PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY

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History and Systems of Psychology PSY502

Lesson 43

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY

We will now touch upon two relatively modern areas of psychology; the first is organizational psychology

and industrial psychology. It may be defined as the application of psychological principles and techniques to

business and industrial problems. For example, psychology may be used in the selection of personnel or

development of training programs for the employees which may enhance their productivity, make them

more efficient and hence result in betterment of the organization.

In other words, industrial and organizational psychology are two new branches of psychology which aim at

improving overall performance of industrial and organizational workforce in order to improve the

productivity of the organization as a whole. Industrial psychology in particular, deals with labor force that

works in factories etc., while organizational psychology deals with psychology of members of any

organization, may it be an educational institute or a team. Some areas which are studied under the umbrella

of organizational/industrial psychology include:

Organizational design

Organizational design studies how to deal with the design of organization which meets the

requirements and needs. For example, an organization may be tall or flat, i.e. having greater layers of

management or lesser layers of management.

Organizational culture

Organizational culture studies how to deal with the culture within the organization. Every organization

has its own set of values which are expected to be followed by every member of the organization.

These values determine the overall productivity of the employees. Organization culture deals with the

principles that govern such cultural practices. It sets out guidelines to develop, maintain and reform (if

needed) the organizational culture.

Globalization

Globalization refers to a phenomenon which is often misperceived to be quite recent. Globalization

means the world becoming one global village where distances present no more a hurdle to

communication, trade, mobility of factors, exchange of ideas etc. An important aspect of globalization

is that it allows mobility of workforce to move from one part of the globe to another. This mobility of

workforce has had a significant impact on the working of organizations which has become more

diversified in terms of labor force composition. A modern organization may employee a workforce

comprising of members from various countries other than its origin. Therefore, globalization also plays

a significant role in determining industrial psychology.

Diversity

Diversity refers to the workforce of an organization comprising of individuals with different

characteristics and traits which may differ to a great extent. Modern organizations, in order to survive in

harsh competition need to diversify their workforce. Therefore, diversity studies shape a vital part of

industrial psychology studies.

Personality related factors in organizations

Personality related factors in organizations refer to factors such as motivation of the employee or

attitude of the employee towards the organization and his work. Therefore, organizations need to

concentrate on such factors which are now a part of industrial and organizational psychology. A

motivated employee, for instance, would be more productive and would be more useful for the

organization.

History and Systems of Psychology PSY502

Leadership

Leadership styles are also studied under industrial and organizational psychology. Leadership is an

important determinant of overall productivity of the organization, team or group. Therefore,

organizations tend to determine the best possible leadership styles for their managers.

Stress and Fatigue

Stress management is another area under the umbrella of industrial and organizational psychology.

American organizations spend a huge amount of money on stress management of their employees.

Many productive employees lose their productivity because of work stress. Therefore, psychologists

need to determine ways and means to help these people with stress management. Stress results into

fatigue for the employees which need to be handled before it mars the productivity of the employees.

The best way to do it, is to help the employees manage their work stress.

Selection and Training

Selection and training are also a part of industrial and organizational psychology. Psychologists are hired

to determine the personality characteristics of the employee and find the best fit for the organization

who would suit the needs and requirements of the work being assigned to him and would be productive

for the organization. Further, training, such as, to manage stress, diversity training, etc. are also areas

under study in industrial and organizational psychology which help the employee to be more

productive.

Another more recent expansion of the subject of psychology is Environmental Psychology. Environmental

psychology focuses on human interaction with environment. It deals in how humans effect environment

and how in turn environment affects human psychology. It includes such topics as

Personal Space

Personal Space is the region surrounding each person, or that area which a person considers his domain

or territory. Often if entered by another being without this being desired, it makes them feel

uncomfortable. The amount of space a being (person, plant, animal) needs falls into two categories,

immediate individual physical space (determined by imagined boundaries), and the space an individual

considers theirs to live in (often called habitat). These are dependent on many things, such as growth

needs, habits, courtships, etc

Territoriality

Territories may be held by an individual, a mated pair, or a group which are then defended by them

from intrusion of outsiders. Territoriality is only expected to emerge where there is a focused resource

that provides enough for the individual or group, within a boundary that is small enough to be

defended without the expenditure of too much effort.

Environment toxins

Environment toxins are things which are harmful for the environment in which humans live and

therefore, in turn harm human beings as well. For example, noise pollution may be a cause of fatigue.

Temperature changes which are caused due to human beings, such as that explained by global warming

are also studied under this topic.

Organizational psychology, Industrial psychology and Environmental Psychology are some of the new areas

where modern psychology is growing and expanding.

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