Careers in Psychology and Related Fields

Psychology is a fascinating field that addresses the human mind and human behavior. For many who study psychology, becoming a psychologist is the path their career naturally takes. These students tend to follow up their undergraduate studies with a master's or doctoral degree. That means five to seven years of study, including internships and supervised clinical practice.
 
However, any student pursuing an advanced education in psychology has a number of psychology-related career paths and job opportunities available to him. Here's a guide to some of the most popular psychology related careers.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Industrial and organizational psychology offers exciting options for careers related to psychology. Industrial and organizational psychologists work within organizations to help company owners to create productive working environments in which employees are happy and fulfilled.
 
Psychologists work with employees at all levels of an organization to:
  • develop effective marketing strategies
  • help with employee recruitment and training
  • promote equal treatment of employees
  • promote job satisfaction among employees
  • research and refine management methods and policy.
An interest in statistics and research is essential for this type of psychology related career.

Engineering and Aviation Psychology

Another psychology related career lies in the field of engineering psychology. In this capacity, psychologists research and develop the best ways for people to work effectively with machines. This discipline focuses on examining and creating techniques to help workers avoid strain, as well as arranging assembly lines to increase productivity and workloads.
 
Also referred to as human factors specialists, engineering psychologists also play a vital role in improving product design to make products more appealing to consumers. In the aviation industry, engineering psychologists will also work to reduce errors by the flight crew and improve the performance of pilots.

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology combines the study of cognitive psychology with evolutionary biology to try to explain human behavior (including the effect of environment on human behavior). In this psychology related career, evolutionary psychologists study:
  • aggression
  • communication
  • cooperation
  • mating
  • mutation and adaptation
  • the behaviors that help people survive
  • the effect of environment on behavior and overall health.
Environments include buildings, social settings, organizations and learning environments. Through their research, evolutionary psychologists seek ways to improve our environments and unhealthy behaviors.

Consumer Psychology

Consumer psychologists look at how people respond to products and services. Professionals in this psychology related career research the motivations, feelings and practices that govern consumer behavior. They may also educate people on buying behavior.
 
Through their work, consumer psychologists can predict consumer trends and help businesses better market and respond to their clients' changing needs.

Forensic Psychology

In addition to the engineering and retail industries, psychology related careers also exist within the legal and justice system. For example, forensic psychologists generally work with lawyers (or their clients) to give advice or expert testimony in:
  • custody hearings
  • insurance claims
  • jury selection
  • law and public policy
  • witness competency assessments.
Forensic psychologists may also work with police to develop criminal profiles or reveal more about a criminal's motives, methods and/or behaviors.
 
Along with the above-listed options are a number of other psychology related careers, ranging from substance abuse counselor to researcher to customer service manager. Clearly, with a degree in psychology, there is no shortage of exciting career options.
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