Psychologist - competence, cost, area of ​​work, areas of assistance

Is psychology a science or is it a separate branch of philosophy based on spiritual and even cosmic ideas? This question inevitably arises for everyone who begins to deeply study psychology and strives to find a definite answer. The emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline was facilitated, on the one hand, by the reflections and works of outstanding philosophers of the ancient world, and on the other, by practical and scientific knowledge of human psychology.

The term “psychology” to denote science was introduced in the 16th century. German philosopher Rudolf Gocklenius, after which, in close connection with the development of technology and scientific thought, there was a final break with religious ideas and the beginning of modern scientific knowledge was laid. However, the heterogeneity of the judgments put forward about the essence of the human psyche lays the foundation for various modern trends in psychology, which have two conflicting tendencies: materialistic and idealistic.

Classic psychoanalysis, 1900

The history of the psychoanalytic direction begins in 1900, when the first edition of the book “The Interpretation of Dreams” by the Austrian neurologist and psychologist Sigmund Freud was published. Subsequently, S. Freud's theory gains enormous popularity both among psychologists and among the public. This explains the rapid development of psychoanalysis in America and Europe, as well as the formation of an entire psychoanalytic “family”, which, in addition to classical psychoanalysis, also included:

• analytical psychology;
• individual psychology;
• transactional analysis.

The difference between the psychoanalytic vision and the behavioral one lies in the attribution of the driving forces of human activity to the internal components of the body, and not to those formed as a result of external interaction with the world. In classical psychoanalysis, the theory is based on a two-dimensional structural model of the human psyche developed by S. Freud, based on which the components of the psyche are the conscious and unconscious on the one hand and the elements “It”, “I” and “Super-I” on the other hand. The decomposition of the psyche into components explains the source of the formation of neuroses as a conflict of impulses emanating from the “It” and the “Super-Ego”, to resolve which the “I” uses, first of all, the repression of the conscious into the unconscious. Thus, classical psychoanalysis simultaneously belongs to both the nosological and anthropological axes.

The science

Psychology is a diverse field. Psychologists conduct basic and applied research, serve as consultants to communities and organizations, diagnose and treat people, and train future psychologists and those in other disciplines. They test intelligence and personality.

Many psychologists work as health care professionals. They assess behavioral and mental function and well-being. Other psychologists study how people relate to each other and to technology and work to improve those interactions.

Application of psychological research can reduce the economic burden of disease on government and society as people learn to make choices that improve their health and well-being. Progress made in educational assessments helps students with learning difficulties. Psychological science helps educators understand how children think, perceive, and remember, helping to develop effective teaching methods. Psychological science promotes justice by helping courts understand the intent of criminals, the truth of evidence, and the credibility of certain types of evidence or testimony.

Psychology is the study of thinking and behavior. It is the study of thinking, how it works and how it influences behavior. Science covers every aspect of human experience, from brain function to communication, from child development to elder care.”

Psychologists and psychotherapists work together to help people with mental disorders, but they are not exactly the same. A psychologist treats a patient through psychotherapy, helping to relieve symptoms through behavior changes. The role of a psychotherapist, who is a medical doctor, focuses more on prescribing medications and other interventions to treat mental health disorders.

Analytical Psychology, 1912

Another direction that got its start at the beginning of the 20th century. and who had interest in the professional environment is the analytical psychology of the psychiatrist and teacher from Switzerland Carl Gustav Jung. In his works, C. Jung decomposes the personality structure into layers: persona, ego, shadow, Anima in men and Animus in women, self.

A person’s goal, which determines life’s meaning and basic need, according to the theory of C. Jung, is aimed at achieving selfhood by passing through conscious layers (persona, ego) and unconscious (the collective unconscious follows the individual). The topmost layer of the unconscious is the shadow, i.e. the double of “I”, the lowest – the self, i.e. real "I". It is C. Jung who owns the division of the unconscious into individual and collective. Thus, the semantic core of analytical psychology is the issue of individuation, that is, a person’s finding the self as a unique integrity, since each individual initially has a vector for self-development.

Individual Psychology, 1912

One of the areas of depth psychology that is in demand today, founded as a result of the psychoanalytic movement at the beginning of the 20th century and the processing of the concepts of classical psychoanalysis, is individual psychology. This movement became famous thanks to the works of the Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler.

Individual psychology is based on the postulate that the individual is an indivisible, integral part of society. A person has consciousness and determines his position in life through his own choice, finding meaning and striving for self-actualization. Hence the theological concept, which means that any human behavior is determined by goals that arise as a result of perceiving the world, comprehending and making decisions. The conscious and unconscious, based on the position of individual psychology, do not oppose, but are unidirectional. The driving forces are a feeling of inferiority, its compensation, lifestyle, a sense of belonging to society, social motives, and the desire to excel. The key difference between individual psychology and S. Freud’s psychoanalysis and analytical psychology is the importance of taking into account past experience, the present situation and the vector of movement.

Behaviorism, 1912

The earliest direction that reduces psychology to reflexes and is still relevant today is behaviorism. The prerequisites for its development are the studies of the American psychologist and educator Edward Lee Thorndike on animal behavior, which were based on problems of skill. In understanding human psychology, the concept of E. L. Thorndike was transferred by the American psychologist John Brodes Watson, who in 1912 reflected the principles of the new direction of psychology in his article [1]. In Russia, I. P. Pavlov and V. M. Bekhterev, who studied reflexology, are considered representatives of behaviorism or behavioral psychology.

The initial methodological position of psychologists in this area is to provide the client with control over his actions, which allows for changes in his behavior. It is behavior, and not consciousness, that is considered the subject of psychology. Behavior is characterized by responsive movements (reactions) of the body to external influences (stimuli) of the environment. Adherents of the behavioral direction base their work on the study of the conditions for the emergence, consolidation, and disappearance of habits and skills. This approach is characterized by scientific pragmatism, control of results and the reduction of consciousness to physiological processes, which serves as a reason for criticism from representatives of personality-oriented trends.

Today, you can get a psychologist’s education in more than 94 bachelor’s and specialist degree profiles, and 86 master’s degree profiles, in 163 universities in Russia. Where should you go to become a psychologist in order to realize your dream of a profession?

Psychologist is one of the most popular professions among applicants and high school students who strive to understand human mental activity, relationships between people, and want to help people who find themselves in critical situations. In this longread, we deliberately used many visual images of various professionals in the field of psychology so that you can get the maximum sense of how different a career this or that specialization in the profession of psychology offers.

What is the difference between a psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatrist

Sometimes a psychologist is confused with a psychotherapist and even a psychiatrist. It's not difficult to understand the difference.

A psychologist is a specialist who mainly works with healthy people, helping them adapt to various life situations. Some psychologists work in the clinic, help doctors understand the patient’s condition, and participate together with the doctor in his therapy. Psychologists do not have the right to make diagnoses or prescribe medication. They are engaged in psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychological correction, and psychological research.

A psychotherapist is a doctor who works in a clinic with sick people whose diseases can be classified as so-called “minor psychiatry”: neuroses, acute post-traumatic disorders, neurotic conditions caused by difficulties in adaptation and psychotrauma. A psychotherapist has the right to make diagnoses and prescribe medication, although his main method of work is psychotherapy.

A psychiatrist is a doctor who works in a clinic with sick people suffering from diseases from both “minor” and “major psychiatry”: neuroses, psychoses, schizophrenia, psychopathy, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. Psychiatrists can make diagnoses and generally treat with medication.

What kinds of psychologists are there?

Psychologists may engage in research, teaching, or work in applied fields. In the latter case, they are called practical psychologists. Practical psychologists are psychologists who carry out their activities in various fields: at school, in internal affairs bodies, in business, in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in the clinic, directly performing practical work on psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychocorrection.

One of the most common professional groups of psychologists is educational psychologists, school psychologists, educational psychologists . The task of such a specialist is to analyze the child’s readiness for school, the success of his adaptation at school and in the family, to diagnose developmental difficulties, to help with career guidance and social adaptation. Educational psychologists work with schoolchildren, teachers and parents.

Child psychologists work with children across a broader spectrum, from early development to adolescence. As a rule, they are involved in the development of the child, help overcome various difficulties with his upbringing, and increase the child’s ability to adapt in various situations.

Family psychologists provide counseling to families that find themselves in a difficult situation due to a breakdown in family relationships. The peculiarity of family counseling is that the psychologist works with each family member and in a group with all family members at the same time. The subject of a family psychologist's work may be family discord, the threat of divorce, problems with children, sick relatives or elderly parents.

Clinical psychologists work in a clinic where they conduct psychodiagnostics and, together with a doctor, participate in the treatment of patients using psychological methods. They are able to work with a variety of clinical tests that allow them to accurately diagnose conditions, developmental problems and mental characteristics of the patient. This allows the doctor to clarify the diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. Psychologists at the clinic, along with psychotherapists, can participate in group and individual psychotherapy.

Penitentiary psychologists work in places of deprivation of liberty, help predict the behavior of convicts, take measures to prevent suicides and self-harm, and help convicts adapt to the conditions of detention. They also work with the staff of correctional colonies and pre-trial detention centers, help avoid emotional burnout, provide support in difficult situations, and even participate in hostage negotiations.

Psychologists of internal affairs bodies and military psychologists participate in psychological examinations when hiring, study teams and give recommendations for optimizing the socio-psychological climate in them, help employees in difficult life situations, train military personnel in mental self-regulation, as well as desensitize stress upon their return from hot spots.

Psychologists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations work with acute conditions that arise in people as a result of the death of relatives and loved ones, or exposure to emergency situations that dramatically change a person’s life. A person is faced with a new reality that is difficult to accept. This causes a shock, a breakdown of all meanings. The person refuses to accept reality. In this case, the EMERCOM psychologist helps the person adapt to his new life reality.

Sports psychologists work in elite sports, help athletes cope with high workloads, teach them mental regulation skills, and prevent breakdowns. Sports psychologists also participate in team formation and focusing athletes on achieving victory.

Corporate psychologists participate in the selection, assessment and adaptation of personnel, take part in the formation and transmission of corporate culture, coach and teach soft skills within corporations: communications, leadership, overcoming conflicts, time management, etc.

Engineering psychologists are specialists whose work focuses on improving and adapting technology, equipment and work environments to improve productivity, human behavior and abilities.

Special psychologists are engaged in the psychological correction of children with various developmental features, manifested in a slowdown or pronounced originality of the child’s psychosocial development, complicating his socio-psychological adaptation, inclusion in the educational space and further professional self-determination.

Political psychologists study psychological components (moods, opinions, feelings, value orientations) in the political life of society.

Social psychologists study group dynamics of small groups, conduct socio-psychological trainings, and also engage in sociometry, psychodiagnostics, counseling and the use of psychotechnologies in the field of socio-psychological phenomena.

There are also many other specializations of specialist psychologists: debt psychologist, legal psychologist, forensic psychologist, psychodiagnostician, neuropsychologist, etc.

As you can see, there are many specializations in psychology. Therefore, when choosing a university and specialty, you should pay special attention to the educational profile.

How to build an educational trajectory, which specialties to choose

Is it possible to become a psychologist after college?

It is impossible to become a psychologist in college. However, if you want to go to college after the 9th grade, and then enter a university to study one of the psychological specialties, in this case your advantage will be studying in the following specialties in college.

If your goal is social psychology, gerontopsychology (psychology of older people), penitentiary psychology, psychology of deviant behavior of adolescents:

• 02/39/01. Social work.

If your goal is corporate psychology:

• 02/38/04. Commerce (by industry).

If your goal is clinical psychology:

• 02/31/01. Medicine;
• 02/34/01. Nursing.

If your goal is educational psychology:

• 02/44/01. Preschool education;
• 02/44/02. Teaching in primary school;
• 02/44/03. Pedagogy of additional education;
• 02/44/06. Vocational education (by industry).

If your goal is special (correctional psychology):

• 02/44/04. Special preschool education;
• 02/44/05. Corrective pedagogy in primary education.

If your goal is to become a police psychologist, criminal psychologist, legal psychologist, penitentiary psychologist:

• 02/40/01. Law and organization of social security;
• 02/40/02. Law enforcement;
• 02/40/03. Law and judicial administration.

If your goal is to become a sports psychologist:

• 02/49/01. Physical Culture.

Profession of psychologist in universities

The profession of a psychologist can be obtained at universities, studying in a bachelor's, specialist's or master's degree.

The classic educational trajectory of a psychologist is based on the following specialties.

• Bachelor's degree: 03/37/01. Psychology
• Specialty: 05.37.01. Clinical psychology 05/37/02. Psychology of performance
• Master's degree: 04/37/01. Psychology

A significant number of pedagogical, child and school psychologists build their educational trajectory at a university as follows:

• Bachelor's degree: 03/44/02. Psychological and pedagogical education
• Master's degree: 04/44/02. Psychological and pedagogical education

If we are talking about special (correctional) psychology:

• Bachelor's degree: 03/44/03. Special (defectological) education
• Master's degree: 04/44/03. Special (defectological) education

What subjects need to be studied intensively at school and taken for the Unified State Exam?

Depending on the field of study and educational institution, different exams may be required. But most university profiles in psychology require a set of the following exams:

• Russian language
• Mathematics
• Biology

Universities often require the following set of exams for psychological profiles:

• Russian language
• Biology
• Social science

There are several options for enrolling as a psychologist with two Unified State Examination subjects and one special university exam:

• Biology
• Russian language
• University specialty exam

How to choose training profiles in universities and colleges

You need to choose your training profile based on the area of ​​psychology in which you want to build a career. You can easily find a suitable profile using the Postupi Online profession atlas. We find the desired profession, for example, child psychologist or clinical psychologist, and look at which higher education programs (profiles) can be obtained. The list of suitable profiles can be filtered by the required set of Unified State Examinations.

A complete list of training profiles in the field of psychology at bachelor’s, specialist and master’s degrees can be found on the “psychologist” profession page.

Thus, you can select the most suitable profiles for any profession in the field of psychology.

Next, you can find out which universities offer programs in these profiles, look at the passing scores and choose the most suitable profile for yourself at a particular university.

Separately, I would like to note that after graduating from university, you will not feel confident in your profession. A practical psychologist should develop skills and competencies separately for another 2-3 years at various courses and trainings in order to develop psychological thinking, professional communication and psychodiagnostics skills.

Be careful! Some universities on the pages of their websites for applicants do not indicate the educational profile (specialization), only the specialty (direction of training). Be sure to ask what profile or specialization a particular educational institution offers. Otherwise, it may turn out that you applied for “psychology”, but sign an application for admission to the “Penitentiary Psychology” profile. And this will be unpleasant if you did not intend to work as a psychologist in prisons.

Author: Alla Noskova, founder of the portal Postupi Online.

Gestalt psychology, 1912

The struggle of trends with mechanistic and idealistic attitudes and the metaphysical nature of widespread theories inevitably leads to the advancement in the second decade of the 20th century. holistic principles and education of Gestalt psychology based on perception research. The founders of the movement, the Hungarian psychologist Max Wertheimer, the German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler and the American psychologist Kurt Koffka, define “gestalt” as a holistic formation that has a quality of form that is not reducible to the properties of its parts.

According to the basic principle of Gestalt psychology, all mental processes are explained by dynamic, changing relationships that are established directly in the process, and not independently of it, and determine its path by mechanistic connections. A person’s actions come from the perception of the situation and act as the final stage of a self-regulating dynamic process. As you can see, Gestalt psychologists in their positions closely connect idealism with mechanism. In other words, they oppose the principle of dividing consciousness into components and adhere to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe psyche recreating a holistic, understandable image. For example, when we perceive a word with a missing letter, we strive to recreate it entirely.

The main postulate of modern Gestaltists is that a person strives for integrity and completeness, coordinates various parts of the personality into a single whole. The main goal in life is self-actualization, focused only on the present and reality.

Psychological roles: when it’s scary to take off the mask

How many masks do you change per day?

At work, for example, a sensible doctor, at home - a strict mother, with her parents - an obedient daughter. And don’t let the word “mask” confuse you. We can call these psychological roles. Or subpersonalities.

Why do we use role masks? For different purposes. One of them is trying to protect yourself. Even if you are a “loving mother” at work, you will hardly be able to manage a team of 30 people. This is a completely natural mechanism.

But what if the mask-role begins to consume us? How persistently some of us carry, for example, professional roles home.

Some special role can become so ingrained in us that at our friends’ anniversary we are the first to take the floor. Why? Yes, because “according to the status it’s required.” Or maybe we immediately start telling our neighbor that it’s time to check his stomach, otherwise he has a rash on his face. What about “I-am-a-doctor.”

As you already feel, there is no rule here: if you go to a holiday with your friends, forget, for example, about your profession. You never know, the guest will become ill. And I provide help to a person at the time of a panic attack, even if at this moment I am relaxing with my family.

But how important it is to be able to switch these roles. Allow yourself to be an ordinary worried mother at the doctor’s office, and not a “PhD, rheumatologist”

Be a leader at work, but at home make decisions together with your family, and not pound on the table as if you were still the boss at a meeting.

Why is this happening?

Because in our favorite role everything is clear: the teacher seems to have the right to teach, but she must be listened to a priori. It seems like everyone at home is obligated to obey the boss, and the psychologist will sort out the lives of all her friends. And just try to disagree! It seems to be convenient, like showing off a crust. I am a rescuer/boss/psychologist/doctor (fill in your own), which means I am right. Only with this comes great anxiety and the inability to relax. Constant tension and fear that someone will rip off this mask.

And now the brutal boss turns out to be a defenseless boy who is 40, and his father still allows himself to slap him on the head. And he is still silent in response. “An experienced mother of 3 children” cries at night from a feeling of powerlessness and is tormented by a feeling of guilt. But he can’t share his fears and pain with anyone - you always have to live up to the role.

All of our roles have something in common. Actually, we all have something in common. We are people. And each of us can be a SuperMom-Leader-Teacher. But first of all, each of us is HUMAN, which means we are all sometimes afraid, anxious, angry and do a lot of other things. As soon as we allow ourselves to be a little more human, as soon as we allow ourselves to lower the mask at least a little and breathe, it turns out that anxiety also decreases. After all, now we are not obliged to correspond to it everywhere and be ideal. At least at home, at least with loved ones. And sometimes it turns out that even completely unfamiliar people also turn out to be a little closer and warmer if you allow yourself to look eye to eye, and not build a fence out of masks.

Have you noticed how your mask roles work?

PS There is such a wonderful film “Magnolia”. After him, I discovered the talent of Tom Cruise. His character is a powerful example of how a role can be consumed once a mask is put on.

Humanistic direction, 1951

In the 60s of the XX century. Humanistic approaches in psychology, centered on the uniqueness of the individual, are actively developing. One of the representatives and leaders of the humanistic movement is the American psychologist Carl Ransom Rogers. In his opinion, the “self-concept” acts as the foundation of the personality structure and is formed as a result of a person’s interaction with the surrounding social environment. The main postulates of the humanistic approach:

• a person’s desire to develop and realize their potential is innate;
• the inner essence of a person is positive and social;
• humanistic orientation and constructiveness are the key to human survival and evolution;
• To reveal the inner nature of a person, three conditions must be met: authenticity in communication, unconditional acceptance, and empathy.

Stress and shock situations

The modern idea of ​​psychology consists of numerous schools that allow clients to achieve certain results in personality psychology. Most often, people who have experienced fear, stress, or become hostage to the consequences of emergency situations turn to the help of specialists. When a person has to deal with unfamiliar circumstances, the reaction may be either adequate or not, and sometimes even too harsh with dire consequences for mental health.

These kinds of responses, possible actions and protective reflexes should be studied so that in the future it is more likely to be possible to prevent undesirable consequences provoked by psychological trauma. Armed with the necessary knowledge, you can become a support for a person in need of help and moral support. The psychology of extreme situations considers two types of stressful effects: physical, manifested in the form of hunger, pain, overload, etc., psychological - fear, risk, deception, resentment, and others.

In the modern world, personality disorder often occurs due to an accident, serious illness, loss of financial stability, change in social status, conflicts with loved ones.

Cognitivism, 1955

In the late 50's - early 60's. XX century a cognitive revolution is taking place in psychology, which puts in first place the importance of internal cognitive processes that determine human behavior. According to this principle, a person does not simply react to external stimuli, but processes information from the outside and creates his own models of reality.

American psychologist Albert Ellis is considered to be one of the founders of the cognitive approach. In his opinion, a person has pronounced self-reflection and has innate multidirectional groups of attitudes: rational and irrational, constructive and destructive, striving for love, growth and striving for destruction, self-accusation. Their combination ultimately determines behavior patterns. The concept of cognitive direction is complemented by the ABC conceptual scheme of A. Ellis, where A is the activating event, B is the opinion about the event, C is the consequence of the event (emotional and behavioral).

What kinds of psychologists are there?

Psychologists surround us everywhere. All preschool and school educational institutions, as well as hospitals, have a psychologist on staff.

A psychologist can work as a speech therapist, coach, or business trainer. With additional training, you can become a psychotherapist.

You can choose scientific or teaching activity, stay in your home department, defend your dissertation and teach.

Psychologists often apply for the position of HR manager. In addition, companies sometimes hire psychologists as staff. In a large company, a psychologist deals with:

• personnel testing;
• trainings;
• psychological support for employees;
• development of management methods.

Important!

Considering the high demand for psychologists in many industries and the growing popularity of the profession, choosing a psychology department for training is a smart step.

Transactional Analysis, 1956

The history of transactional analysis begins in 1956, when the American psychologist and psychiatrist Eric Berne was once again denied membership by a professional psychoanalytic organization, which served as an incentive for independent activity and the development of his own direction. As a science, transactional analysis was recognized after the death of its founder and received its maximum development at the end of the 20th century. According to representatives of transactional analysis, personality is multi-subjective and has three components: exteropsyche, neopsyche and archeopsyche, which are expressed by the ego states “Parent”, “Adult” and “Child”.

The ego state of the parent is determined by the attitudes received primarily from the parents, i.e. adopted from outside. The ego state of an adult does not depend on the person’s age and external attitudes; it contributes to an objective and rational perception of reality and decision-making. The child's ego state contains all the attitudes and motivations that occur in childhood. Each of these ego states is formed as a result of experiences received, starting from birth, and together determine human behavior.

Modern psychology concept

The history of psychology is multifaceted and has a long path from cosmic and religious reflections, practical knowledge of man and natural science to deep psychology, based on observations of unconscious mental processes. For some, the psyche (soul) is material and behavior is reduced to mechanical reactions, while for others it is exclusively idealistic.

When establishing the differences, similarities and concepts of historically established areas of psychology, it becomes clear that the main disagreements lie primarily in the subject area. In the V-III centuries. BC. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and other philosophers of that time defined the soul as the subject of psychology. In the XI-XIII centuries. psychology was viewed from the perspective of reason. In the XV-XVI centuries. began to attach importance to feelings. In the 17th - mid-19th centuries. The concept of consciousness is popularized. Second half of the 19th - mid-20th centuries. – is marked by the study of behavior.

From the second half of the 20th century. psychology is inextricably linked with the concept of the psyche as a set of mental processes associated with the environment and expressed in the reflection of objective reality. The materialistic basis of psychology becomes obvious, and the idealistic part appears as a consequence. It is this definition that reconciles the two conflicting points of view from which we began our consideration of the most popular areas of psychology.