Research psychologist' roles in the genetic revolution.

Comments on the article by A. F. Patenaude et al (see record 2002-12457-022) that discusses advances in genetics and genetic testing and the role of psychology and psychologists in this field. Goldsmith et al present their thoughts on the role of psychologists in the genetic revolution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetics, psychology, and determinism.

Comments on the article by A. F. Patenaude et al (see record 2002-12457-022) that discusses advances in genetics and genetic testing and the role of psychology and psychologists in this field. Patenaude et al's article raises the issue that adequate genetic interventions may provide some benefit for individuals with predispositions for mental disorders to cope with the vulnerability and possibly help reduce the risk of the development of serious psychopathology. However, Kéri thinks that the concretization of such interventions is premature, and several scientific, ethical, and practical issues must be clarified. This position is further discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic testing and psychology: New roles, new responsibilities.

Advances in genetics and genetic testing promise to catalyze a fundamental change in the practice of medicine. Psychologists have much to offer as psychotherapists, researchers, educators, and policymakers to a society heavily influenced by the genetic revolution. To make the most of new opportunities available to mental health professionals in genetics, psychologists must know basic genetic principles and learn what is new about 21st-century genetics. The core competencies for all health professionals developed by the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics are related in this article to the significant roles psychologists can play in helping individuals with genetic concerns to cope with vulnerability, optimize family interaction, and improve health behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for distinguished professional contributions: 1989.

Recognizing the diversity of roles and activities in which many professional psychologists are engaged, beginning in 1979, Professional Awards have been presented to individual members of the Association whose distinguished contributions have served to advance psychology as a profession in the area of knowledge, public service, and professional practice. In 1989, recipients honored at the annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, were as follows:for "Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service," James Garbarino; for "Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Psychology as a Professional Practice," Florence Kaslow and Patrick DeLeon; for "Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge, "Allen E. Bergin. Norma Simon, Chair of the Board of Professional Affairs, presented the awards. The members of the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) Subcommittee on Professional Awards were Norma Simon, Judith Alpert, and Diane Willis. (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)     

Challenges to Professional Psychology Education in the 21st Century: Response to Peterson.

Professional psychology education faces many critical challenges brought about by the major changes occurring in the health care arena. This article shows that professional schools and programs have a good record of responding to these challenges and of taking proactive steps sponding to prepare their graduates for new health care roles and delivery systems. Data on admissions to psychology doctoral training programs demonstrate little support for the toral concerns raised by Donald R. Peterson (2003, this issue) about the preparation of students for graduate training in professional programs. Although quality concerns are important to investigate, such examination best resides with portant the American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation, which has the promotion of quality and excellence in professional psychology education and training as its major goal and responsibility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do we practice what we preach? An exploratory survey of multicultural psychotherapy competencies.

Practitioners are repeatedly encouraged to become multiculturally competent clinicians. But how frequently do professional psychologists intervene in multiculturally responsive ways, and how important do they think it is to do so? From the existing literature, the authors identified 52 recommended multicultural psychotherapy competencies and surveyed 149 professional psychologists regarding these practices and beliefs. Universal, infrequent, and not applicable practices were identified. Overall and for 86% of the individual items, participants did not practice what they preached. In addition, respondents reported that personal and professional experiences were most influential, and guidelines and codes least influential, in their development of multicultural competence. Five practice implications are offered, and suggestions for educators are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional psychology in California responds to the special issue on peer review.

The recent Special Issue of Professional Psychology (February 1982) raises serious questions about our profession's involvement in programs of peer review and quality assurance. You can be sure that it was read with great interest by clinical psychologists here in California. We call on you, as the editor of Professional Psychology, to continue and to expand your exploration of the issues involved in peer review and quality assurance programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

International School Psychology: Psychology's Worldwide Portal to Children and Youth.

International school psychology is discussed in reference to scholarly and professional development within psychology, the emergence of an international association of school psychology, its efforts to promote school psychology, prevailing characteristics of school psychologists, and additional efforts needed to further enhance its development. Nine issues that will help shape the future of international school psychology are also identified. The importance of psychology, including school psychology, in promoting children's needs and rights is underscored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Licensing and Professional Function.

It is shocking to summarize the ongoing debates on licensing of psychologists and on the relations between psychologists and psychiatrists. We psychologists seem chiefly to place the blame on the psychiatrists for the slow progress in gaining recognition of the professional function of psychologists. I offer a dissent which declares that a restrictive block must be removed from the thinking of psychologists before we are going to get anywhere on the problems of licensing and recognition of professional function. The block is manifested by the efforts of psychologists to imitate psychiatrists and beat them at their own game. This game is the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders, illnesses, aberrations, etc. Such diagnosis and treatment involves a mechanistic and concretistic thinking which is proving itself powerless to deal with the behavioral functioning of human individuals in interactive contexts. I am tempted to say "has proven," but there is a sad lack of experimental evidence, for which psychologists must shoulder their share of the blame. For my part, I don't blame psychiatrists for opposing the licensing of psychologists to treat "mental and emotional illnesses." Without realizing it, the psychiatrists are doing us a big favor in warning us away from this fruitless endeavor in which they are themselves experiencing so much heartbreak. We are wasting our time in seeking to crowd with them into a theoretical structure which will not support intense scientific effort. No psychologist should discuss with any citizen the relief of symptoms which are now manifest in the citizen's organic functioning. The psychologist's function should be to teach his interested fellow human beings how to perceive an interpersonal world and interact within that social realm on a more efficient and harmonious basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases.

Reviews the book, Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases by Patricia Keith-Spiegel and Gerald P. Koocher (see record 1985-97634-000). This well written and interesting book offers comprehensive coverage of how the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists (1981) apply in any setting where psychologists are involved. This book should be of special interest to Canadians who are interested in the new Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics. The CPA Code organized the areas of concern covered by the APA code, plus new and emerging issues, under an umbrella of four general principles and many associated standards of conduct. Both the book and the CPA Code attempt to raise the level of consciousness about ethical issues and ethical decision-making. The result? They complement each other and together provide a useful combination of philosophy, standards, and concrete examples of unethical or questionable behaviour by a psychologist. All who read this book will become aware of the complexity associated with ethics in the practice of psychology. The authors are to be congratulated on providing a scholarly work, long needed by the public and psychologists alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuing education in psychology: Outcomes, evaluations, and mandates.

How effective is continuing education (CE) for maintaining professional competencies, how should its effects be measured, and should it be mandated for licensure renewal? These and other questions were addressed in a review of the existing literature and a survey of 6,095 professional psychologists regarding their CE experiences, perceptions, and preferences. The substantial majority of respondents reported their CE experiences to be good to excellent. Overall, they reported learning a great deal that frequently translated into their practices and contributed to their more effective and ethical practice. Most also supported the idea of mandated CE, although they preferred the use of participant satisfaction ratings to knowledge or skills assessments as mechanisms for evaluating their learning. Significant differences were found between psychologists who were operating with CE mandates and those operating without mandates; mandated psychologists completed significantly more CE credits than nonmandated psychologists and were stronger supporters of CE mandates. Findings are discussed in relation to critical issues that confront the field of professional psychology and its continuing commitment to the development and documentation of professional competencies. (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)     

Comparisons between psychologists and other professional groups.

It is estimated that as of 1953, there were 22,000 persons working as psychologists in the United States; 95,000 living persons have obtained bachelor's degrees with majors in psychology; 5,000 living persons have the Ph.D. degrees in psychology. About 12% of the students who have received a bachelor's degree in psychology have become professional psychologists; this accounts for approximately half of all the people in the country who are working as psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Where America's recognized psychologist received their doctorates.

An operational concept of "professional recognition" involves presidencies, chairmanships, and memberships in a variety of professional psychology societies and receiving a variety of honorary awards. "All 67 department in the sample which between 1895-1948 had granted at least 1 doctorate in psychology were analyzed by type of university control, geographic location, and length of time doctorates in psychology had been granted. Departments whose doctorates in psychology filled their predicted share or more than their share of positions of recognition were scored a plus, while departments whose doctorates filled less than their share, or no positions, were given a minus." A 3-page table of doctorates by department (1884-1948) achieving positions of professional recognition is provided. The "contemporary university does not project the image of its Great Men but of its outstanding departments." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determining the Optimal Number of Psychologists and Psychology Training Programs: A Cautionary Note.

Marwit (1982, see record 1982-28952-001) argues persuasively for the benefits of university affiliation for schools of professional psychology. However, as part of his discussion, he draws on questionable data in citing the need for additional training programs of this kind. His argument depends on the juxtaposition of epidemiological data, which summarize the prevalence of psychological disorder, and service-availability data. Because there are insufficient practitioners to serve the psychologically disturbed population, Marwit concludes that more practitioners are needed. Marwit's analysis fails to attend to several important considerations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

After Legislation--Comments and Rejoinders.

Karl C. Pratt comments that the issues so cogently stated by C. Deutsch ("After Legislation--What Price Psychology?"; American Psychologist, 1958, 13, 645-652) are fundamental and deserve consideration by our profession. Deutsch has clearly stated the case for a broader conception of the science of psychology than such legislation formalizes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Values and Dilemma.

Replies to comments by Adelson and by Callahan (American Psychologist, 1960, 15, 269-270) on "Value-Orientations--An Ethical Dilemma" (see record 1961-00097-001). Adelson and Callahan propose contradictory solutions to the ethical dilemma. The former feels that the ethical dilemma is solved by empathizing and becoming more emotional, while the latter seems to believe that the solution is to become more rational. The original article was written to describe certain basic values. The value-orientations described need not characterize everyone perfectly. Rather, they are guidelines, which like degrees of latitude, are useful in comparing locations. The value-orientations the author describes are criteria which provide yardsticks for measuring human behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

And Esau was an hairy man.

Attention is focussed on "certain aspects of the professional behavior of industrial psychologists… . It is within the realm of possibility for legitimate PhDs in the profession of psychology to exhibit various shades of professional behavior under various levels of motivation. Both inside and outside the profession of psychology, alarms have arisen about the potential misuse of behavioral sciences in the control of human behavior." Attributes of professional and nonprofessional occupations are distinguished. What can be done to preserve our present status as professionals and also insure true professional behavior on the part of industrial psychologists? Realistic ethical codes will only guide the way. "Industrial psychology cannot operate under the rules of the open market. Either we develop acceptable rules of professional service to society or society will define the conditions of psychological practice by legal restrictions. The choice is up to us as to who will shape the future of industrial psychology. Smooth men or hairy ones." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the Differences Between Academic Research Departments and Professional Schools.

Comments that Peterson (see record 2003-08988-002) offered an enlightening history of the origins of professional schools of psychology, but I think that some of his points need further elaboration, and others need to be cited. Stepping back, I think there is a basic role difference that must be taken into account between a professional school and a scholarly department. A professional school--of law, medicine, social work, or business--is engaged in the task of preparing professionals to meet the needs of a complex society for practitioners in that field. Yes, a few professional students in each field have a calling to become scholars and teachers, but the task of the school is first to produce people to serve. That means professional schools have some responsibility to provide people to meet society's diverse needs. The development of professional psychology schools in the 1970s was a response to the need for diverse, committed, and competent practitioners. This demand could not be served by academic departments, and that was not their function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)