2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
This article was published in the "Psychological newspaper" in 2005, as a response to the article by M. Borodyansky "A psychologist in a firm - money down the drain" unprofessionalism and a desire to profit from far-fetched problems, etc., offering an alternative solution through the invitation of "real" professionals from psychological centers. The problems raised in it, sadly, are still relevant today.
I would like real professionals in their field to work in all areas. But it is also necessary that people who are familiar with it closely, and not by hearsay, talk about the essence of this or that activity. Critical remarks of Mikhail Borodyansky in the article "A psychologist in a firm - money down the drain?" show that the author is talking about a subject with which he is barely familiar. What kind of long-term observations can we talk about if he simply does not know the job responsibilities and the main areas of work of an organizational psychologist. In order not to waste time getting to know them, I refer him to my article "How not to be mistaken in the reliability of an employee?" in the magazine "Personnel Service and Personnel" No. 2-2004, where everything is clearly described. As for the notes themselves, I would like to discuss this in more detail. To begin with, there are no people who have not been touched by the problem of personal growth. Accordingly, psychological problems concern not only future psychologists, but are inherent in people in general. Based on the content of the article, it is quite logical to assume that any profession, if it is not a family tradition, is chosen to solve personal psychological problems. Thus, medicine attracts people with chronic diseases or fear of death; pedagogy and politics - an inferiority complex and a desire for domination, military affairs are close to people who are aggressive and striving for power, jurisprudence attracts people who have a tight social framework, prone to adventurism, etc.
It is not only psychologists who acquire the skills of manipulating people: now psychology is popular in all educational institutions, starting from school. It is taught to students of various specialties in all imaginable and unimaginable faculties. Some even take an exam in general or practical psychology. I have never studied psychology unless I am lazy. The number of books on popular psychology on the shelves of bookstores is striking in the variety, diversity and practical solution to any problem. How can you compete with a psychologist, besides a bad one! In the methods of "lowering" their own company for money, specialists in economic areas are much more productive and inventive, and manipulative psychology rests next to them.
And now in more detail about psychological organizations, where, according to the author, real professionals work, who for some reason are only up to 40 years old. Where are they doing their professionalism, becoming specialists or just psychologists, after 40?
I know about the work of the psychological center and the people working there, as they say, from the inside. The money that the center earns on a psychologist and the money that he receives are significantly different. The leaders of the centers are usually men who have some kind of higher education (ideally the history department of the pedagogical institute and three-month courses in practical psychology) who have not been able to make a career as an official, take some place in the city or regional administration, etc. At best, the psychological staff includes several specialists who have received specialized education, which is a rarity. Most often these are people who have completed some courses and feel like professionals. A favorable option is the wives of officials, people with connections who help the center in organizing educational programs, trainings, and receiving social grants; middle - students of psychology departments who came to earn extra money and study; the worst - people of difficult fate, solving problems of personal unfulfillment, loneliness; the worst are specialists who have mastered serious techniques, engaged in the formation of certain attitudes among clients and involving them in an increasing number of trainings, drawing money out of them and often harming not only the financial situation, but also the human psyche.
My contacts with the professionals of psychological centers made it possible to divide them into three psychological groups - consolation, counseling, and authoritarian
The consolation group is represented by applicants for the role of "Kind Mom". A kind mother should listen to everyone and console everyone. It will allow and help to express, cry, reflect in Rogerian all the client's feelings: nodding his head to the beat of his breath, allowing him to cry, blow his nose, give a handkerchief to wipe his eyes and nose. In conclusion, she will find a positive moment in all the misfortunes that make the client stronger, wiser, more tolerant (depending on the resource state) and will get a new package of handkerchiefs.
To be honest, this method is used not only by psychologists, but also by psychotherapists and doctors. Before conducting a dialogue, it is necessary to give a person to express their emotions, so that he feels that he is understood. But the good mother is only limited to this. It is useful for those who, apart from consolation and a lion's dose of attention, do not need anything else. These are people experiencing a state of distress, especially after catastrophes and natural disasters, crushed by their own problems and are just steps away from neurosis or suicide.
The Advisory Group is represented by applicants for the role of "Best Friend". This is a piece of jewelry. Only professionals can work in this style, and there are always few candidates for this role. Usually for five psychologists working in the center, at best, one is ready to take on this role. Most often, this is a specialist who got a job in a psychological center not for connections or acquaintance, but for a diploma and work experience. The “best friend” should be able to not only comfort or give advice, but to suggest possible options for action and help the client choose the acceptable one. He does not tell the client what to do, but makes him think about why to do it, where it will lead, etc. In other words, communication with the best friend is not a dialogue, but intellectual joint activity in search of a solution to a problem.
Psychological center trainings are a topic no less interesting than counseling. Just think about the names of the offered trainings: "Energy of Money", "Man and Woman: Family Psychotherapy", "Personal Image and Development of Charisma", "Body-Oriented Psychotherapy - the Path to Freedom" and so on and so forth. Psychologists-trainers of the center usually conduct the same training programs: this way there are fewer disruptions, and with a different audience, the quality is the same. Moreover, a coach who has five stamps on divorce and four failed civil marriages can talk about the preservation of family relations, and a psychologist in clothes from the Chinese market will tell about attracting money, etc. There are, of course, really charismatic trainers who can captivate the masses … Three hours after the start, they confidentially report that it is today that a beloved dog is giving birth, as you know, such a moment, you need to be at home early, during the main training course they advertise all other trainings, describing the advantages of programs that simply cannot be passed. There is also a sale of methodological publications of the group of authors of the psychological center, etc. People easily, confidently, obsessively earn money by preserving and maintaining the psychological health of fellow citizens, their gullibility, and respectful attitude to the coach.
Trainers can also be divided into three role groups. Entertaining role "Clown", where the goal is to relieve emotional stress and the group will like it as much as possible. Modeling - Companion role, where the goal is to provide a social role model and point the way to success. Sculpting - the role of the "Guru", where the goal is to increase the amount of goodness in the world around and show the way to self-improvement. These roles overlap directly with the role positions of counseling. They are united by a sincere desire to earn at least a little money. And they do not spare charm, intelligence and external attributes for this.
In a situation of market relations, every psychologist praises his own swamp, to paraphrase popular wisdom. It is extremely difficult to check the professionalism of the "swamp" specialists, given the fact that everything is bought and sold in our country. PR campaigns using dirty technologies do not surprise or anger anyone. The consciousness of a modern person adapts to everything, helping him to survive in a rapidly changing world. And yet it is outrageous that the psychology of a chicken coop - climb higher, put on those below, and keep others away from the feeder - is included in one of the humanistic and life-affirming spheres of activity - psychology. It hurts that, for the sake of monetary pleasure, collegial respect, a reverent attitude to the hard work of practicing psychologists, who, not only by their activity, but also by their lifestyle, assert the importance and necessity of psychological practice in business, are violated. Disgusting is the fact that pseudo-experts undertake to judge the intricacies of professional activity, with which they are not even familiar.
I am for professionalism, collegiality and respect for true masters. But I strongly doubt that the psychological center is a panacea for solving the problems of a developing organization. An organizational psychologist-specialist and a patriot of his enterprise is the correct, serious and reliable choice of every organization striving to be competitive!
