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Becoming the New Generation of Psychologists
Words Jade Elizabeth Thomas
Jade Elizabeth Thomas, Psychologist in Doctoral Training and Author of Psychology and the City blog shares the challenges and influences the new generation of psychologists’ face in society today.
The subject of Psychology has been around since the 1800s, in the late 19th century marked the start of psychology seen as a science, fast forward to the 21st century and psychology is one of the most popular and fastest growing subjects to study at degree level in the UK. So, if psychology has been around for centuries and in today’s society it still remains a popular phenomenon, what does that mean for the new generation of psychologists?
From my personal experience whilst studying the subject of psychology for six years now, some areas of psychology are still very outdated in the way they view society. For example, psychology has placed much emphasis on the contributions of male psychologists within the field such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers, Aaron Beck and B.F. Skinner, what about the women in psychology? Anna Freud and Mary Ainsworth to name a few of the pioneering women who also provided influential work in the field. This leads onto how women in STEM (science, tech, engineering and maths) are still viewed in today’s society and the gender stereotyping that is still prevailing, this idea of ‘beauty vs brains’, ‘dumb blondes’ and how ‘women who work in STEM must not be feminine.’
The American Psychological Association suggested that women make up 76% of new psychology doctorates and 53% of the psychology workforce, these statistics show that the gender and stereotype issues do not lie within the number of women within the field, so how come new female psychologists such as myself, still occasionally feel out of place in the way society views psychologists?
Imagine what a counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist looks like, what did you imagine? Did you imagine a 20 something, blonde haired, petite female wearing a pair of Louboutin’s? You most likely didn’t or maybe you did and if so, you are way ahead of society! This concept, that psychological practitioners have to ‘look a certain way’, ‘fit a mould’ or be ‘dulled down’ can be really damaging to individuals who may not feel they do ‘fit in’ or fear they won’t be taken seriously within the profession because of the way they appear to society. This concept also risks psychological practitioners or aspiring psychologists losing their own identities in order to conform to what society deems as ‘fitting.’
It might not only be the practitioner’s appearance, or their age that might differ to what you initially imagined but did you imagine them sitting in a room with a client lying or sitting on a sofa opposite them? Again, this idea of face-to-face practice has now been replaced by online work due to the pandemic where video call or teletherapy is at an all-time high. For the past year much like many others, psychology students at school, college, university and at postgraduate level have had to adapt their way of working or studying and shift to complete this online, thankfully to today’s technology this is possible, however it’s understandable for many aspiring psychologists to feel their dreams have been halted in some way. Furthermore, many psychological theories lack the concept of ‘distance working’ with clients because until 2020 it wasn’t really necessary. This adds to the further complexity that the new generation of psychologists face but also the advantages they are gaining from this new experience and way of working.
Finally, the topic of mental health is being more widely discussed and acknowledged, particularly through the media. This can make the role for new psychologists more accessible as slowly society is aiming to break the negative stigma around mental health, which can encourage individuals to feel more inclined to seek professional mental health support. Due to this shift within society, this will increase the job opportunities for psychologists, as well as opening up psychology careers into a wider field with more of a varied role.
Now more than ever the new generation of psychologists need confidence in their own ability and the self-motivation to achieve their goals due to a lot of the work being conducted in isolation or remotely. Because of these modernised demands it is crucial that up-and-coming psychologists are able to adapt to the flexibility of their role. It also leaves the question of whether it’s more important than ever for new psychologists to obtain their sense of individuality. Will this help to refresh society's way of viewing psychologists and therapists? And finally, has the pandemic changed the way forward for psychology and psychotherapy for good, is it time we reboot the system because of a virus?