The psychological marketplace.

At a meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association "there were 206 applicants for 125 academic positions, 157 applicants for 467 clinical and counseling positions, and 163 applicants for 198 industrial and research positions." There are "more jobs available than there are psychologists to fill them in the total employment picture." While "the degree requirements are the lowest for the Industrial and Research area, the median starting salary is the highest. The converse is true for the academic positions." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality Evaluation in the Selection of Graduate Students in Clinical Psychology.

Examined the opinions of clinical psychologists regarding the selection of graduate clinical students to include some type of formal personality evaluation, in addition to the usual academic considerations. In view of the strong feelings often expressed on both sides of this question, it was felt that a questionnaire sampling the opinions of clinical psychologists regarding it would be of professional interest and possibly of some assistance to graduate departments attempting to cope with the problem.. Brief questionnaires were sent to a randomly selected sample of 100 members of Division 12 (Clinical) of the APA. In reply to the question: "Should a formal personality evaluation be used as a criterion for selecting applicants for graduate study in clinical psychology?" 84% of those responding checked "Yes," and 16% checked "No." In assessing how extensive such an evaluation should be, the following alternatives or combinations of them were provided: thorough personality analysis, screening for obvious handicapping problems, and screening for possession of professionally "desirable" characteristics. 20% selected the first alternative, 27% chose the second, 11% checked the third, 27% combined the second and third, 2% marked the first and third, 4% indicated all three, and 9% did not reply to this question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the equivalence of clinical and statistical methods.

Based on material from a doctoral thesis, an attempt was made to resolve an inconsistency in Meehl's analysis of statistical vs. clinical methods of assessment (see 29: 3991). "Eight interviewers assessed from 14 to 50 Canadian Army applicants using information obtained from biographical and test data, and from interview conversation. Each applicant was described on a 120-item Q-sort check list. These data were quantified and combined into composite statistical scores (biographical and test data) and clinical scores (Q-sort data). The results indicated that: (a) clinical scores were associated more closely with decisions than were statistical scores; (b) statistical and clinical scores correlated at a low level; (c) the decisions of different interviewers were associated with the same Q-sort, biographical, and test data; and (d) statistical and clinical scores were comparable in reliability." "… this study… strengthens the status of the clinical assessment." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

At random: Sense and nonsense.

"It is often said that psychologists are captivated by the magic of words." One example of this is the epidemic use by psychologists of the word 'design.' " "Despite glib talk about using factor analysis to test hypotheses, practically no users of factor analysis ever test hypotheses." A psychologist may "trudge off weighted down with a box full of statistical tools in search of a research problem that permits him to display skill with his tools." Most psychologists "without intentional eavesdropping know that occasionally their theory oriented colleagues simply discard all data of an experiment as bad data if not in agreement with the theory, and start over. The theory is, of course, always good." The theorist who has the one and only approach and solution to all, or nearly all, psychological problems "tends to lure those among us who have a low tolerance for the ambiguity that flourishes in psychology." This "model business is nothing more than a new name for old hat stuff… . The question of the usefulness of mathematical models and, to a certain extent, the value of high powered statistical techniques is debatable." (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)     

Committee on the Scientific and Professional Aims of Psychology: Preliminary Report.

"This report concerns some of the issues involved in the increasing diversification of psychology." Focus was "on problems of professionalization in clinical psychology in order: (a) to deal with the problems involving the largest number of psychologists, and (b) to make it possible to speak more specifically about issues." The "training of clinical psychologists for the practice of psychotherapy should be established as a new doctoral program within the university." Interdisciplinary training is encouraged. "Generally we favor awarding a degree other than the PhD at the end of such doctoral training." "None of the present models for training of psychotherapists, whether within clinical psychology, medicine, or social work, are satisfactory means for developing competent practitioners able to meet the needs or expectations of society." Guidelines for legislation are suggested. It was suggested that "perhaps as much as 50% of the [APA Convention] program should be composed of invited talks and papers which would be either integrative in their nature or which would open up new areas in which significant advances are being made." The Committee has proposed suggestions rather than solutions to problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Orthodoxy at the employment table.

Comments on the article by Mark A. Stewart about the employment practices of psychiatrists (Amer. J. Psychiat., 1960, 117, 85). Thinking that the evil he finds in the employment practices of psychiatrists is a local matter, Stewart comments: "We would surely be amused, or horrified, if biology teachers were required to be 'evolutionists,' or if psychologists had to be 'behavioristically oriented'." Whether or not psychiatrists will be amused or horrified to find that their predicament is shared by psychologists, so far the reaction of psychologists to the policy of buying orthodoxy at the employment table has been blank. The question is raised by Stewart whether or not "requiring applicants to subscribe to a particular theory may be an unfair employment practice, and as such could be challenged in the courts." Regardless of the legal niceties, I believe that a loyalty oath to the theory of psychoanalysis has about as much relevance as inquiry into whether or not the candidate has submitted himself to ritual circumcision, tattooing, or an appendectomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

Status, job satisfaction, and factors of job satisfaction of state institution and clinic psychologists.

"In this report we will compare psychologists with other mental hygiene professionals—psychologists in state schools and hospitals with psychologists in clinics." Ss were 80 psychiatrists, 80 psychologists, 80 social workers, 80 teachers, 80 nurses (40 of each group in state institutions and 40 in nonstate institutions) and, in addition, 59 upper middle class and 51 lower middle class Ss. There is "limited support for the hypothesis which states that status and job satisfaction are related." The hypothesis that "the status of state institution psychologists is lower than that of clinic psychologists, is generally substantiated." The hypothesis that "there are differences in the job satisfaction of the two groups of psychologists finds some support." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate training for community clinical psychology.

"In this paper we will review some of the basic principles which seem to underlie the training of psychologists for professional careers in the field of mental health, examine these principles in relation to the developments that have occurred in this field since World War II, explore the implications of these factors for graduate training in psychology in general and clinical psychology in particular, and describe a training program in which we are attempting to apply these principles." The program at the University of Nebraska "has developed over the last 13 years." In it there has been a shift from "teaching psychological tests to teaching the use of psychologist tests as an aid to understanding people's problems." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role satisfaction of psychologists in state hospitals.

"All midwestern, state employed, institutional psychologists listed in the 1960 APA Directory (N = 131) were requested to return an anonymous questionnaire. Seventy-one persons responded from the nine states included." As years of state employment increase the actual satisfaction and abstract expectation levels both rise. Master's level psychologists "tend to respond with a somewhat greater job satisfaction than do PhD staff members… . Psychologists who reported working in institutions with a frankly organic orientation express a lesser percentage of satisfaction on the PA [Professional Activities] scale than do psychologists reporting a psychologic orientation." State employed clinical psychologists "as a group are reasonably well satisfied spending almost 80% of their time in gratifying activities." From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3AL23M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple methods of personality assessment.

"Multiple personality assessment procedures have been analyzed with respect to their primary purpose and the validation strategy used. Problems that arise in the attempt to use personality assessment for selection were discussed with respect to the problem of clinical versus statistical predictions, the problem of conditional factors that affect the criteria, and the value of using multiple tests and more than one assessor." 42 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist and the small mental hospital.

A brief questionnaire was sent to the directors of the 82 hospitals belonging to the National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals. Replies were received from 49 or 60% of the sample of which 47 could be used for tabulation. "Only two hospitals say they do not use psychological tests; four more use them occasionally; one does not say; and the other 40, or 85% of our sample, gives an unqualified 'yes.' All those hospitals giving tests even occasionally, indicate the Rorschach as routine. All but two also list the Wechsler in this way." "Only 14 of the hospitals employ full-time psychologists. 23 more employ part-time psychologists." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On not "giving psychology away": The Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory and public controversy over testing in the 1960s.

Psychological tests, especially the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, became the center of public controversy and Congressional scrutiny during the 1960s. This unwanted attention actually helped American psychologists more than they imagined. Assisted by those on Capitol Hill, psychologists were able to defend their science in a manner that avoided imposed forms of public accountability. Social questions were reformulated as technical problems. The need to adjust intelligence and aptitude tests reinforced psychologists' control over them. Conversely, personality tests were not made more transparent and nonintrusive, unless psychologists thought these changes were scientifically necessary. This episode prompted tighter regulation of test use and demonstrated that traditional forms of testing were far too important to popularize and "give away." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internships vs. field training for industrial psychologists.

It "… is better to take advantage of opportunities for training that now exist in industry than to sell industry on the merits of internship programs." Practical difficulties of organizing, developing, and maintaining psychological internships in industry are indicated. The merits of a work-centered program are discussed. Twenty-five years of "experience… (with a great variety of college graduates including psychologists) indicates that internships for industrial psychologists are unnecessary." "An internship can be described as a weaning period… . Few industrial employers are interested in weanlings." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexism in Psychology.

The author discusses a recent experience reviewing resumes for a clinical psychologist position, which led to the conclusion that since there are more male than female psychologists, and since the proportion of applicants did not reflect this, there may be a higher proportion of unemployed qualified women psychologists than men. In addition, since the men appeared to be substantially less qualified than the women, there is reason to suspect that a great deal of discrimination exists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinically and Statistically Oriented Psychologists Split Our Profession.

Year after year articles appear presenting evidence that the well-known tools of the clinical psychologist fail to measure up to the statistical respectability which rigorous science demands. What is their impact on our profession? The data offered in these articles are viewed by the psychologist steeped in diagnosis and therapy with an indifference that borders on disdain. These same articles elicit a quite different reaction from the statistically oriented psychologist. He is furious that people who are called "psychologists" are discrediting his profession by their complacent indifference to objective evidence. To understand these reactions, factors are examined that include the personalities of the psychologists and the nature of evidence itself. However, the author notes that the time has come for psychologists to realize that they cannot forever remain a divided profession. Perhaps it would help if psychologists could admit that "truth has many faces." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward professional clinical psychology.

"The immediate task confronting clinical psychology is to obtain recognition for its competence. The important thing for clinical psychologists to keep in mind is that we must determine now whether we shall serve a prime or an ancillary role… . If we vigorously and realistically pursue recognition for our competence, our role will be a prime one. Competence, therefore, is our concern, and it is associated with professional status. Many tests of professionalism confront us. The past 2 decades have produced a fantastic increase in the numbers of clinical psychologists who provide psychotherapy and psychodiagnosis in both institutional and private settings." Postdoctoral training institutes, preventive procedures, and brief treatment techniques are needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists in industry in the United States.

There are "at least 1,000 psychologists today, as compared with less than two dozen some 30 years ago, who devote full time to employment in industry." Their activities are diverse and are discussed under the following major headings: Personnel Selection (Employee selection and assignment, Executive selection, Criterion research); Personnel Development (Appraisal, Employee training, Management development, Counselling); Human Factors in Design (Equipment design, Product design); Productivity; Management; and Miscellaneous. "Psychologists are performing a variety of functions for industry. No one person is engaged in all of these activties." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)