effectively uncovers important social and political meanings of diagnostic and treatment practices. This, according to the reviewer, is the strength of the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding psychiatrists.

The relations between psychologists and psychiatrists especially in psychotherapy is discussed in the light of two premises (1) the medical responsibility of the psychiatrist, and (2) the inseparability of somatic and psychic illnesses. However, many problems fall into educational or social categories rather than illness. "… any attempt by psychologists to take over the diagnosis and treatment of… functional psychiatric disorders generally is bound to be regarded by the psychiatric speciality as a basic challenge to its function… and will surely lead to a major professional struggle between psychology and the whole of medicine." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some observations on the ideology of professional psychologists.

"Analysis of the value position of psychologists starts with an examination of certain of the intellectual postulates and biases of modern psychology. These contribute to what I call the ideology of professional psychologists… . Modern psychology derives its particular orientations in good measure from the social context of American life. The ideology of professional psychology, I shall argue, is linked to the antiphilosophical, antihistorical, narrowly means-oriented and optimistic character of much American thought and culture." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology: Impressions of the Boston conference on the education of psychologists for community mental health.

Mental health "is shifting from the amelioration of illness to preventive intervention at the community level… community psychology is more than a by-product of clinical… it depends upon and interacts with all the basic areas of psychological knowledge. Particular emphasis [is] given to the contributions of social psychology, group dynamics, and child development." The Conference recommended that "some permanent organizational medium be established… to facilitate communication among psychologists with vital interest in community psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of human behavior: The clinical psychologist.

The psychologist "has derived some benefit by the mixture of being a doctor but not being identified with the mentally ill person." By reviewing personal and cultural forces the attempt was made to establish the variety of emphases current in clinical psychology. "Nearly every adjustment pattern observed among clinicians has occurred as a result of training and experience in some university, school or clinic. As yet, no completely satisfying or dominant component of needs has been discovered for the training and role of the clinical psychologist… . But it is a backward step to discard special curricular requirements for clinical psychologists." A prime requirement for a profession is "a disciplined and recognizable training program." The public that supports us will demand "a real and inexorable service contribution that we have implicitly promised… . We evolved on the impetus of service need." A number of current conflicts of the clinical psychologist are indicated. "The only way professional psychologists can hold to a responsible place is by partial separation from the academic, basic science psychologists." Leaders in clinical psychology should "be more than 80% in real clinical work with ill patients." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists can direct community mental health centers.

Psychologists in Divisions 12 and 13 of the American Psychological Association are concerned about the apparent downgrading of their profession in community mental health centers by the Federal Government. In 1963, The Community Mental Health Centers Act (Pub. L. No. 88-164, 88th Cong., 1st Sess., Oct. 31, 1963) authorized Federal grants for the construction of local sites and stated in Section 54.212, Subsection C,2 "a qualified psychiatrist will be responsible for the clinical program, and the medical responsibility for every patient will be vested in a physician." Some psychologists have interpreted this regulation as discriminating against their experience, training, and competence by assuming that the director of a community mental health center must be selected on the basis of identity with a particular profession--medical. After having conferred with his Congressman, the author notes there is no Federal discrimination against professions or competency in the selection of a director for a community mental health center. Instead, the qualifications of this official are a matter of individual state policy, as long as there is medical responsibility for each patient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Military psychology in the United States of America.

"Between World War I and World War II, there was almost no interest of American psychologists in military problems, perhaps because there was almost no interest of the military in gaining the assistance of psychologists." The 1948 APA Directory identifies 98 psychologists as working for the Departments of Defense, Army, Air Force, or Navy. "This represents about 2% of the 5,047 members of the APA at that time. In the 1957 APA Directory, I have counted 729 psychologists who are listed as working for agencies of the military departments." This represents "almost 5% of the 15,000 members listed in the 1957 APA Directory." Various branches of military psychology within the Army, the Navy, and the Air Forces are indicated "to give appropriate emphasis to the great diversity of uses to which psychologists are put and to the consequently great variety of projects these agencies must, by their very titles and associations, engender." It also provides a statement "about how military psychology is organized within the Armed Forces in the States." The roles of the psychologist in military personnel management and in weapons development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New perspectives regarding positive mental health.

Critical comments regarding the terms "mental health" are indicated. "Needed is some rubric that at once retains the good will and enthusiastic participation of members of the mental health profession and their medical, health, and welfare colleagues, and yet effectively elicits the involvement of members of other social sciences, the humanities, education, religion, and philosophy—groups already committed to the exploration of new horizons and to guiding man toward the fulfillment of his aspirations." 4 areas of injury are noted "to illustrate some of the new perspectives for psychology in research and action regarding positive mental health or creative growth.… Greatly needed at this time are new conceptualizations that have compelling significance for all psychologist." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Work Courses for Psychologists.

Andriola has stated (American Psychologist, December, 1951) that he was desirous of seeing an increase in the interchange of information between social workers and psychologists. He was critical of psychology in that he felt that psychologists had little or no knowledge of the field of social work. Singer replied (American Psychologist, December, 1952) that psychologists are hindered from gaining a knowledge of social work by virtue of the admission policies of certain schools of social work. Furthermore, he contended that the schools of social work had raised a barrier to cross communication with psychology. Singer poses some questions that he would like to have answered regarding psychologists and social work schools and it is the purpose of this communication to offer partial answers. It is my feeling that clinical and educational psychologists could profit immeasurably from courses offered in a social work curriculum. I found that such courses as Community Organization, Public Welfare, Case Work Techniques, Administration and Supervision and particularly Legal Aspects added much to my professional competence and academic stature. Psychology as it manifests itself in an applied sense could well take cognizance of the thorough and effective techniques developed by the social work profession in the area of supervision and on-the-job training. I am in complete agreement with Singer's contention that "An important outcome of a graduate training program which would require students in psychology and social work to take courses in each department would probably be a more effective team approach to the common problems to be solved by both groups, viz., to enable the client to live a happy and satisfactory life." My experience may not be representative of the general attitude of schools of social work. Nevertheless, my own enrollment has added to my feelings of respect and admiration for the social work profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists and rural services: Addressing a new agenda.

Rural people in the 1990s are struggling with serious individual and community problems that threaten their very survival. The growth of professional psychology into a viable health, mental health, and social service profession places it in a position to be of assistance to rural communities. To do this, however, adequate training models must be developed to equip psychologists to ply their trade in rural areas. A strategy and model for training practicing psychologists is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The empty debate over the existence of mental illness: Comments on Gorenstein.

The present authors disagree with the contention of E. E. Gorenstein (see record 1984-26018-001) that the debate concerning the existence of mental illness is empty or moot. It is argued that Gorenstein's dismissal of the "myth of mental illness" question appears to be due to his misunderstanding of what is meant by a hypothetical construct and his failure to apply the concept to the myth question. Hypothetical constructs are concepts with varying degrees of truth and their validity is of major interest to science, and mental illness is an imperfectly defined construct whose validity and definition have serious social and professional implications. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Envisioning and accessing new roles for professional psychology.

To support psychology's continued evolution as a profession, it is important to conceptualize roles that psychologists can play in the future and create pathways for developing and accessing them. This article considers a variety of roles that may become central to professional psychology in the future. Important opportunities appear to exist in the areas of psychological management of health and disease, serious mental illness, and public policy. Psychology faces both internal and external barriers to accessing these roles in larger numbers. Strategies related to public education, policy and advocacy, marketing, and training are recommended for overcoming them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nature of psychology: The great dilemmas.

Research about the nature of psychology, its subject matter, its level of analysis, its scientific laws, its relationship with other disciplines, and its social relevance has been a matter of great concern and interest during the development of psychology. This problem can be analyzed in terms of the dilemmas of the psychological discipline, which have been choice points, crossroads, alternative decisions that bring psychologists face to face with the following issues: (a) the subject matter of psychology: psyche, mind, or behavior?; (b) the role of scientific methodology: is psychology a natural science, a social/behavioral/human science, or a part of the humanities?; (c) the universality or particularity of scientific laws in psychology: are laws universal or culture-bound and contextual?; and (d) the balance between science and profession: is psychology a basic science, a socially relevant profession, or both? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interdisciplinary collaboration in outpatient practice.

Psychology has had a long history of collaboration with the medical profession. This collaboration has been greatly enhanced over the past decade or more as an increasing number of psychologists have become successful in applying the science and practice of psychology to the problems of health and illness. This article reviews and summarizes salient aspects of professional issues in practice that contribute to successful collaboration with physicians in primary and tertiary ambulatory health care settings. Practical strategies to enhance collaboration in independent practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating science and practice: Adopting the Pasteurian model.

The field of psychology has a long history of attempting to make its basic science relevant to the analysis and solution of social problems. Some psychologists claim that it has been successful at this goal, but others are not convinced. Historically, the field has followed a linear model in its attempts at being relevant: Basic science is somehow developed first, and later someone comes along to apply it to solve problems in real-world settings. This model is now undergoing serious reconsideration in the physical and biological sciences. An alternative model in which science and practice develop seamlessly is represented in the remarkable career of Louis Pasteur. This article discusses both of these models in the context of psychological science and practice. Three fundamental principles underlying Pasteur's way of doing science and practice are presented. Adopting a Pasteurian framework should help resolve at least some of the debates about our science and practice linkage, but this will require a change in how professionals function and how future generations of professionals are trained. Suggestions are presented for making psychology more Pasteurian to help it achieve its stated goal "as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of United States of America psychology by the "four-years-absent" method.

Criticisms are leveled at psychology in the United States: (a) psychology, both as a discipline and as a profession is vague; (b) psychology lacks goals; (c) psychology is fragmented—the specialities are isolated from each other with little effective inter-communication; (d) psychology appears to be angry—the profession lacks harmony; (e) psychology is insecure—we have a status problem; (f) psychologists suffer from inbreeding—their views are often narrow; (g) psychology lacks tradition; (h) psychology has no modern heroes; and (i) psychologists have surrendered—not only do we lack a concept of self, but "we do not seem to seek one within the framework of our profession." Remedies are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Psychology in Latin America": Errata.

Reports an error in the original article by Ruben Ardila (American Psychologist, 1968[Aug], 23[8], 567-574). The next to the last sentence in the first column on page 573 should read "In Table 5 I have listed 39 Latin American journals of psychology." On page 568 of the same article corrections for Table 1 are noted, and the corrected Table 1 listing the number of South American psychologists in 1941 and 1968 is given. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1969-01690-001.) Psychology in Latin America began as a practical discipline related to medicine, education, and philosophy. Scientific psychology started in 1898 with the foundation of the 1st laboratory of experimental psychology in Buenos Aires. Today there are departments of psychology in the majority of the Latin American countries, the main areas of interests being clinical psychology, cross-cultural research, psychometrics, operant conditioning, etc. Clinical psychology is growing as a profession, and in most of the countries there are professional associations of psychologists. Most psychological journals are devoted to general and applied psychology. Research and its applications are in progress, showing that psychology is a growing science and profession in Latin America. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology can be indispensable to health care reform and the patient-centered medical home.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed into legislation in March 2010, making health care reform a reality. Perhaps the most well-developed model of primary care that aligns with the PPACA's agenda is the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Integrated care, as defined by collaborative care between mental health and primary care providers and systems, will undoubtedly play a critical role in the success of the PCMH. The role of psychology and integrated care in the PCMH as well as training implications for psychologists are discussed. This article is intended to challenge our discipline to embrace psychology as a health care profession that must prepare for and solidify its added value in the health care delivery models of the future. Requisite skill sets for primary care psychologists and existing training opportunities are presented. Finally, possible mechanisms for training psychologists in integrated care and the professional roles primary care psychologists can expect to fill are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation for teaching psychology in high school.

Of 150 randomly selected Division 2 psychologists, 100 responded to a questionnaire. They "think of high school psychology as belonging somewhere between biological science and social science… . They favor more training in psychology and less in related areas than is the practice at present" for high school teachers of psychology. "The amount of preparation recommended, especially that indicated as desirable, is so high that it is not likely many high school teachers of psychology can be induced to secure this amount of training." Major sections are: Science or Social Study? General Suggestions, Training in Psychology, Related Training, Conclusions. (3 tables) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)