Psychology in the Public Forum : Unity in Service?

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While a theoretical and methodological unity is beyond the grasp of contemporary psychology, it could be argued that a unity of purpose might be possible if it is recognized that specialized psychological systems and methods, even if irreconcilable at the moment, have all been tapped to provide some sort of service to the wider community. It might be said, therefore, that a kind of unity in diversity actually exists, this unity being in terms of the public service dimension of the psychological enterprise. It is true that much more could be done than is actually being accomplished at the moment. DeLeon (1986) suggests ways in which the societal contribution of organized psychology can be enhanced. He urges psychologists to become involved in the public policy process which, while extraordinarily difficult at times, provides the only effective channel for funneling psychological expertise to those segments of society where such expertise is desperately needed (DeLeon, 1993). Louttit (1992) and Johnson (1992) make similar points. For too long behavioral scientists have been out of the room when policies that regulate human behavior are developed. In these particular areas psychologists have a great deal to contribute but the effectiveness of their contribution is directly related to their ability to mobilize and synthesize their knowledge in ways that the lay community can understand. Sloan (1992) asks psychologists to grapple with global issues, to risk leaving the relative security of the university or laboratory environment for the real world of issues and problems with significant psychological dimensions. As Bevan (1991), Miller (1969), Fowler (1990) and many others have urged in recent years, it is time to make psychology more responsive to the needs of the larger society of which it is a part. A certain ecological relevance is now in order. Increasing recognition of the fact that psychology has much to contribute to the community despite its current lack of theoretical and methodological unity may, in fact, encourage a kind of cooperation between isolated sub-specialties by fostering a kind of unity of purpose in the public forum. All this has implications for the ways psychologists will be educated in the future. McGovern et al (1991), in their analysis of psychology as a liberal arts major, suggested that the tensions between scientific and applied concerns and between breadth and depth relate to the fact that many traditional research and academic psychologists emphasize scientific values while health service providers emphasize humanistic values. As a corrective to this situation, they advocate that undergraduate psychology majors be involved as a matter of course in some sort of community service as part of their educational experience in psychology. Students should be given training in interpersonal skills so that the psychological knowledge they acquire can be transmitted to the wider communities to which they will return following graduation. Instilling a sense of responsibility for the wider community is a critical component of informed citizenship in their estimation. Schneider (1990) also argues for a revamping of current educational practices in psychology. He encourages the establishment of colleges of biopsychosocial studies to enable students to grapple effectively with the major problems affecting contemporary society. Anchored as it is at the biological and social ends of the spectrum, psychology could take the lead in such an endeavour. Schneider encourages new relationships with cognate disciplines in the field of health care delivery including cardiology, oncology, pharmacology, preventative medicine, immunology, family practice, pediatrics, etc. Links with schools of public health, law, environmental studies, architecture, engineering and the humanities are also proposed. Schneider encourages psychologists to "consider activities that can be tied to graduate education, involving students in basic, applied, evaluative, and policy research in a variety of community settings; consultation, including direct and indirect services emphasizing prevention, conflict resolution, problem solving, and the empowerment of people with problems of living; dissemination and diffusion of research findings and the active pursuit of their application; and a variety of educational activities for scientists, professionals, and the community." (p.525). Psychology remains a discipline and a profession in search of itself. This is not surprising for psychology emerged as an independent discipline a mere 120 years ago. The complexity of its subject matter and the complex, multi-disciplinary nature of its origins continue to work against the attainment of a grand synthesis, an overriding paradigm, which would confer a theoretical and methodological unity on the discipline. Despite this, or because of it, much progress has been made in more narrowly demarcated sub-specialties, which, while still tending to remain in relative isolation from one another with respect to theoretical and methodological issues, do hold in common the promise of considerable relevance to the public forum where many of the problems and issues of widespread concern have significant psychological components. The extent to which psychologists can commit themselves to offering their diverse specialized expertise to the wider community of which they are a part may just serve as a catalyst for bringing seemingly disparate communities together in a spirit of reconciliation and unity based on the recognition that psychology has much to contribute to the amelioration and solution of the major problems affecting our local, regional, national and international communities.
国際基督教大学の論文

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Rackham David
国際基督教大学

Psychology in the Public Forum : Unity in Service?

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