Behavioral Psychology Careers
Behavioral psychologists study the observable behaviors of people. While other psychologists study internal mental processes, behavioral psychologists study only external actions and people's perceptible relations with their environment.
Behavioral psychologists believe that psychology is “the science of behavior… not the science of the mind.” They maintain that behaviors can be understood without making reference to internal psychological processes, and that the source of human behavior is the environment, not the cogito. They study patterns of conditioning and how people respond to stimuli in their environment. This subfield is a relatively small but vocal arena within psychology.
Typically speaking, people are classified as belonging to one of two types of behavioral psychologists: experimental or applied. Experimental psychologists study behavior through the use of experiments in laboratories and by observing people in order to increase our knowledge of how and why humans act they way they do.
Applied behavioral psychologists use their knowledge in a real-world setting, such as in the mental health or educational arena. They occupy positions such as behavior analyst or behavior therapist, and can work with people on issues such as depression, addiction, stress, and anxiety.
Skills: Being good at observation is a crucial component of success as a behavioral psychologist. Excellent research skills are mandatory as this is a foundation of this work, a subfield within clinical psychology. For this reason, attention to detail, thoroughness, and innate curiosity are helpful traits.
Requirements: Typically a master's or doctoral degree is necessary in order to gain certification as a behavior analyst, and to work in schools or research institutes. More positions are available for those with their doctorate, rather than just a master's degree.
Salary: People working as behavior therapists and counselors earned between $31,300 and $44,130 in 2008, while clinical psychologists earned an average of $64,140.
Article Resources:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stephen F. Austin State University
The University of Rhode Island
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Counselors"
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Psychologists"