The Role of Psychologists and the Application of Psychological Theories
The Role of Psychologists and the Application of Psychological Theories
In an era characterized by a heightened rise in mental health
issues, psychologists and psychological theories stand as impactful solutions
in understanding and addressing every aspect leading to psychological disorders.
Mainly, psychologists utilize psychological theories to comprehend and devise
therapeutic interventions for patients suffering from mental health issues. According
to Lilienfeld and Basterfield's (2020) findings, 70% of therapeutic
interventions applied by psychologists are primarily deduced from psychological
theories in the science practitioner model. Lyon et al. (2020) further
highlight that most core psychological concepts and theories are predominantly
formulated based on real-life scenarios. Based on these findings, psychological
concepts and theories applied by psychologists during their clinical therapy
sessions are the product of critical analysis of people’s daily lives that
informs on a particular human behaviour. Concisely, the dual role of
psychologists as scientists and practitioners informs on how well to formulate
and apply psychological theories in addressing contemporary issues in psychology.
The Role of Psychologists within the Scientist-Practitioner Model
In the science practitioner model, psychologists play an
essential role in bridging the gap between scientific research findings and
practical clinical applications. As practitioners in mental health, psychologists
are the primary consumers of knowledge and research findings based on
psychology. Whitehead (2020) indicates that the science-practitioner model mandates
that psychologists be trained to offer therapeutic interventions, be proficient
in conducting empirical research, and contribute to the scientific foundations
of the field. Supporting Whitehead’s arguments, Drugaș (2023) highlights that as
scientists, psychologists create and test hypotheses about human behaviour and
mental processes. As practitioners, psychologists apply the acquired research
findings to diagnose, treat, and support individuals with various psychological
needs. In essence, psychologists' incorporation of psychological research
findings into practicality ensures that the therapeutic practice is grounded in
practical approaches tested on clinical practices.
Major Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology Within the Science
Practitioner Model
Major theoretical practices in psychology, especially within
the scientist-practitioner model, serve as a guide in conducting the research
findings and offering clinical interventions. Mainly, each psychological theory
seeks to address a specific issue in psychology. As per Whitehead (2020), the
psychodynamic perspective formulated by Freud offers the basis for therapeutic
techniques that internalize hidden individual conflicts culminating from
different developmental stages of life. On the other hand, Skinner and Pavlov’s
behavioral perspective focuses on expressing the observable behaviors and ways
in which each humanistic behavior is shaped by environmental stimuli (Malott
& Kohler, 2021). According to the behavioral perspective, human behaviors
are subject to environmental stimuli and are primarily modified through conditioning
and reinforcement. Castorina (2021) highlights cognitive psychology as another
major theoretical perspective in psychology proposed by Piaget and Neisser with
a primary focus on internalizing how individuals process information, make
decisions as well as solve problems. In understanding human beings' cognitive
processes through cognitive psychology, psychologists stand a chance of
administering the correct therapeutic interventions by altering dysfunctional
thinking patterns. Apart from that, the humanistic perspective proposed by Rogers
and Maslow seeks to express the essence of psychologists’ understanding of
self-actualization and client-centered therapy in offering therapeutic
interventions (Drugaș, 2023). Generally, each psychological perspective offers specific guidelines for understanding unique aspects of human behaviours.
Application of
Psychological Concepts and Theories to Key Domains
Psychological theories and concepts are central to
understanding how crucial human domains function, like learning, language
acquisition, thought, motivation, personality, social cognition, and interpersonal
behaviours. For instance, Martin (2023) indicates that in the domain of
learning and memory, cognitive theories like Piaget's stages of cognitive
development offer insights into how individuals acquire and process information
at different developmental stages. With Piaget's stages of cognitive
development perspective, psychologists gain an understanding of how to
influence educational practices and curriculum design that best fits the student’s
level of understanding. On the other hand, Malott and Kohler (2021) claim that theories
of motivation, such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, offer a dimension for
understanding the specifications that drive human behaviours and how well to enhance
intrinsic motivation among different individuals. With the knowledge of the
theories of motivation, psychologists, especially industrial psychologists,
understand how to cultivate a culture of motivation within the workplace. In
the aspect of personality, the Big Five psychology model helps in assessing
individual differences and predicting behaviour across various contexts (Castorina,
2021). Through constructive assessment of human behaviours, psychologist
manages to offer personnel selection and career counselling. As such, psychological
concepts and theories diversify the understanding of humans, predict possible behaviours,
and help in curbing undesirable human behaviours.
Interaction of Core Psychological Concepts in Real Life
In human daily life interactions, core psychological concepts
and theories interact directly to shape how people behave in response to
different stimuli. For instance, when a learner is preparing for an
examination, different psychological aspects and theories interact interchangeably
to affect the learner's behavioural actions. On one end, Martin (2023)
specifies that when a learner is rigorously preparing for an examination, cognitive
psychology comes into play as the student employs learning strategies to
encode, store, and retrieve information effectively. As the student engages
their cognitive domain in learning, the motivation aspects directly influence
how well they master and retain the learning content. Lilienfeld and Basterfield
(2020) specify that motivation theories ascertain that learners’ desire to succeed
or fear of failure directly influences the efforts they apply during learning. Apart
from that, Malott and Kohler's (2021) study shows that social factors, like
peer pressure or family expectations, contribute to the student's motivation
and emotional state. Such direct influence of social aspects on how students’ motivation
reflects the interaction between the ideologies of motivation theories and social
psychology. Concurrently, the learners’ personality traits like
conscientiousness or neuroticism are crucial influences on their study habits
and responses to stress (Castorina, 2021). The personality trait, as expressed
by personality psychology, directly relates to motivational theories as it determines
how well the learner is motivated to learn and perceive their ultimate goals. Figuratively,
the interaction between different psychological theories and concepts helps in
understanding how different human aspects result in particular behaviours.
Impact of Psychological Frameworks on Socio-Cultural and Ethical Issues
Psychological frameworks predominantly impact social,
cultural, and ethical issues by offering an optimistic understanding of human
behaviours and guiding interventions aimed at addressing societal issues. In
most cases, psychological dimensions offer a lens for scrutinizing the
underlying social-cultural issues that are merely perceived as alarming
concerns. Castorina (2021) contends that psychological aspects and theoretical ideologies
help in internalizing issues like discrimination, stereotypes, prejudices, and
mental health disparities, which are perceived as the hindering blocks to
realizing ethical practices. Lyon et al. (2020) further indicate that understanding
the psychological underpinnings of every issue in society helps psychologists devise
more effective interventions and policies aimed at promoting social justice and
equality. In the aspect of ethical issues, the psychological frameworks help in
devising foundational principles of ethics grounded on the psychological
understanding of human behaviours (Malott & Kohler, 2021). In doing so, the
formulated codes of ethics meet the core requirement of the profession, which
is to uphold trust and integrity within the profession. Remarkably, applying psychological
perspectives in addressing historical and contemporary social issues ensures that
practical human behaviours inform the applied approaches of targeted
individuals.
Conclusion
In summary, psychological theories and concepts offer a
critical guide for psychologists in their clinical practice. When correctly
applied, different psychological theories help understand how different human
aspects lead to specific behaviours. Notably, the practicality of a psychological
theory is primarily determined by the psychologist’s ability to complement its
limitations with other theories.
References
Castorina, J. A. (2021).
The Importance of Worldviews for Developmental Psychology. Human Arenas,
4(2), 153–171.
Drugaș, M. (2023). The
Scientist-Practitioner and the Scholar-Practitioner Models in Psychology. Psychological
Thought, 16(2). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marius-Drugas/publication/375354447_THE_SCIENTIST-PRACTITIONER_AND_THE_SCHOLAR-PRACTITIONER_MODELS_IN_PSYCHOLOGY/links/6583ee312468df72d3c0d29c/THE-SCIENTIST-PRACTITIONER-AND-THE-SCHOLAR-PRACTITIONER-MODELS-IN-PSYCHOLOGY.pdf
Lyon, A. R., Brewer, S.
K., & Areán, P. A. (2020). Leveraging Human-Centered Design to Implement
Modern Psychological Science: Return on an Early Investment. American
Psychologist, 75(8), 1067. https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/75/8/1067.pdf
Malott, R. W., &
Kohler, K. T. (2021). Principles of Behavior. Routledge. https://cybertesis.unmsm.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/20.500.12672/18905/Ram%C3%ADrez_bf.pdf?sequence=1
Martin, A. J. (2023).
Integrating Motivation and Instruction: Towards A Unified Approach in
Educational Psychology. Educational Psychology Review, 35(2), 54.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-023-09774-w
Whitehead, P. (2020).
Examining the Scientist-Practitioner Divide in Psychology: A Transactional
Analysis Typology of Scientists. International Journal of Transactional
Analysis Research & Practice, 11(2), 3–13. https://www.ijtarp.org/article/download/21134/13878
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