Project One: Analysis of Writing in Profession/Discipline
Advanced Writing in the Discipline
February 4, 2013
Kelsey Ragsdale
Psychology is the study of the human mind, in all its varied aspects. This covers everything from the most technical neurobiologist, to the interpersonal management of the Human Resources expert, to the gentle patience of a therapist working with an autistic child. Despite still being a relatively young field, psychology has been used to improve the quality of a variety of other fields such as advertising, education, health care, diplomacy and criminology and police work, to name a few. In all such cases, collaboration and discourse play a heavy part. The form this international dialogue takes is the written word, and it is through utilizing this tool that the field of psychology exists at all.
My personal interest in psychology focuses more on mental and emotional health, especially in conjunction with developmental psychology and the effects of such stressors on children and young adults. The brain of a child undergoes constant growth and transformation, which means that children do not perceive the world as an adult would, nor do they react to stressors as an adult would expect. Since each stage of emotional development creates radical cognitive changes in the child, and children all develop at slightly different rates, it creates a much messier and less structured field for a psychologist to work in. However, I believe it to be more rewarding, since many of the problems adults go to therapy for originated in untreated issues from their childhood. If they were helped at that younger stage, taught coping mechanisms or resolved internal issues, than years of pain and anxiety could have been avoided. For this reason I intend to arm myself with the skills and experience necessary for work as a clinical child psychologist.
Such credentials shall not be gained without a considerable amount of writing, especially in regards to lab reports, reviews, and analysis, followed by case studies and a dissertation. These will be academic works, both read and produced, typical of students of psychology. Such writings are the blocks that each person attempting to enter the field must build upon, and the studies and reviews these students contribute to the international discourse enables the field to be the vibrant, growing entity that it is. Most psychologists follow the scientist-practitioner model, implying the scientific and academic writings of scholarly discourse. This comes as a prerequisite of the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) required for clinical counseling. However, a more recent alternative has become available in the form of a PsyD (Doctorate of Psychology), which focuses solely on counseling, thereby excluding the need for scientific reports. In this case, a heavier emphasis would be placed on case studies, and academic reports used to further understandings of counseling techniques.
Once working in the field, the type of writing would be tailored to the varied audiences that a psychologist must address. When keeping records of patients and their progress, technical language would be used in efforts of accuracy and brevity, with the intent that a peer in the field might understand the entirety of your work, should they take on your patient for any reason. A less technical but still highly formal and direct type of writing would be used when dealing with health insurance companies, law offices or industrial organizations, in cases such as federally mandated therapy or discussing the extent of the needs of a patient with their insurance company, for example. In some cases, a psychologist might need to express to someone with only a basic understanding of psychology the diagnoses or disorders that are affecting them or someone they care about, which should be done in person if possible, but often occurs in emails or letters. This would require a much more delicate handling of tone, with attention paid to how the audience could react to oftentimes highly emotionally charged topics.
The American Psychological Association (APA) is in many ways the touchstone for the psychology community in the United States. Founded in 1892 (APA History and Archeives), it has been accrediting graduate psychology programs at universities since 1948, and is formally recognized by both the US Department of Education and the Council of Higher Education Accreditation as an accrediting body (APA Accreditation: Protecting the Public). The APA is the most highly regarded of psychological communities, with “the world's largest association of psychologists, with more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members” (About APA).
Despite its intimidating credentials, the format of the website is soft blues and browns, friendly and inviting. Part of the site seems dedicated to serving a general audience, especially in regards to psychological help, as evidenced by the centermost tab labeled as “Psychology Help Center.” Once clicked, two subheadings are listed on the left-hand column, “Help Center Interest Areas,” which contains a cluster of general topics that a layman might be interested in, and “Help Center Resources,” for psychological help. To the right are a few featured articles relevant to public interest. The tone for these articles seems personal, addressing the reader in the second person, i.e. “You may find that you have trouble sleeping, concentrating, eating or remembering even simple tasks. This is common and should pass after a while.” (Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting). There is no first person reference made, with only a passing reference to “we” (as in, “we may never know”), and the focus is entirely on the reader. I find this to be typical of articles written by psychologists for the general public. The text seems informed, empathetic and even clinical in its authority.
Other aspects of the website seem targeted towards a more professional, peer-group type of audience. The tab labeled “Research” offers a collection of resources on grant founding, tips on project proposals, and articles on current research being done in the field. The language here is less emotive and more direct and informative, clearly indicating what the resources are and where they can be found. The tab labeled “Psychology Topics” contains a word cloud of the most popular psychology topics available, with words larger or smaller in size in relation to the amount of articles under that topic. Clicking on a topic takes the viewer to a factual page on the subject, starting with a brief description and, in the case of ADHD, followed by issues in treating that disorder, assistance in “getting help,” news, a list of psychological articles relevant to that topic, and a list of relevant books (ADHD). Other topics are similarly organized, creating a very thorough, professional yet easily navigated wealth of information. This can easily be a resource for general public and the scientific community alike.
The APA website states that their mission is to “advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives” (About APA). This goal is evident in every aspect of their website, and in their varying styles of writing. It makes available information for the advancement of psychology and psychologists (and aspiring psychologists) in terms professionals in the field can readily access and use. It also makes available articles in language more accessible for general audience and with the focus on how such information can be useful to the reader. It fosters growth in the community, enables curious minds, encourages proactive action in getting help, and acts as a hub of resources for every need related to the field of psychology.
Bibliography
APA. APA History and Archives. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/about/archives/index.aspx>
APA. APA Accreditation: Protecting the Public. Web. January 25, 2013.
<http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/about/coa/protect-public.aspx>
APA. About APA. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx>
APA. Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx>
APA. ADHD. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/topics/adhd/index.aspx>
Advanced Writing in the Discipline
February 4, 2013
Kelsey Ragsdale
Psychology is the study of the human mind, in all its varied aspects. This covers everything from the most technical neurobiologist, to the interpersonal management of the Human Resources expert, to the gentle patience of a therapist working with an autistic child. Despite still being a relatively young field, psychology has been used to improve the quality of a variety of other fields such as advertising, education, health care, diplomacy and criminology and police work, to name a few. In all such cases, collaboration and discourse play a heavy part. The form this international dialogue takes is the written word, and it is through utilizing this tool that the field of psychology exists at all.
My personal interest in psychology focuses more on mental and emotional health, especially in conjunction with developmental psychology and the effects of such stressors on children and young adults. The brain of a child undergoes constant growth and transformation, which means that children do not perceive the world as an adult would, nor do they react to stressors as an adult would expect. Since each stage of emotional development creates radical cognitive changes in the child, and children all develop at slightly different rates, it creates a much messier and less structured field for a psychologist to work in. However, I believe it to be more rewarding, since many of the problems adults go to therapy for originated in untreated issues from their childhood. If they were helped at that younger stage, taught coping mechanisms or resolved internal issues, than years of pain and anxiety could have been avoided. For this reason I intend to arm myself with the skills and experience necessary for work as a clinical child psychologist.
Such credentials shall not be gained without a considerable amount of writing, especially in regards to lab reports, reviews, and analysis, followed by case studies and a dissertation. These will be academic works, both read and produced, typical of students of psychology. Such writings are the blocks that each person attempting to enter the field must build upon, and the studies and reviews these students contribute to the international discourse enables the field to be the vibrant, growing entity that it is. Most psychologists follow the scientist-practitioner model, implying the scientific and academic writings of scholarly discourse. This comes as a prerequisite of the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) required for clinical counseling. However, a more recent alternative has become available in the form of a PsyD (Doctorate of Psychology), which focuses solely on counseling, thereby excluding the need for scientific reports. In this case, a heavier emphasis would be placed on case studies, and academic reports used to further understandings of counseling techniques.
Once working in the field, the type of writing would be tailored to the varied audiences that a psychologist must address. When keeping records of patients and their progress, technical language would be used in efforts of accuracy and brevity, with the intent that a peer in the field might understand the entirety of your work, should they take on your patient for any reason. A less technical but still highly formal and direct type of writing would be used when dealing with health insurance companies, law offices or industrial organizations, in cases such as federally mandated therapy or discussing the extent of the needs of a patient with their insurance company, for example. In some cases, a psychologist might need to express to someone with only a basic understanding of psychology the diagnoses or disorders that are affecting them or someone they care about, which should be done in person if possible, but often occurs in emails or letters. This would require a much more delicate handling of tone, with attention paid to how the audience could react to oftentimes highly emotionally charged topics.
The American Psychological Association (APA) is in many ways the touchstone for the psychology community in the United States. Founded in 1892 (APA History and Archeives), it has been accrediting graduate psychology programs at universities since 1948, and is formally recognized by both the US Department of Education and the Council of Higher Education Accreditation as an accrediting body (APA Accreditation: Protecting the Public). The APA is the most highly regarded of psychological communities, with “the world's largest association of psychologists, with more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members” (About APA).
Despite its intimidating credentials, the format of the website is soft blues and browns, friendly and inviting. Part of the site seems dedicated to serving a general audience, especially in regards to psychological help, as evidenced by the centermost tab labeled as “Psychology Help Center.” Once clicked, two subheadings are listed on the left-hand column, “Help Center Interest Areas,” which contains a cluster of general topics that a layman might be interested in, and “Help Center Resources,” for psychological help. To the right are a few featured articles relevant to public interest. The tone for these articles seems personal, addressing the reader in the second person, i.e. “You may find that you have trouble sleeping, concentrating, eating or remembering even simple tasks. This is common and should pass after a while.” (Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting). There is no first person reference made, with only a passing reference to “we” (as in, “we may never know”), and the focus is entirely on the reader. I find this to be typical of articles written by psychologists for the general public. The text seems informed, empathetic and even clinical in its authority.
Other aspects of the website seem targeted towards a more professional, peer-group type of audience. The tab labeled “Research” offers a collection of resources on grant founding, tips on project proposals, and articles on current research being done in the field. The language here is less emotive and more direct and informative, clearly indicating what the resources are and where they can be found. The tab labeled “Psychology Topics” contains a word cloud of the most popular psychology topics available, with words larger or smaller in size in relation to the amount of articles under that topic. Clicking on a topic takes the viewer to a factual page on the subject, starting with a brief description and, in the case of ADHD, followed by issues in treating that disorder, assistance in “getting help,” news, a list of psychological articles relevant to that topic, and a list of relevant books (ADHD). Other topics are similarly organized, creating a very thorough, professional yet easily navigated wealth of information. This can easily be a resource for general public and the scientific community alike.
The APA website states that their mission is to “advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives” (About APA). This goal is evident in every aspect of their website, and in their varying styles of writing. It makes available information for the advancement of psychology and psychologists (and aspiring psychologists) in terms professionals in the field can readily access and use. It also makes available articles in language more accessible for general audience and with the focus on how such information can be useful to the reader. It fosters growth in the community, enables curious minds, encourages proactive action in getting help, and acts as a hub of resources for every need related to the field of psychology.
Bibliography
APA. APA History and Archives. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/about/archives/index.aspx>
APA. APA Accreditation: Protecting the Public. Web. January 25, 2013.
<http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/about/coa/protect-public.aspx>
APA. About APA. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/about/index.aspx>
APA. Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx>
APA. ADHD. Web. January 25, 2013.
< http://www.apa.org/topics/adhd/index.aspx>