Being fit: The ethics of practice diversification in performance psychology.

The ethics of practice diversification in the field generically described as performance psychology--including sport psychology, organizational consulting, and performing arts psychology--is examined. Since the field is in the process of development and psychologists come to this type of practice from a variety of paths, ethical issues in this type of practice bear particularly careful attention. This article reviews the primary ethical issues involved, including preparation for diversified practice; competence; interpersonal and relational issues; and presentation to the public. Currently emerging concerns are also discussed. The article concludes with specific suggestions for the practitioner interested in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical dilemmas in sport psychology: A dialogue on the unique aspects impacting practice.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 41(3) of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (see record 2010-11935-001). Due to a production error, the name of Amy B. Stapleton was substituted for the name of Jeffrey E. Barnett as the editor of the Focus on Ethics section in the April issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41, 2, 143–152.] The multidisciplinary field of applied sport psychology, a specialty area of psychology practice, has been acknowledged as a proficiency area by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2007). This unique discipline often requires the psychologist to work outside the realm of traditional practice. In doing so, sport psychologists frequently encounter unique ethical dilemmas. In an effort to promote awareness and dialogue, this article describes some of the more commonly faced ethical considerations in applied sport psychology. Issues related to developing and maintaining competence in the field, confidentiality, and boundary issues are discussed, and case examples are provided to illustrate the relevant ethical consideration. Subsequently, three applied sport psychology experts respond to the lead article’s discussion and offer poignant reflections on ethical issues presented. In addition, suggestions for successfully resolving ethical dilemmas related to competence, confidentiality, and boundary issues in sport psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional ethics for graduate students in psychology.

Results of 2 independent questionnaires concerning the availability of courses on ethics for graduate students in psychology sent to various schools offering graduate work in psychology are combined. "Very few departments offer a course solely on professional ethics in psychology though several expressed plans for one in the future." "Ethics is handled best on a graduate level, in a seminar or colloquium, preferably on a required basis for all students, and definitely so for clinical students." "The APA code of professional ethics and journals are preferred sources of reference." "Professional training in ethics is a recent phenomenon coinciding with the APA research in this area and with the rise of clinical psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of sport: the behavior, motivation, personality and performance of athletes, 2nd edition.

Reviews the book, The psychology of sport: the behavior, motivation, personality and performance of athletes, 2nd edition by Dorcas Susan Butt (1987). The book discusses: a motivational model; the nature of the athlete and his/her adaptation; athletes' personality; assisting the athlete; practices and issues in consultation; and social values and sport. In summary, theory and research on sport psychology is well integrated in this book. This is accompanied by an abundance of anecdotal data and case studies that make enjoyable reading. This book is an invaluable addition to a sport consultant's collection and would be well received by students if adopted as a course text in sport psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peak performance in sport: Identifying ideal performance states and developing athletes' psychological skills.

Can psychologists help performers in sport, business, and the performing arts achieve peak performances more often and with greater consistency? Sport psychologists have taken the lead in researching peak performance in an attempt to answer this question. This article focuses on optimal experiences in sport and ways in which the author works with athletes to help them achieve peak performances. Peak performance in sport is overviewed, the application of two models related to the preparation for peak performance in sport are discussed, and applied sport psychology experiential knowledge is shared. Implications for practice for psychologists considering work in this area are also considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of psychology in health care delivery.

There is a wealth of professional opportunities for practicing psychologists, particularly given the recent recognition of psychology as a health care profession. A number of dimensions are discussed that can be used as a heuristic to outline the participation of psychologists in the general health care arena. Dimensions include the breadth of disease categories in which psychology has been involved, the involvement of psychologists at different stages of the progression of illnesses, and the diverse roles that psychologists may play in health care. Examples are provided to exemplify the contributions psychologists have made to health care. Recommendations are made to strengthen psychology's role in the health care system. Recent challenges are also reviewed regarding the association of health care and the delivery of services that demand the participation of psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional practice out of the urban context: Defining Canadian rural psychology.

There is an often unacknowledged difference between urban and rural practice in psychology which lacks clarity, in part, because of the lack of a common definition of rurality. Rural psychology in Canada presents complex and nuanced aspects of professional practice. The professional and social milieus of rural communities position the practising psychologist within a context that may differ vastly from urban settings. The rural context highlights the need to define this specific practice setting. This paper proposes a tentative definition of rural Canadian professional practice in psychology. This is meant to elucidate the distinct practice, training, and ethical considerations that may be the realities of the psychologists who are in professional practice in rural Canada. Rural professional practice is unique and Canadian training programs are urban-based. Training of future psychologists needs to acknowledge the unique features of rural practice to meet our obligations to students specifically and to rural Canadians generally. This is enhanced with a shared definition of rural professional practice in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Public service mental health practice and psychology: Historically at the cutting edge.

Public service psychologists have led in the systematic use of new approaches to assessment, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, and organizational management of mental and physical disorders. Outstanding examples include the MMPI and its successor developed at the University of Minnesota; elaboration of its 2-point code types and additional clinical scales at VA Medical Centers; David Wechsler’s work on intelligence and memory measurement at Bellevue Hospital, New York; early adoption of group therapy, early development of family therapy, token economies, and adult mental hygiene clinics; and finally the impetus for the development of accreditation in professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of psychology in ONR.

Outlines, with illustrative examples, the nature of psychological research supported by ONR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality measurement and the ethics of assessment.

Major criticisms of personality tests are that they are not adequate, that they are often misused (employed for inappropriate purposes or in misleading or ineffective ways), and that they invade privacy. If the "pressures of reality lead us to establish policy-based self-regulation in psychological assessment, it would seem imperative to include at the same time formal provisions for its continuing reappraisal." Major sections are: Self-regulation or public relations. The dilemma of regulation. Uses of assessment. Conflicts of commitment and the regulative process. The impact of policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mixed agency in military psychology: Applying the American Psychological Association ethics code.

Military psychology can diverge significantly from traditional psychological practice. Mixed-agency conflicts--those arising when a military psychologist's obligations to individual patients compete with obligations to the Department of Defense or federal regulations--can generate challenging ethical dilemmas. This article explores the notion of mixed agency within the military setting and addresses the most pertinent aspects of the American Psychological Association's (2002) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct related to this ethical challenge. Case vignettes are presented as a means of illustrating key mixed-agency dilemmas and the effective navigation of these conflicts. The article concludes with several recommendations for military psychologists as they work to anticipate and effectively manage ethical dilemmas bearing on their dual identities as officer and health care provider. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a psychophysiology of performance: Sport psychology principles dealing with anxiety.

In this applied case study during an off-season period, a unique and innovative internal imagery/video/electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback protocol was used to train visual attention and increase self-confidence of a collegiate baseball player struggling to recover from a serious eye injury. Results from the ensuing competitive season revealed that self-confidence increased and hitting and fielding performance improved dramatically. In the subsequent competitive season, without psychological skill training, hitting and fielding performance declined to preintervention levels. Although EEG biofeedback has been slow to gain acceptance among applied practitioners, used in conjunction with video and internal imagery, it appears to have potential as a tool for training visual attention in athletes within a variety of externally paced sports, such as baseball, softball, and racquet sports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on multicultural and community psychology: Clinical psychology in context.

Human behavior occurs in the contexts of culture and community. Yet, clinical psychology has traditionally focused on the individual, neglecting the individual's context. The purpose of this Special Section is to address the underlying conceptual issues in integrating multicultural and community psychology within a common framework. The integration of etic and emic approaches distinguishes the research programs in these articles from others that have solely focused on universal or culture-specific approaches. Issues facing ethnic minority populations are addressed, including identification of risk and protective factors, obstacles to mental health service use, and optimal treatment effectiveness. The integration of culture and community contexts into clinical psychology is necessary for it to remain relevant in an increasingly diverse 21st century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do it right this time: The role of employee service recovery performance in customer-perceived justice and customer loyalty after service failures.

Integrating justice and customer service literatures, this research examines the role of customer service employees' behaviors of handling customer complaints, or service recovery performance (SRP), in conveying a just image of service organizations and achieving desirable customer outcomes. Results from a field study and a laboratory study demonstrate that the dimensions of SRP--making an apology, problem solving, being courteous, and prompt handling--positively influenced customer satisfaction and then customer repurchase intent through the mediation of customer-perceived justice. In addition, service failure severity and repeated failures reduced the positive impact of some dimensions of SRP on customer satisfaction, and customer-perceived justice again mediated these moderated effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role ambiguity, role efficacy, and role performance: Multidimensional and mediational relationships within interdependent sport teams.

Male secondary school rugby players (N=271) participated in a study examining role ambiguity, role efficacy, and role performance. A multidimensional measure was used to assess 4 manifestations of role ambiguity in offensive and defensive contexts. Multiple role ambiguity dimensions explained variance in efficacy and performance. Consistent with theorizing by A. Bandura (1997) and R. L. Kahn, D. M. Wolfe, R. P. Quinn, J. D. Snoek, and R. A. Rosenthal (1964), negative relationships observed between role ambiguity and role performance were mediated by competence (role efficacy) beliefs. Findings support the multidimensional operationalization of role ambiguity and role efficacy as a generative mechanism through which role ambiguity can affect role performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job stressors and the pursuit of sport activities: A day-level perspective.

This article addresses the relation between day-specific experiences of job stressors and the pursuit of off-job activities. Following the limited-resources model of self-regulation, the authors proposed that job stressors and long working hours are negatively related to pursuit of sport activities after work because, after stressful days, employees have no resources left for initiating and persisting in effortful behaviors such as sport. Routines for off-job activities were hypothesized to be positively related to the pursuit of sport activities after work. Seventy-eight police employees completed a daily survey over 5 working days and indicated that they perceive sport to be highly useful for recovery. Random coefficient modeling showed that job stressors (particularly situational constraints) encountered on a specific day were negatively related to self-regulatory resources and to the amount of time spent on sport activities after work, whereas the relation with low-effort activities was positive. Thus, after a stressful day when an effective recovery activity such as sport is highly needed, persons tend to engage less in such an activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Public service, STEM, and psychology: A strong triad.

Psychologists in public service have supported important federal policies and programs, such as Head Start. Their contribution is still critical. Given such technological national challenges as making solar energy economical, engineering better medicines, preventing nuclear terror, and advancing personal learning, psychologists should be involved in helping translate science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) innovations for the lay consumer. Psychologists can also provide useful advice and support for policies to strengthen the public service corps—policies that ensure a proper balance between work and life, including parental leave and telework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of psychology in the resolution of international conflict.

The theme was set by the question "What effective assistance can Psychology give to the elimination of tension and conflict in the world community of men and nations?" raised by Ralph Bunche serving as conference chairman at the dedication of Gerry Hall, Dartmouth College's new psychology laboratory. The participants included Doob, Cantril, H. H. Sargeant, Osgood, Dore Schary, K?hler, Skinner, Gerald Sykes, and Leonard Mead. Brief summary statements to indicate positions advanced by the participants are presented. Optimism was reflected in the final conference remarks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology.

"On recommendation of the Committee on Evaluation, the Education and Training Board with the concurrence of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Association has approved the doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology" conducted by the institutions listed. Under "Doctoral Programs in Clinical Psychology" 52 institutions are listed; 10 of these are indicated as having received interim approval while the others are undifferentiated by any rating. Under "Doctoral Programs in Counseling Psychology" 26 institutions are listed; 7 of these have interim approval. The institutions listed "have been reported to the United States Public Health Service, to the Veterans Administration, and to The Surgeon General's Office, Department of the Army as conducting at the present time approved programs of doctoral training in areas indicated." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)