Industrial psychology

The industrial psychology examined in some accentuation towards the work psychology relations of the working people themselves. She examines this in an economic context and through appropriate organizational psychological approaches. Business psychology is therefore a sub-discipline of business psychology. Business psychology is sometimes exposed to violent attacks as "business-oriented application subject" or "practical application theory".

definition

Industrial psychology is terminologically part of industrial, industrial and organizational psychology (ABO). The term ABO psychology is a technical compromise, since industrial psychology is a sub-area of organizational psychology that goes beyond the economic area. In order to establish and consolidate the profession , the terms that are dominant in Germany have been combined. Although the separation between work psychology, industrial and organizational psychology appears questionable in the case of some problems (e.g. group work concepts), different focuses and traditions allow a certain contrast. These are different ways of accessing a subject whose core area is the description , analysis , explanation, prognosis and design of human work in operational contexts. The shorter term work and organizational psychology can often be found again, which reflects the actual core content more appropriately.

In principle, industrial psychology deals in a practical way with certain psychological problems that arise in companies. Humans are not isolated beings at their workplace who only deal with machines, but rather they create social contacts and group relationships. In this respect, industrial psychology is, to a relevant extent, a social psychology of the company with a certain affinity for economically oriented people.

If one proceeds purely from the pragmatic application aspect, then industrial psychology can be characterized as applied psychology.

Practical work

In connection with anxiety disorders z. B. Depression , addiction problems or the restriction of professional and social development opportunities were observed. According to the Heidelberg Institute for Personality Development and Health Education and the Heidelberg Academy for Health Education , coaches of executives and specialized therapists report that anxiety problems occur noticeably more frequently in managers than in the general population. Topics are often the unpopular annual meetings with employees, balance sheet conferences in management bodies, disputes with other departments or superiors, project meetings , the communication of unpleasant news to subordinates or press appointments .

The forms of therapy most widespread in Germany are the administration of psychotropic drugs , classic behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis or depth psychological psychotherapy . In this context, classic behavioral therapy processes fear reactions mainly through massive confrontation with anxiety stimuli ("flooding"), to which the internal system should then get used to more and more. With this method, anxiety patients are usually put back in a position to carry out the fear-laden actions. The person concerned loses the inner discomfort, but the inner tension and other stress reactions of the body never completely and often not permanently. In addition, procedures are used that also integrate elements from respiratory therapy . In addition, aspects from hypnotherapy are used and, for example, visual, acoustic and kinaesthetic perceptions are described in the relaxation instructions in order to make the relaxation experience more accessible to the practitioner.

If necessary, in order to reliably break through the fear reaction, one can also resort to body psychotherapeutic approaches, for example according to Boyesen or to so-called passive muscle relaxation . In as relaxed an inner state as possible, but at least indifferent to the problem, the client should perceive himself as an outside observer in the scary scene and experiment with the experienced scene like a film director . This work is supplemented by other cognitive measures, such as the creation of a feel-good barometer, which quantifies the inner feelings of freedom from fear and competence through subjective assignment to numerical values and shows them in a daily curve. The further processing of the curve obtained here assigns successes to the internal processes of change and the external changes achieved through personal involvement and should thus lead to their reinforcement . As part of this "transformation to wholeness" the client becomes fearless again and learns to look for his place where he can live his own vision and his mission in his job.

literature

Baden Eunson: Industrial Psychology . McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead 1990, ISBN 3-89028-227-X .

Thomas Frank: Psychology in the company. Haufe-Lexware, Freiburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-448-10128-7 .

Carl Graf Hoyos, Dieter Frey (Ed.): Work and organizational psychology. Beltz, Weinheim 1999, ISBN 3-621-27432-4 .

Barbara Keller: Work, industrial and organizational psychology. In: Philip G. Zimbardo, Richard J. Gerrig: Psychology. Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-64633-7 , pp. 719-780.

Eberhard Ulich: Industrial Psychology. Schäffer-Poeschel, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-7910-2442-6 .