Industrial Psychology

Industrial Psychology

and Organizational Behaviour

The purpose of the present essay is to briefly discuss industrial psychology. Indeed, industrial psychology may be viewed as the psychological branch which interrelates psychology and business. Further, industrial psychologists, similar to organizational behaviour specialists, study relationships and interpersonal dynamics in the workplace, employee morale and motivation, workplace conditions and so on.

Psychology is a social science studying the brain and behaviour. Psychology covers a very vast field and remains present in most life areas. For example, let’s take the example of Molly, a hypothetical girl, and follow her throughout a day of adventure to look at how psychological influences are present in her life.

Thus, Molly wakes up at precisely 6:00 am. But where does she wake up? Presumably, Molly wakes up in a bed, in a house within a city. Sociology and society aside, the workplace relations and interdynamics which allowed for the construction of the furniture and dwellings’ materials. Such descriptions comprise the realm of industrial psychology and organizational psychology.

Certainly, IQ or Intelligence Quotient, has been widely discussed and documented in the academic literature. Still, many psychologists today point to another dimension of quantitative intelligence measure – EQ or Emotional Intelligence. For instance, the ability of managers to motivate employees greatly depends on emotional intelligence, but what is emotional intelligence? A definite answer remains to be found.

Industrial Graphics. Credit picture by Elena

The multiple intelligences theory outlined in cognitive psychology, states that aside from other dimensions, there is interpersonal intelligence. To illustrate, interpersonal intelligence has to do with how well one understands one’s own mental and emotional states. Similarly, to draw a parallel to another theoretical construct, the ability to delay gratification has been cited by psychological studies as an even better predictor of success than IQ in some cases. Interestingly, this construct has to do with the ability to motivate and distract oneself, which is a plausible prerequisite to in turn motivate others, a crucial skills for effective and efficient managers.

Moreover, numerous books on business and entrepreneurship mention the importance of confidence, self-esteem and self-coaching. Likewise, self-help books offer countless advice as to how to persuade or impress at job interviews. Still, the bottom line may not be so simple. For example, public speaking is a common fear for many people. Alternatively, Power Point presentations remain an invaluable skill sought by employers and investors alike in many business venues. Along these lines, it seems that being able to self-talk oneself out of feeling anxious presents an advantage from the job market and commercial success points of view.

In contrast, neuroscience sheds light on yet another aspect of human thought – neural substrates. Thus, neuroimaging studies, such as fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and ERP (Event Related Potential), show that the amygdala is the brain correlate most often associated with emotions such as fear and anxiety. Further, the main difference between fear and anxiety, is that fear is a response to perceived, yet real, dangerous and/or threatening stimuli, and is therefore an adaptive mechanism. Conversely, anxiety refers to unconfirmed dangers, sometimes simply perceived but unsupported by facts, and can thus be maladaptive. In fact, in extreme cases, such as GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), pervasive anxiety may severely hinder a person’s functioning in their daily routines.

Moreover, from a more theoretical perspective, human perception of their environment is also based on mental schemas. Along these lines, mental schemas are psychological representations one holds of the world and environment in which one evolves. Consequently, psychologists suggest that persons are motivated by positive and negative mental schemas they hold about themselves. Thus, individuals tend to be motivated by the drive to achieve a positive, desired self-image and, in contrast, by avoidance of a negative self-representation they fear. Thus, in other words, people strive to become the ideal they believe (or at least wish) they can be, and by avoiding the failure they fear to become in the worst case scenario.

By the same token, fear of failure may be such that it may lead to a self-handicapping mechanism. The theory is described in psychology courses as a person who, for fear of failing, does something to deliberately (albeit not necessarily consciously) sabotage an undertaking they do not think is feasible. An example may be a student who is terrified of falling an exam, so in order not to blame themselves later on, they go on a hunger strike and binge drinking phase in the weeks leading up to the test. Then, at least in their mind, once they fail to pass the examination, they can rationalize their failure attributing it to nutritional deficiency, and not to lack of will power or self-discipline to study. Furthermore, some psychologists claim that this serves a purpose of ego-protective mechanism. Finally, the aim of the present paper was to attempt to discuss psychological theory from an industrial psychology viewpoint, as it applies to today’s job market and the workplace.