Psychology2016

Applied Psychology and Psychology Careers B-13

to stress. Once they have learned how their bodies react, athletes can gain control over

these responses, such as learning to slow one’s heart rate or to lower anxiety.

9. Fostering realistic goals and expectations. Sports psychologists try to teach athletes
   that although setting goals is important, setting unrealistic goals can lead to burnout,
   frustration, and feelings of failure. Sports psychologists try to help athletes modify their
   expectations and goals to be more realistic.


10. Fostering team unity. Sports psychologists may also work with entire teams of ath-
    letes, helping them become a unit that works as one single “organism” while still pro-
    viding support for each individual athlete.

Questions for Further Discussion

1. What are some other occupations in which people might benefit from using some
   of these techniques?


2. Are there factors outside of the game itself that might interfere with fostering
   team unity?

The sports psychologist on the right is

helping Red Sox player David Ortiz work

through his frustration at being injured

during the game.

Chapter Summary

What Is Applied Psychology?

B.1 Define applied psychology.

• Applied psychology refers to using psychological principles and
  research to solve problems in the real world.

Psychology as a Career

B.2 Describe different types of psychological

professionals and identify their educational background

and training.

• Different types of psychological professionals vary by level
  of education and training. Examples include psychiatrists,
  psychiatric social workers, and psychologists.


• Psychologists hold either a Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree.
  B.3 List the kinds of careers that are available to
  someone with a master’s degree in psychology.


• Individuals with a master’s degree may work under the super-
  vision of a doctoral-level psychology professional, practice inde-
  pendently if licensed, or work in private or educational settings.
  B.4 List the kinds of careers that are available to
  someone with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.


• Education, statistical consulting, administration and other busi-
  ness occupations, as well as health services are examples of
  careers that a person with a bachelor ’s degree in psychology
  might enter.
  B.5 Describe some areas of specialization in
  psychology.


• Areas of specialization include clinical and counseling psy-
  chology, developmental, experimental, social, personality, and
  physiological psychology, neuropsychology, and comparative
  psychology.

B.6 Describe how psychology interacts with other

career fields.

• Health psychology is an area in which the goal is to discover
  relationships between human behavior, including stress factors,
  and physical health, with the intention of preventing and
  treating ill health.


• Educational psychologists study the processes of human
  learning to develop new techniques and methods, whereas
  school psychologists apply those methods in the school,
  administer assessments, recommend placement, and provide
  counseling and diagnosis of educational problems.


• Sports psychologists help athletes prepare themselves mentally
  for participation in sports.


• Psychologists working in the military represent almost all
  subfields of psychology and work with both military personnel
  and their families in military environments.


• Psychologists may act as expert witnesses for legal matters,
  help in jury selection, provide clinical services to defendants or
  prisoners, or produce personality profiles of various types of
  criminals in the field of forensic psychology.


• Community psychologists help solve social issues and work to
  promote health for individuals and for the larger community in
  which people live.


• Environmental psychology looks at the relationship between
  human behavior and the physical environment in which that
  behavior takes place.

Psychology and Work

B.7 Explain the fields of industrial/organizational

psychology and human factors psychology.

• Industrial/organizational psychology is concerned with how
  people function in and are affected by their work environments.

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