Continuing education: A new challenge for psychology.

Notes that pressures are mounting from within and from outside psychology for the demonstration of continued professional competence. The need for systematically available continuing education opportunities for both the practicing professional and the teacher-scientist is great. It is suggested that some services can be provided centrally by the American Psychological Association which will facilitate the development of a continuing education network for all psychologists. The following services are proposed: consultation on the development of programs, a resource center, a registration service, publication of a calendar, and a self-assessment examination system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost control through quality improvement: The new challenge for psychology.

Argues that if national health care reform attempts to control mental health costs by reducing the quality of services, short-term expenditure reduction may be followed by a long-term increase in overall spending. A more effective strategy would be the pursuit of maximum value: the level of quality yielding the greatest possible degree of long-term cost containment. Maximizing value involves assuring appropriate access to mental health care, achieving an optimal mix of mental health services, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. W. E. Deming's (e.g., 1993) approach to industrial quality improvement constitutes a useful framework for improving efficiency and effectiveness. This strategy involves identifying and meeting the needs of all mental health "customers" through a continuous linkage of process improvement and outcome measurement. Particularly important is clinical process standardization, which is best pursued through ongoing research and the collaboration of all interested groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The challenge of environmental psychology: A proposal for a new functionalism.

Argues that the hardship conditions under which man evolved put a high premium on rapid and efficient information handling. Currently maladaptive behavior with respect to overpopulation and environmental decline may be in part the result of an inadequate conception of what the future holds. The missing knowledge is unlikely to be verbal. Substitutes for experience that enhance imagery of alternative futures may be pivotal. A few of the multitude of researchable topics that arise in this context are presented. It is concluded that a broad functional psychology could find much to learn, study, and contribute in the environmental area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple personality disorder: A new challenge for psychology.

Reviews recent literature on multiple personality disorder. Despite a significant increase in the number of publications on this topic during the past 10 yrs, it is noted that limited knowledge exists on issues such as prevalence rates, differential diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. Psychologists are encouraged to become actively involved in the study of this disorder, and specific research suggestions are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AIDS: The challenge to psychology.

Psychologists are in a strategic position to be of assistance in responding to the AIDS crisis. Preventing the spread of the AIDS virus is a major public health goal; psychologists as specialists in behavior change have played a major role in planning successful prevention campaigns. Psychologists as health care providers have given needed emphasis to psychosocial issues in designing and implementing appropriate models of AIDS patient care. The greatest challenge to psychology, however, will come in attempting to alleviate the social, cultural, economic, and political reactions that will follow in wake of the growing number of AIDS cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The experience of disability: A challenge for psychology.

Presents data on the handicapped population in the US and demonstrates how social psychological theories explain the experience of disability. It is contended that disability is associated both with race and income and is more prevalent among those with less than an 8th-grade education than among those with a college education. A disability compounds the effects of sex and race on economic status. Stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes (including self-images of the disabled) limit the opportunities for disabled people. It is suggested that in addition to biological differences, the attitudes and behavior of the nonhandicapped toward the handicapped person, the values of appearance and independence that underlie these attitudes, and the power of prejudice and discrimination must be examined. It is concluded that the existence of disabilities compels people to confront what it means to be human. New directions for psychological research and service in light of the changing situation of handicapped people in today's society are proposed. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The new psychology of men.

The new psychology of men has emerged over the past 15 years within the larger fields of men's studies and gender studies. Informed by the academic breakthroughs of feminist scholarship, the new psychology of men examines masculinity not as a normative referent, but rather as a problematic construct. In so doing, it provides a framework for a psychological approach to men and masculinity that questions traditional norms of the male role and views some male problems as unfortunate byproducts of the male gender role socialization process. This article introduces this new field, covering the gender role strain paradigm, masculinity ideology, and the 3 varieties of male gender role strain—discrepancy-strain, dysfunction-strain, and trauma-strain. Implications for practice are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The neglected 95%, a challenge to psychology.

Responds to the comments of LoSchiavo F. M. and Shatz M. A. (see record 2009-13007-013); Webster G. D., Nichols A. L., and Schember T. O. (see record 2009-13007-014); Stroebe W. and Nijstad B. (see record 2009-13007-015); and Haeffel et al. (see record 2009-13007-016) on the author's original article (see record 200814338-003) regarding the assertion that American psychology focuses too narrowly on Americans while neglecting the other 95% of the world’s population. The author indicates that the four comments were well chosen in that they represent quite different reactions to his article. In this rejoinder the author addresses the issues raised in each of the comments, first the two supporting comments and then the two opposing comments. Following this, he addresses the more general problem that cuts across the comments: American psychology’s dominant philosophy of science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The new research agenda for a cultural psychology.

Qualitative methods are the investigative tools of choice for the field of cultural psychology, in which the study of meaning is central. The process of cultural psychological research calls for an approach that emphasizes the quality of the relationship between researchers and participants. We argue for the importance of this relationship in the development of the validity and usefulness of such work. Methods within this framework often include dialectic communication, respect, participatory partnership, inductive reasoning, and the taking of extra time as necessary. In this paper, research projects with urban Canadian street youth, Inuit prison inmates, and Inuit community members experiencing a youth suicide epidemic are provided as case studies that highlight the relational motif in qualitative research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The challenge of social change for psychology: Globalization and psychology's theory of the person.

Historical analysis suggests that we are currently undergoing a major historical transformation from the modern into the postmodern world. The change from the premodern into the modern era provides the background against which to view the implications of the current transformation, especially for those disciplines, like psychology, for which the nature of persons is central. In this article, I examine how the transition toward a globally linked world system characteristic of the postmodern era has transformed the functional unit of the social system from the individual toward a more globally conceptualized form. I review several recent critiques of the modern world's liberal individualist theory of the person, and introduce several recent psychological formulations framed by these critiques, in order to show how globalization will compel a change in psychology's current theory of the person, thereby setting a challenging task and future agenda for psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to special issue: The psychology of creativity and innovation in the workplace.

While the study of creativity dates back to the early days of psychology, the application of psychological theories to understand and explain creativity and innovation in the workplace is more recent (Shalley & Zhou, 2008). This recent emergence of interest is a result of the recognition that creativity and innovation are necessary for organizational adaptation and survival. Rapid advancement of technology, globalization, and increased competition have all served as forces that require organizations to adapt and change. Further, organizational creativity and innovation is not limited to product development and R&D (Mumford, Whetzel, & Reiter-Palmon, 1997). Rather, current conceptualizations view creativity and innovation in products as well as work processes, and include a variety of occupations in the organization (Mumford et al., 1997). As expected with a complex phenomenon such as creativity in the workplace, the articles included in this special issue cover the entire range from individual to leadership effects to team creativity. The articles include both theoretical and empirical papers. Empirical studies include lab studies, field studies, as well as a meta-analysis. Articles are organized such that work focusing on the individual is presented first, followed by work that involves situational factors and the larger organizational context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Veterans Administration psychology: A professional challenge for the 1980s.

Discusses the role that psychology has played in the Veterans Administration (VA) since the 1940's, a role that has increased in prominence over the years. Psychologists in the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery have been involved in the delivery of health and mental health care services, research efforts, and training programs for psychology interns. It is noted that despite psychology's long-standing involvement in the VA, concerns have arisen recently regarding the status of psychology within the VA. Events contributing to these concerns involve decreased administrative visibility, attempts to exclude psychologists from medical staff membership, threats of psychology staff reductions, and proposals to place psychologist practitioners under the direction of physicians. Psychology's legislative and regulatory efforts to address these concerns are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The need for new single-case design structure in applied cognitive psychology.

Examines the current domination of intra-S methodology by applied operant psychology. The fusion of operant theory and N?=?1 methodology is analyzed in terms of 4 implicit assumptions that govern the structure of most applied intensive research today. These assumptions focus on the interrelationships between dependent and independent variables and on the effects of outside events on those variables. It is asserted that these structural assumptions are inadequate for the investigation of cognitive psychological phenomena. A relevant sample of applied cognitive research is reviewed. Variables appropriate for use by single-S researchers to formulate new, nonoperant designs and a structure for applied cognitive research are presented. (73 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The metamorphosis of clinical psychology: Toward a new charter as human services psychology.

Contends that the traditional conceptions of clinical psychology (CP) as centering around the treatment of individuals suffering from mental health problems are no longer adequate. The concept of human services psychology, defined as a sector of professional psychology concerned with the promotion of human well-being through the acquisition and application of psychological knowledge about the treatment and prevention of psychological and physical disorders is proposed as an alternative capable of representing both training and practice in contemporary CP and related professional specialities. A biopsychosocial model of human behavior would be the basis for a generic professional program that would be functionally rather than categorically based at the doctoral level. Such a program, based on a systems orientation, has been established at the author's university. It is suggested that human services psychology graduates will be able to confront racism, sexism, delinquency, the effects of poverty, and other social ills in an effective and cost-efficient way. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral toxicology and environmental health science: Opportunity and challenge for psychology.

Describes the establishment of behavioral toxicology as a component of the environmental health sciences. Behavioral measures are viewed as fulfilling unique roles because (1) many substances act primarily on the nervous system; (2) many poisonings before they bloom into overt clinical signs may be heralded by vague, subjective, nonspecific psychological complaints; and (3) there are substances whose actions, although not mediated directly through nervous system mechanisms, produce distinct behavioral reactions. Behavioral toxicology extends across the total spectrum of environmental chemicals, including heavy metals, solvents, fuels, pesticides, air pollutants, and even food additives. Examples are presented of the role psychology can play in resolving critical issues in environmental health science. (76 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new context for psychology: Social ecology.

Describes an undergraduate program in applied psychology which uses an interdisciplinary approach to study man in relation to his social and biological environment. The program includes field study in 1 of the following areas: community psychology; urban and regional planning; environmental quality and health; human ecology; criminal justice; or educational policy and institutions. The curricula prepares students for BA-level professional roles, graduate work, and effective citizen participation in the community. A list of courses and requirements is presented. Preliminary evidence suggests that the model is workable and satisfying to students. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications for psychology of the new philosophy of science.

Salient features of a new philosophy of science that has developed over the past few decades are identified and their implications for psychology drawn. All science only approaches closure in the laboratory; outside of the laboratory, the world is radically open. Although scientific theory is equally valid in and out of the laboratory, it is not sufficient to explain behavior, nor is it easily applied. Neither natural nor social science has as its central role the explanation and prediction of individual behavior. Just as the application of physics requires engineering technology, explaining the behavior of particular individuals requires not only psychological theory but also situational, biographical, and historical information. (64 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 emperor's new clothes: Sociopolitical diversity in psychology.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which argues that psychology lacks sociopolitical diversity and that conservatives are vastly underrepresented in the profession. The current authors agree with Redding's argument but were surprised to note that he did not draw stronger connections between his examples of biases, the graduate school training process, and the subsequent therapeutic services psychologists provide to their clients. It is maintained that in this arena, biases of any nature could potentially damage students, clients, scientific inquiry, and certainly the profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)