PAGE | 1 PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT LILAVATIBAI PODAR HIGH SCHOOL ISC FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY (2022 - 2023) SUBMITTED BY - DEEYP CHHEDA STD & DIVISION - XI G PAGE | 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank our honorable principal Mrs. Sheila Alexander for providing us with immense opportunities and a platform to learn and express ourselves. I would also like to express my gratitude towards our Headmaster Mr. Zaheer Sareea, for his sincere commitment towards making our learning experience an unforgettable yet fruitful one during these unusual times. PAGE | 3 INDEX 1. 2. 3. AIM RATIONALE METHODOLOGY PART II: RESEARCH A. Questions Asked B. Case study I C. Analysis D. Case Study II E. Analysis F. Results and Discussion 4. 5. 6. CONCLUSION LIMITATION INTERVIEW NOTES PAGE | 4 AIM: The aim of the study was to understand the difference between the work and profession of two practicing psychologists with different specializations. RATIONALE: Psychology has always seemed interesting to me. However, in order to understand the subject and its practical aspects better it was important that I go through this project. It not only helped me understand two established specializations and how they differ from each other but also gave me the freedom to explore various fields of psychology. It helped me learn the skills that are required to work in the chosen fields and enhanced my interests in the discussed fields. METHODOLOGY: -My project consists of two parts, theory, and research. -For the theory, which consists of “The Fields Of Psychology,” I have taken information from textbooks and online sources. -For the research, I have used the case study method which is defined as ‘a process or record of research into the development of a particular individual, group, or situation over a period of time’. The data collection technique used was the interview method. My study includes case studies on clinical psychology and industrial psychology. The information collected was qualitatively analyzed. PART II: RESEARCH PAGE | 6 QUESTIONS ASKED 1. What led you to further pursue psychology as a field of study? 2. Why did you choose this particular field of psychology? 3. What is the best and the worst part of being a psychologist? 4. What does a typical working day in your life look like? 5. What is a particular niche in psychology which you are interested in apart from your main practice? 6. How do you deal with stress in your profession? 7. What are some misconceptions about being a psychologist that people believe? 8. What advice would you give a student who is pursuing psychology for undergraduate studies? PAGE | 7 CASE STUDY 1( BACKGROUND DETAILS) Name - Neha Gupta Educational Background - BA in Psychology, MA in Clinical Psychology from Dr. D.Y. PATIL Arts, Commerce and Science College Work Background - Clinical Psychologist practicing since 2018 ANALYSIS It seemed as if Psychology was the only field of study which was interesting to Miss Neha while deciding what to study further, it felt as middle ground between abstract science and applied science. Furthermore Psychology also seemed to have the most scope for the future for Miss Gupta. As far as further division of Psychology, Clinical Psychology had many real world applications and she felt that it gave her the most freedom with where she could use her degree. Adding on, it seemed to be the closest to being a ‘doctor’ without having to study Biology according to her mother. According to her, the best part about being a Clinical Psychologist was that it was a fulfilling profession. Being able to connect with and meet multiple people and in a way helping them be happier or better feels extremely rewarding. The worst part - it can also be demanding at times. There have been times when a case is very complex and one does not know how to approach it and sometimes when the client may be very difficult to deal with and that does affect you. Dealing with work related stress often means time away from the profession, a time to disconnect and indulge in hobbies - painting and tennis. Apart from Clinical Psychology, she is fascinated by Sports Psychology saying that sports psychology seems to connect physiology to psychology in interesting ways. A typical work day for her starts off with her going over her to-do list for the day which she often makes the day before as her last task. She then checks her email and responds to any emails. If she has an appointment, she will go over her notes from previous sessions and her documentation of the client beforehand to be better prepared. Post her appointment, she updates her notes, and organizes them. She also spends some time researching various scientific literature and devising treatment plans for patients. Due to the nature of her work, work hours are often undefined. According to her, having an organized structure for her work process in the absence of a definite routine helps her to get work done faster and better. PAGE | 8 People often believe that psychologists can self diagnose themselves and hence to some extent have mastered their emotions, another common misconception she has come across is that subjects like psychology ( or the Arts Stream as a whole ) does not give lucrative employment opportunities. Finally she had two pieces of advice to give students who will be pursuing Psychology as a subject of study in their undergraduate studies: a. Learn or have an understanding of Biology b. Relate with real life examples, and even introspection it will make concepts more clear. PAGE | 9 CASE STUDY 2 ( BACKGROUND DETAILS) Name - Brinda Sarin Educational Background - BA in Psychology from St. Xaviers, MA in Organizational Psychology from Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences Work Background - Working in HR in Lenovo since 2020 3 Years in HR in Hiranandani Foundation ANALYSIS For Mrs. Brinda Sarin the decision to pick Psychology as part of further studies and as a suitable career option stemmed from her love for psychology as a subject and because of her cousin sister who had also pursued the same albeit in the US. As far as organizational psychology as a choice of specialization, it largely came due to an interest in business and a desire to work in a corporate setting. The best part about her profession according to her is that being an organizational psychologist in Human Resources makes full use of her capabilities, and gives her problems to solve which keeps the work interesting. The worst part according to her is that most people do not see or know the value of an organizational psychologist which often acts as hindrance in her practice or in general to maintaining the efficiency of the organization. A typical day in her work day starts off with her going through all important messages, emails, etc. Following which she will schedule her day on priority basis. Usually she has a half hour meeting every other day to discuss employee performance or any other issue. During the times when the company is hiring, she is involved from putting out ads or hiring campaigns to the interview process and finally the selection. She also has to spend some time going through the work of people in her team. She also has an hour of office work reserved for the employees to approach her. Apart from reading up about organizational psychology, she is also interested in forensic psychology. Dealing with stress coming from her profession, Mrs Sarin says that the stress (according to her) is not that great, according to her spending time with her family and traveling once in a while deems to be the best stress buster. One of the major misconceptions people around her have had, is that organizational psychologists can only be a part of Human Resources. Speaking about what advice she would PAGE | 10 given to students pursuing undergraduate psychology and even for post graduate studies, she said that looking beyond or going the extra step of reading up more about certain topics and subjects will help a lot. Another piece of advice she gave was to try to get a grasp of how scientific literature is written and how it should be read. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Major differences that stood out to me, between clinical and organizational psychology were their nature and style of working. While clinical psychology seems to be more emotionally driven with a certain level of emotional intimacy involved, it seems to be on the positive end a very fulfilling profession and on the negative side - very emotionally stressful. Organizational Psychology from this particular case study seems to be more involved with the professional aspects of their client’s life and thereby seems to have some distance between the practitioner and the client. Furthermore it seems as if clinical psychology comes the nearest to our idea of a therapy while organizational psychology seems to be more of a corporate job. Apart from the differences in practice and education, there is also a difference in lifestyle - with clinical psychology being more client based and may have long hours depending on certain situations whereas organizational psychology can often be project based or like a corporate position which has clear working hours. PAGE | 11 CONCLUSION I had a lot of fun doing this project, it helped me gain more insight into the more practical aspects of psychology. I greatly enjoyed my time interviewing the psychologists and analyzing, seeing the differences between the two specializations went on to show me just how distinct branches of psychology can be while maintaining certain similarities. This project definitely gave me more clarity on if I should pursue psychology further on or not. LIMITATIONS There were a few challenges I faced while conducting this project. First of them being - the difficulty to find a psychologist willing to give their time for an interview without a formal appointment which would entail paying their fees. Furthermore, I did face some internet issues while interviewing Mrs Brinda Sarin which did pose as a minor hindrance.
