What Does The Future Look Like? Trends for Careers in Psychology
Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology is expected to experience the most growth in the coming decade – 26 percent as compared to 14 percent for psychologists generally. It is a relatively new specialty within the field of psychology, and degrees in this specific area have only recently begun to be offered by colleges and universities. However, I/O psychologists are in high demand: businesses and corporations realize the potential for an increase in financial success if an I/O psychologist shows them how they can increase job satisfaction and productivity, and subsequently, profit margins.
Counseling psychologists are needed as more people turn to counseling to combat marriage problems, addiction, depression, and other personal issues. Geropsychologists , those who specialize in working with the elderly, are increasingly in demand as the population of the United States ages. Clinical psychologists are increasingly utilized as a resource for people struggling with unhealthy lifestyle issues.
School psychologists will be increasingly needed as the connection between a student's academic success and her or his future life success becomes more widely recognized. School psychologists are called in to work in educational settings to provide counseling, to work with students with disabilities and learning difficulties, to tackle drug use, and to consult with teachers and parents.
The most demand will be for graduates with their doctoral degrees and those with a specialty within the field such as health psychology or child psychology. Individuals who can find and fill a niche in psychology are expected to be most successful, as jobs are opening up for people in specialized arenas and workplaces, including retirement homes, preschools, and rehabilitation facilities.
How the Profession of Psychology is Developing
More than 20,000 additional people are expected to be employed in the field of psychology in the coming decade. Specific developments are notable. For example, psychology has become an institutionalized part of the United States educational system, with 29 percent of psychologists working in testing, research, counseling, and administration, as well as in teaching positions. Their expertise will continue to be needed, hence the expected rise in demand for school psychologists.
Psychologists with doctoral degrees who have gained experience over several years are increasingly opening up their own private practices and research/consulting firms, as these tend to be quite lucrative.
In addition, the healthcare industry relies heavily on psychologists, but historically has not acknowledged them with the respect or financial support they deserve. With a more universalized form of healthcare soon becoming a reality for the United States, psychologists are expected to gain more of the respect and payment they deserve in the healthcare field.
The research skills of psychologists are increasingly in demand, as new mental illnesses and disorders are rapidly being discovered and/or recognized. Psychologists' scientific ability to evaluate and report findings about these mental issues are and will continue to be in high demand as “hot topics” in psychology keep making the front pages, headlines, and news stories in the media. Below are short descriptions of some of these headlining issues, which psychologists have helped to uncover, diagnose, understand, and treat.
In the past several decades, psychologists have focused strongly on exploring “negative” issues like pathology and sickness; a turn has been suggested toward examining people's strengths and the psychology of “normal” people. With this new sort of “positive psychology” gaining recognition, more studies on issues like courage, leadership, and optimism are expected to emerge.
Hot Topics in Psychology
- Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: a developmental disorder that arises during early childhood, manifesting itself in distraction, misconduct, and hyperactivity amongst youth. It causes disruption to children's home and academic lives.
- Depression: a mental state that surfaces as a dejected lack of activity and motivation, and feelings of inadequacy and pessimism. It impacts people's home lives, work, and social relationships. If untreated over years and with worsening symptoms, it can lead to suicide.
- Eating disorders: disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are concerned with distorted body image and the attempt to control body weight and appearance. Exercise, starvation, purging, vomiting, and drug use to manage body weight are common problems.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: a psychological reaction occurring from exposure to stressful, traumatic, or deeply upsetting experiences, such as death or injury. Soldiers returning from war frequently grapple with PTSD.
- Dyslexia: a neurological learning disability where individuals have difficulty with reading, spelling, and writing. Psychologists are often employed to help those with dyslexia improve their abilities in these areas.
- Homosexuality: psychologists are increasingly called upon to help those identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, or questioning confront issues such as identity, coming out, and discrimination.
- Domestic Violence: domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner, or ex-partner tries to physically or psychologically harm another member of the family.
- Divorce: as the number of divorces is drastically on the rise in the United States, psychologists help families navigate the process of family dissolution. Issues include parental custody, the division of children's time, money, power, and counseling children through this change in their family structure.
Article Resources:
The American Psychological Association, Journal of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Badesch Abramovitch Attorneys at Law
The New York Times Online
Princeton University, WordNet Search
Psychology Today
The Sound Learning Center
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics