In one of my career talks, I discuss how both psychologists and human resource professionals, my two fields, tend to be viewed in a negative manner by the public. Unfortunately, it is no the same sort of sexy bad of lawyers, but often a boring bad image. The release of information on interrogation techniques used by the military with detainees has further tarnished the image of psychologists – an example is this article from Democracy Now.
The image of both psychologists and the psychologists profession that emerges in this article is a highly negative one. Perhaps I find the role of psychologists to be more salient than the general public will, but certainly this represents a black eye for psychology, regardless of the accuracy of the reporting or statements made regarding the profession.
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My guess is part of what tarnishes the images of both professions is the perception that they either do nothing or do harm. I don’t think either field is particularly good at spreading news about the things they accomplish that help others or society in general.
I agree Bryan with your point. Of course, I might add that there are two reasons for that, especially if we are dealing with human resources for the minute or industrial psychology 1) we have failed to clearly define our field and in the case of HR have failed to define it as a profession 2) we are not all that sure of what it is we are trying to accomplish in order to help others. For example, as assessment professionals, what is it exactly that we do that helps others or helps society in general?
We help organizations both public and private become more successful and efficient by properly matching jobs with the individuals most likely to succeed in them.
Perhaps the problem is what we do is so often behind the scenes and our impact ephemeral. Take our cousins, vocational counselors, as an example. They work the other side of the equation, helping individuals find jobs. That’s much more tangible.
We’re more like…Dunder Mifflin.
Bryan, Of course you are right. There was an article I wrote a couple of years ago for IPMA-HR that called that the trickle down theory. That is, we help people by helping to make organizations more efficient. Except as you point out, it is a lot harder for people to see how that impacts their lives directly. Other than serving as a gatekeeper to prevent them from getting the job they want.