Page 628 - Understanding Psychology

Psi Chi is the national honor society of psychology.
Reading Check
How does the work of experimental and applied psy- chologists differ?
Current Trends
The American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and pro- fessional society of psychologists and educators. Founded in 1892, it is the major psychological association in the United States and is made of more than 50 divisions, each representing a specific area, type of work or research setting, or activity. Some divisions are research-oriented, while others are advocacy groups. Together they are a cross section of the diverse nature of psychology.
Beginning in the 1970s, some members expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the APA. These critics feared that the APA was becoming a pro- fessional instead of an academic organization. As a result, a new organiza- tion for academic and science-oriented psychologists, the American Psychological Society (APS), was founded in 1988; in five years it grew to a membership of 15,000. With more than 155,000 members and affiliates, the APA is the world’s largest organization of psychologists.
Another organization, Psi Chi, a professional and scientific honor society, has chapters on many college and university campuses. Members of Psi Chi hold meetings and help orient psychology students to the field.
According to a survey completed by the APA Research Office (1996, 1999), about 43 percent of those who study psychology obtain master’s degrees in counseling, 32 percent in clinical psychology, and 15 percent in school psychology. The remaining respondents to the survey obtained their degrees in traditional research and other subfields, such as indus- trial/organizational psychology, general and educational psychology, and experimental psychology (see Figure 21.6).
The United States Bureau of Labor places psychology among the fastest- growing fields into the twenty-first century. In addition, the number of women in psychology has been increasing rapidly. In the early 1990s, women held 60 percent of the civilian jobs in psychology, and women received more than two- thirds of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees conferred during that time. Although psychology is still a male- dominated field, the propor- tion of women in psychology is greater than in most other scientific disciplines
(Simonton, 1992).
Ethnic minorities have
indeed been a minority in the field of psychology. This trend, however, also seems to be changing. In the past decade, a relatively
Figure 21.6 Employment of Ph.D. Psychologists
Psychology is one of the most diverse fields to enter. Almost all psy- chologists are trained at colleges and universities, and therefore all psychologists are familiar with the academic setting. Where do most people who obtain Ph.D.s in psychology work?
Self-employed 16.9%
Other educational settings 5.5%
Private, nonprofit 10.1%
Private, for profit* 21.9%
4.2% State/local government 7.0%
*This category includes businesses and incorporated private practices.
Federal government
Source: 1997 Survey of Doctorate Recipients, National Research Council and National Science Foundation. Compiled by APA Research Office, March 1999.
Universities/ colleges 34.3 %
614 Chapter 21 / Psychology: Present and Future